20/03/2026
📣 Colossal coral in the Mariana Islands is largest of its kind‼️
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists recently had the opportunity to take the first approximate measurements of a huge Porites rus coral (a type of stony coral) during the 2025 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Pacific surveys.
Measurements suggest the colony covers roughly 14,500 square feet — stretching more than 100 feet (roughly two school buses) across the top and 200 feet (roughly four school buses) at its base.
The coral’s location is within the Maug caldera, an underwater volcano that lies within the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument in the western Pacific Ocean.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/mar26/colossal-coral-mariana-islands.html
