A international expedition of scientists discovered the largest coral in the world never found so far in the depths of Solomon Islands of the South Pacificmore precisely in the group of islands named Three sistersas reported by the managers of Pristine Seas project of the National Geographic company.
From brown colour with shining yellow, blue and red flashes, the immense coral What It measures 5.5 meters high, 35 meters wide and 32 meters long era discovered by the Spanish explorer Manu San Félix, founder of Pristine seas. It should be remembered that, until now, the largest coral in the world was found in American Samoa, a US territory located in the Pacific Ocean, and measured approximately 22 meters in diameter, while the largest coral reef continues to be the Great Barrier Reef. located in Australia.
Although San Félix has been exploring the oceans for 44 years and accumulating mental images from more than 12,000 dives around the world, he had never found anything like this coral, since, as he stated, the gigantic colony, anchored to the seabed, is unique features.
“This immense coral is different from anything I’ve seen before. Everything catches your attention: the size, the age, the beauty. It’s amazing when you think about all the information it can offer us,” the expert said of corals. .
This coral is not only surprising for it’s size, but also for its age as, according to researchers, its first lobes may have developed around 300 years ago, which makes it a sort of “living library”, just as he describes it San Felice. “The amount of ecological and biological information it hosts could be critical to better understanding the evolution of the oceans and human impacts on them,” the National Geographic member said.
“This discovery highlights the enormous importance of protecting marine ecosystems, especially in the context of a global climate crisis. This coral represents a unique learning chance as it is a huge library worth reading and, fundamentally, preserving,” concluded Saint Felix
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