Flossi and The Mega Coral in the Solomon Islands
Flossi and The Mega Coral in the Solomon Islands
The discovery of corals as marine organisms with skeletal structures can be traced back to ancient times. Still, the scientific understanding and documentation of corals began to take shape during the Renaissance:
1. Ancient Observations:
- Aristotle (384–322 BC) and other ancient scholars like Pliny the Elder (AD 23/24 – 79) wrote about coral in their works. They knew of the red coral, commonly used for jewellery, but didn't understand the biological nature of corals.
2. Renaissance and Early Modern Science:
- Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) studied corals and even suggested that the fossils found in the mountains might indicate that these areas were once under the sea, showing an early understanding of geological processes related to corals.
- Conrad Gessner (1516–1565), in his book "De Omni rerum fossilium genere, gems, lapidibus, metallic, et huiusmodi" (1565), included descriptions of coral, treating them as plant-like organisms.
3. Scientific Recognition:
- Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) was instrumental in formally classifying life forms. In his system of binomial nomenclature, he placed corals in the plant kingdom, which was a common mistake at the time since their animal nature wasn't fully understood. He grouped them under the genus Corallium.
4. Modern Understanding:
- The animal nature of corals was not widely recognised until much later. Jean-André Peyssonnel (1694–1759), in the 18th century, was one of the first to argue that corals were animals, not plants, based on his observations of their growth and reproduction. However, his ideas were not immediately accepted.
Louis Agassiz (1807–1873) contributed significantly to understanding corals as animals in the 19th century through his palaeontology and comparative anatomy work. He studied both living and fossil corals extensively.
Here are some of the world's notable largest coral structures or colonies:
1. Great Barrier Reef (Australia):
- This is the world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,300 kilometres (1,429 miles) along the northeast coast of Australia. It's not a single coral colony but a vast system comprising over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, covering approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 square miles).
2. The Mega Coral in the Solomon Islands:
Recently discovered, this coral is reported to be the largest individual coral colony in the world. It is about 112 feet wide and 105 feet long and has an estimated age of 300 to 500 years. It's so large that it can be seen from space.
3. Big Momma (American Samoa):
Before the Solomon Islands coral discovery, "Big Momma" was considered the largest. This coral colony, located in the National Park of American Samoa, measures about 22.4 meters across and 8 meters tall. It's estimated to be between 420 and 652 years old.
4. Raja Ampat (Indonesia):
While not a single coral is found in the Raja Ampat archipelago, it is renowned for its incredibly high coral diversity, hosting more than 537 species. This area is part of the Coral Triangle, a marine region known for its rich biodiversity.
5. New Caledonia Barrier Reef (France):
- This is the second-largest coral reef system in the world, encompassing over 1,500 kilometres of the reef. It forms a double barrier reef around the main island of New Caledonia and includes the world's largest lagoon, covering around 9,000 square miles.
6. Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System:
- Extending over 1,000 kilometres from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico down through Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, this is the second largest barrier reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef.
7. Red Sea Coral Reef:
- Known for its resilience to high water temperatures, the Red Sea has one of the longest continuous reef systems, stretching approximately 2,000 kilometres along the coastline of various countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan.