World's largest coral discovered in Solomon Islands

The Manila Times

World's largest coral discovered in Solomon Islands  Scientists have discovered the world’s largest coral, which can be seen from space, in the Solomon Islands.  The mega coral is three times larger than the previous record-holder and is believed to be around 300 years old.  Scientists from the National Geographic Pristine Seas team were researching the health of the Solomon Islands’ ocean environments when they made the discovery. When underwater cinematographer Manu San Felix first saw the mega coral, he thought it was a shipwreck due to its large size.   NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PRISTINE SEAS / REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes  #worldnews  #largestcoral  #solomonisland

Transcript

00:00Well, when you are in the water and you have the opportunity to see it, it's evident because

00:20it's enormous.

00:21And I remember the first time I saw it, it was like in the first second I realized that

00:30I was looking to something unique because it's huge.

00:36And the results were both awe-inspiring and magnificent because in the 30-plus years that

00:42I've been doing coral reef research, I've never seen anything quite this massive or

00:47impressive.

00:48So it's really spectacular.

00:51Now the significance of finding coral like this goes beyond simply enjoying the moment

01:01and seeing this magnificent organism, this megacoral, because it doesn't just captivate

01:08hearts and minds of people seeing something magical, but it really shines a light on the

01:15significance of coral reefs worldwide, what their critical role is in the ecosystem.

01:23Our community has been doing conservation for the past 15 years.

01:28This is a community initiative.

01:30We don't know that there's something incredible under the ocean, but all we have in mind is

01:34we want to preserve our marine environment for the future of our children.

01:39And now it has paid off.

01:41It has paid off.

01:42And I believe this discovery will certainly put Malauulalo Island and the Three Sisters

01:47and of course Solomon Islands on the map.

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