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<\/a><\/p>\n\u2018It\u2019s by far the largest black coral I\u2019ve seen in my 25 years as a marine biologist,\u2019 said Professor James Bell, a Victoria University marine biologist. <\/p>\n
\u2018Most black corals we come across when we\u2019re diving are small, with the bigger ones usually less than two to three metres tall, so finding this one was really cool.\u2019<\/p>\n
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The living coral is white in colour, only the skeleton is black (Image: still from Victoria University video\/YouTube)<\/p>\n
Black corals in Fiordland are of the species Antipathella fiordensis, which grows slowly and can live for centuries.<\/p>\n
Large colonies are considered important for reproduction as they produce more gametes during spawning events, which helps protect future generations of the coral.<\/p>\n
\u2018Pinpointing where large corals occur means we can better protect them by letting people know where not to anchor their boats or drop pots,\u2019 said Bell.<\/p>\n
\u2018To see such a large coral looming out of the darkness was pretty special,\u2019 Richard Kinsey, a senior biodiversity ranger at the New Zealand Department of Conservation, who was on the dive when the coral was found.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve been a marine ranger in Fiordland for nearly 20 years, and it\u2019s rare to see a coral so big. It\u2019s easily the largest one I can remember seeing,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Researchers from Victoria University are working with the Department of Conservation and the Fiordland Marine Guardians to study and map the distribution of protected coral species in the fiords, aiming to understand how common such large colonies are.<\/p>\n
Professor Bell said reports from divers and others familiar with local coral colonies could assist with that work. <\/p>\n
\u2018We\u2019d love to receive reports from anyone who knows of particularly large black corals that are greater than four metres so we can map their distribution and find out how common such large coral colonies are throughout Fiordland,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
The name \u2018black coral\u2019 refers to the colour of the colony\u2019s skeleton \u2013 the organism itself actually appears to be white. The species is listed as protected under New Zealand\u2019s Wildlife Act, meaning it is illegal to deliberately collect or damage it.<\/p>\n
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The giant colony is one of the largest found in New Zealand (Image: still from Victoria University video\/YouTube)<\/p>\n