Incredible Coral 100 Buses Long Discovered in The Indian Ocean, Could Be One of The World's Largest

Key Points:

• A massive coral colony of the rose coral genus Pachyseris, measuring 1.5 kilometers long and potentially thousands of years old, has been discovered on the deep outer slope of a tropical reef near the remote Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
• Marine biologist JP Hobbs conducted 12 dives to map the entire colony, which is unusually large compared to typical Pachyseris colonies that max out at about 2 meters in diameter, and collected samples for genomic analysis.
• The coral samples were preserved with tissue stored for DNA sequencing, allowing scientists to investigate whether the colony is a single genetically identical organism or a fusion of closely related colonies, with implications for its age and growth.
• The colony extends across a broad depth range into the mesophotic zone, suggesting it thrives in varying light and temperature conditions and may benefit from the relatively stable environment of deeper reef areas less affected by bleaching and disease.
• Researchers plan to use the mapping and genetic data as a baseline to monitor the colony's response to climate change and environmental stressors, potentially providing insights into coral resilience and reef conservation strategies.