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Scientists have discovered one of the largest known sea creatures – a coral the size of two football fields – in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.
The reef is thought to be several centuries old and is “so massive that it can be seen from space,” said the National Geographic Pristine Seas team that led the discovery.
It is almost three times larger than the previous record holder.
Corals are independent structures, unlike reefs, which are formed based on the symbiotic relationship between corals and sea anemones.
Mammoth coral, a member of the mammoth coral species Pavona Clavus It was discovered by a research vessel in the southwest Pacific last October.
The 34-metre wide and 32-metre long brown mound is a communal organism made up of about a billion animals called polyps, which make up a larger structure “about the size of a cathedral”. new scientist. Genetically identical polyps function together as a single organism.
Given its large size and slow coral growth, researchers estimate the mound is at least 300 years old. “Just when you think there’s nothing more to discover on Earth, you discover massive corals made up of nearly a billion tiny polyps, pulsing with life and color,” said National Geographic Explorer Enric Sala, founder of the Pristine Seas project. said.
“This is an important scientific discovery, like discovering the world’s tallest tree.”
These giant structures have survived changing environments for decades and appear to be thriving even amid ongoing global ocean warming.
But scientists are concerned about the fate of these giant coral reefs as oceans become more acidic due to climate change.
Corals use calcium carbonate from seawater to build their skeletons. As the world warms and oceans become more acidic due to excessive global carbon dioxide emissions, it is becoming increasingly difficult for these organisms to stay healthy, they said.
As global temperatures rise by more than 1.5C and coral bleaching events become more frequent and severe, the majority of the world’s coral reefs could disappear.
But researchers hope the giant coral reef will remain healthy amid these changes.
“Now they store information about how to survive for centuries. The genetic code of these simple polyps is a huge encyclopedia of how they survive in different climatic conditions,” said Pristine Seas oceanographer Manu San Felix.
Eric Brown, a coral scientist involved in the expedition, said: “Nearby shallow coral reefs have been devastated by warm seas, but seeing this large, healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper waters is a sign of hope.”
