Researchers almost missed this, too. Molly Timmers, the expedition’s chief scientist, says her discovery was “truly serendipitous.” “He was found the night before we moved to another section.”

The expedition team says this is the largest coral colony ever recorded. The colony consists of approximately a billion genetically identical coral polyps that work together as if they were a single organism.

Although the newly discovered coral is in excellent health, researchers are concerned about the many threats facing all corals, including global warming and overfishing. They hope this discovery will inspire greater conservation of marine habitats in the Solomon Islands.

Billions of coral polyps

“Finding this mega coral is like discovering the tallest tree on Earth,” says Enric Sala, Founder of Pristine Seas, via email. “This discovery reignites our sense of wonder and curiosity about the ocean.”

The organism is a type of hard coral called pavona clavus, or scapula coral because it has columns “It kind of looks like shoulders,” Timmers says.