World’s largest coral discovered in Pacific near Solomon Islands

Scientists say coral ‘pulsing with life and colour’ is believed to be 300 years old and three times larger than previous record holder.

Scientists have found the largest coral in the world near the remote Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, a gigantic organism that can be seen from space.

The “mega coral” is 32 metres (105 feet) long and 34 metres (111 feet) wide and is believed to be about 300 years old, the National Geographic Society said on Thursday. It is mainly brown but features splashes of bright yellows, blues and reds, and is covered with ripples of waves, mirroring the ocean’s surface.

The organism, which has a circumference of 183 metres (600 feet), is made up of a network of coral polyps, tiny individual creatures. It was discovered by members of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team – a group of scientists working on board a research vessel in the southwest Pacific Ocean in October.

Unlike a reef, which is a network of many coral colonies, the newly discovered structure is a standalone coral that has grown uninterrupted for hundreds of years.

Warming oceans caused by climate change have drained the life from corals, including in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The researchers said, “Witnessing this large healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper waters is a beacon of hope.”