The behemoth coral, discovered in October in the Solomon Islands, is longer than a blue whale and older than the United States.
Off the coast of the Solomon Islands lurks a centuries-old being that is so immense, it can be seen from space.. Coming in at roughly 34 meters wide, 32 meters long and 6 meters tall, the behemoth coral is longer than the average blue whale. It also dwarfs the world’s next largest-known coral, a 22-meter-wide coral in American Samoa known as Big Momma.
“While Big Momma looked like a huge scoop of ice cream plopped down on the reef, this newly discovered coral is as if the ice cream started to melt, spreading forever along the seafloor,” said Molly Timmers, a marine ecologist on the Pristine Seas team, in a statement.Such living structures provide crucial habitat for many marine species, said coral scientist Eric Brown of the Pristine Seas team, during a news conference. “Coral reef ecosystems comprise only about 0.
Pristine Seas team member Ronnie Posala collects data while on a dive during the team’s expedition in the Solomon Islands.Manu San Félix/National Geographic Pristine SeasWhile on expedition in the Solomon Islands, marine ecologist Molly Timmers collects a water sample containing environmental DNA, or eDNA, which could reveal information about the species present in the ecosystem.
After measuring the coral’s record-breaking dimensions and reviewing studies of the species’ growth rate, the team estimated that it was 300 to 500 years old. That longevity could be a boon to researchers, as the composition of a coral skeleton records information about its environmental conditions.). According to Brown, the discovery is a reminder that “it’s important for us to do whatever we can to protect these environments that are both small, yet mighty.
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