Sydney, Australia: Scientists have mapped a 1.56-km-long coral colony along the outer reef of Australia's remote Cocos (Keeling) Islands, making it one of the largest known coral colonies ever recorded.
The rose coral (Pachyseris) colony occupies the outer reef slope between depths of 14 and 65 meters, with an average width of 36.5 meters, covering an area of about 56,940 square meters, according to a statement released Friday by Australia's Queensland Museum.
Working with researchers from the Queensland Museum and James Cook University, lead researcher Jean-Paul Adrian Hobbs from Adelaide University in Australia spent months mapping the coral, using a positioning system to mark his progress between dives when he ran out of air before reaching its end. It took 12 dives to finally map the full extent of the colony, the statement said.
A local dive operator first spotted extensive areas of the coral more than 30 years ago, but it wasn't until researchers began mapping the reef that they realized just how extensive the formation was and that the sections may be connected as one enormous colony, the museum noted.
Researchers are now using genetic testing to investigate whether the formation is a single giant coral organism or multiple colonies that have fused together over time.
The research provides new insights into the unique coral communities of Australia's remote marine environments and forms part of ongoing efforts to better understand the biodiversity and ecology of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park, according to the Queensland Museum.
