Scientists announced on Thursday the discovery of the world’s largest coral near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, which is three times the size of the previous record holder.
"Just when we thought 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 colour," said marine ecologist Enric Sala.
The coral was discovered in an area known as "Three Sisters" in the southeast of the Solomon Islands by a National Geographic team on a scientific expedition.
Researchers say the standalone structure has been growing for approximately 300 years from a "complex network" of tiny coral polyps.
This distinguishes it from a coral reef, which consists of many distinct colonies, they explained.
Measuring 34 metres wide by 32 metres long, the new Solomon coral is three times larger than the previous record holder located in American Samoa, known as "Big Momma".
"While Big Momma looked like a huge scoop of ice cream perched on the reef, this newly discovered coral is like the ice cream started to melt, spreading out indefinitely on the sea floor," said Molly Timmers, lead scientist of the expedition.
Its size surpasses that of a blue whale, and it is "so colossal" it could even be visible from space, she estimated.
The acidity and warming of the oceans are negatively affecting the region’s ecosystems, including Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef.
"While nearby shallow reefs have been degraded by warming seas, this large, healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper waters is a beacon of hope," said coral specialist Eric Brown.
