Tag: faafu

Giant Turbinaria from Faafu Atoll

Imagine finding yourself in the heart of sandy a lagoon. You jump in the water, let the bubbles vanish, look down, and realise how incredible the colony underneath you is. An incredible 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 sp., 11m across, 35m in perimeter, and 6 meters tall. Imagine focusing on its details, on its artistic twirls, on the millions of single polyps working in harmony to make it a Giant. This is the coral that Map the Giants team discovered in Faafu Atoll. How many of them are there? Where are they? And can we afford to lose them before we even know they were here?

Map the Giants corals marhe center bicocca faafu atoll

Giant Heliopora coerulea reported from Faafu Atoll

Whilst exploring Faafu Atoll, the MaRHE Center team landed on an uninhabited island and came across this huge Heliopora coerulea. Athough Blue Coral are actually Octocorals, they are nonetheless reef-building organisms, largely contributing to the foundation of this ecosystem. Measuring 9m in length is separated by less than a mt from a second 7m long Heliopora. Were they previously a single huge GIANT? This is one of the questions our future studies would like to solve.