Scientists announced Thursday that they have found the world's largest coral near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, in a major discovery that is "full of life and color."
The coral is so huge that researchers who sailed through the crystalline waters of the Solomon Archipelago initially thought they had stumbled upon a huge shipwreck.
"Even though we thought there was nothing left to discover on Earth, we have found a huge coral containing about a billion tiny polyps that are full of life and color," said marine ecologist Enric Sala.
The independent coral has been growing for about 300 years and is made up of an "intricate network" of tiny coral polyps, the researchers said.
They explained that it is different from coral reefs, which are made up of many different coral colonies.
The team of researchers said the "megacoral", which is 34 metres wide and 32 metres long, is three times larger than the previous record holder, a coral called Big Momma located in American Samoa.
"While Big Momma looks like a giant ice cream scoop stretched out on the reef, this new coral looks like a melting ice cream that is spreading across the sea floor," said lead scientist Molly Timmers.
The coral is longer than a blue whale and is thought to be "so huge" it could be "seen from space".
The coral was discovered on the southeastern tip of the Solomon Islands in an area known as the Three Sisters.
The National Geographic team spotted it during a scientific expedition to the area.
Warming and increasingly acidic oceans have damaged coral reefs in large parts of the region's tropical waters, such as Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef.
But the team of researchers said the latest discovery offered a small glimmer of hope.
"While nearby shallow coral reefs are being destroyed by warming seas, this intact deep-sea coral oasis is a beacon of hope," said coral scientist Eric Brown.
The lush rainforests and pristine waters of the Solomon Islands are hailed for their biodiversity.
Wildlife monitoring on the islands in the 1920s helped prove a key aspect of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
"There is so much to learn about the richness of marine life and the ocean ecosystem, but this discovery opens the door to knowledge," said Colin Peck, a Solomon Islands official.
"More scientific research is needed to better understand our rich biodiversity and our planet."
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