Environment

Even bigger than the blue whale. This discovery has just been made in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Around the Solomon Islands, in an area nicknamed “Three Sisters”, a group of scientists from National Geographic came across the world's largest coral, three times larger than the previous record holder, reports Demotivateur.

Marine ecologist, Enric Sala, confides:

“Just when we thought there was nothing left to discover on planet earth, we found a massive coral composed of almost a billion tiny polyps, bursting with life and color.”

The National Geographic team stresses that the self-sustaining structure developed over almost 300 years, starting from a “complex network” of tiny coral polyps. "It's distinct from a coral reef, made up of many separate colonies,” they continue.

Like ice on the seabed

This is the world's largest coral, with extraordinary dimensions (larger than a blue whale). Exceeding the coral christened “Big Momma”, this recently discovered structure is 34 metres wide and 32 metres long. Molly Timmers, the expedition's lead scientist, explains: “Whereas Big Momma looked like a huge ball of ice resting on the reef, this newly discovered coral is as if the ice had started to melt, spreading out indefinitely on the seabed.”

The new colony in question is beleived to be visible from space. Coral specialist Eric Brown adds: “At a time when nearby shallow reefs have been degraded by warming seas, this large, healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper water is a ray of hope.”

(MH with AsD - Source : Demotivateur - Illustration : Unsplash)