Australian scientists have discovered a colossal coral colony stretching more than 1.5km along the outer reef of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean northwest of Perth.
The rose coral (Pachyseris) colony extends 1.56km – the equivalent of 100 buses laid end-to-end – and occupies the outer reef slope with depths up to 65 metres.
Local dive operator Dieter Gerhard first spotted extensive areas of the coral more than 30 years ago, but it wasn’t until researchers began mapping the reef that they realised the extent of the formation.
Researchers from the Queensland Museum and James Cook University worked with lead researcher Dr Jean-Paul Hobbs from the University of Adelaide to map the coral over many months.
Dr Hobbs used GPS to mark his progress between dives. It took 12 dives to map the full extent of the colony.
The coral measure an average width of 26.5 metres (a 56,940 sq m area or more than three MCG playing fields) with additional sections extending up to 300 metres beyond the main colony.
Researchers are now using genetic testing to investigate if the discovery is one giant coral organism, or multiple colonies that have fused together over time.
