'Coral Triangle' trip reveals possible new marine species

[Origami]

"Coral Triangle" article on MSNBC

 

Selected excerpts from the article:

 

"A "Bubblegum coral" that features large, knobby polyps is among the swarm of possible new species found at an oceanic crossroads by a joint Indonesian-U.S. expedition this year. "

 

"Two ships from the United States and Indonesia respectively explored the so-called "Coral Triangle" — a region where currents from the Pacific and Indian Oceans bring together different species from Asia and Australia to mix within Indonesia's Sulawesi Sea. "

 

"The area currently serves as home for more than 65 percent of the world's reef-building species. "

 

"As many as 50 animal species caught on high-definition video appeared to be new to science, in addition to possibly 40 new coral species such as the Bubblegum coral, known formally as Paragorgia arborea. "

 

"The expedition found much of the sea life while mapping a giant underwater volcano called Kawio Barat, which rises almost 12,000 feet above the seafloor. "

[zoozilla]

Great article. Thanks for sharing, Tom.

[Coral Hind]

I'm glad the science community is now able to spend more time in that area since it has been pretty uncharted compared to other reef areas.