“Earth's biggest coral colony discovered in the Pacific Ocean – and it's so huge it can be seen from space”
Coral reefs are having a lot of problems around the world and there haven’t been many uplifting articles about them. But on an expedition in the Solomon Islands, the National Geographic Pristine Seas team, found the enormous colony in the Three Sisters island group that measured 34 meters wide, 32 meters long and 5.5 meters high, with a circumference of 183 meters. The mega coral is the largest individual colony in the world and is around 300 years old. “Coral reef ecosystems comprise only about 0.2% of the ocean's area, yet they contain over 25% of the marine species on the planet.” However, only 8.4% of the ocean is currently protected, and that’s a big reason why corals are getting sick and dying. Coral reefs face huge threats like warming waters, overfishing, nutrient runoff, and pollution, and are very vulnerable ecosystems. That’s why we need to do everything we can to protect and preserve these magnificent ecosystems. Can you imagine our world without coral reefs?
Source:
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/biggest-coral
Photo credit: National Geographic
