Australia: The Largest Coral in the World Discovered in the Pacific Ocean

Scientists have announced the discovery of the world’s largest coral near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. This coral is three times the size of the previous record-holder.

“Although we believed there was nothing left to discover on Earth, we found a massive coral made up of nearly a billion tiny polyps, teeming with life and colors,” said Enrique Sala, a marine ecologist. The coral was found in an area known as “Three Sisters,” southeast of the Solomon Islands, by a team from National Geographic who were on a scientific expedition in the region.

According to researchers, this autonomous structure developed over approximately 300 years, formed from a “complex network” of tiny coral polyps. Unlike a coral reef, which consists of multiple separate colonies, this coral is a single, immense structure. With a width of 34 meters and a length of 32 meters, the new coral discovered near the Solomon Islands is three times larger than the previous record-holder, “Big Momma,” located in American Samoa.

“While Big Momma resembled a giant ice ball on the reef, the newly discovered coral looks as if the ice has begun to melt and spread infinitely across the seafloor,” explained Molly Timers, the lead scientist of the expedition.

This newly discovered coral is larger than a blue whale and is “so colossal” that it could even be visible from space. Ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures negatively impact the ecosystems in the region, including the famous Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

“Although neighboring reefs in shallower waters have been degraded by rising sea temperatures, this large, healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper waters is a ray of hope,” added Eric Brown, a coral expert.