An enormous black coral thought to be between 300 and 400 years old has been found by Victoria University researchers in the waters of Fiordland national park, Aotearoa New Zealand.
At four metres high and 4.5 metres wide, the coral (Antipathella fiordensis) is thought to be among the largest ever seen in Aotearoa New Zealand’s waters.
Ironically, the black coral is white in colour – only its skeleton is black. The species is listed as protected under the Wildlife Act.
Professor James Bell, a marine biologist at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington described the coral as “absolutely huge.”
“It’s by far the largest black coral I’ve seen in my 25 years as a marine biologist. Most black corals we come across when we’re diving are small, with the bigger ones usually less than two to three meters tall so finding this one was really cool,” he said.
Large corals like these are vital breeding stock for the species, which is slow to grow.
Over the last four decades, the world has lost half of its coral reefs. The species is under increasing threat from rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and destructive fishing practices.
Last year, a bottom trawling vessel pulled up six tonnes of protected coral in a single trawl – the worst reported case of coral destruction in Aotearoa New Zealand in over a decade.
