What species is the world's largest known coral colony, discovered in 2024?

The species identified as the world’s largest known coral colony in the 2024 discovery is Pavona clavus.

A National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition found the enormous colony near the Three Sisters island group in the Solomon Islands in October 2024. Divers initially thought the structure might be a shipwreck or a large rock because of its extraordinary size.

The colony measures roughly 34 metres wide, 32 metres long and 5.5 metres high, making it larger in area than a blue whale is long. Researchers estimate that it is around 300 years old and consists of nearly one billion genetically identical coral polyps. It is one colony of one species—not an entire reef.

Pavona clavus is also called shoulder-blade coral because of the knob-like shapes on its surface. The colony provides habitat for fish, crabs, shrimps and other marine life. Its discovery is especially notable because many coral ecosystems are under pressure from warming seas and bleaching.