Scientists have found the widest coral yet at a ridiculous 10.4 meters (34 feet) of Porites coral. The newly found coral is 2.4 meters wider than the former widest coral found on the reef. Researchers in the area estimate it to be over 420 years old. The Porites specimen is located in the Palm Islands in Queensland, Australia. The Indigenous Manbarra people, traditional care takers of the area, named it Muga dhambi (big coral) and we would definitely have to agree with them.
“The large Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus) Island is unusually rare and resilient,” the study said. “It has survived coral bleaching, invasive species, cyclones, severely low tides and human activities for almost 500 years.” 70% of the coral itself is live and not dead something that researchers note is very good.
If you happen to keep Porites coral in your reef tank you might need to adjust your expectation levels as the current world record holder for widest coral is going to be awfully hard to beat. Plus, it has a 420 year head start.
via [Report]
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