Deep Sea Corals Can Be Hundreds Or Thousands Of Years Old

selim12 December 15, 2023 0 Comments

Some studies indicated that deep-sea coral reefs are old but first let’s get to know what are deep-sea corals!

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The Deep Sea Corals: What Are They?

you may think that coral reefs are found only in tropical and sun-reaching waters with sharks and other surface fish but these deep-sea coral reefs are found in dark depths across our oceans. They belong to a family called Cnidaria, which are close to sea anemones. These creatures will catch prey using their tentacles and eat it with their mouth located at the center! These creatures won’t need any sunlight to live, their survival is based on plankton 20,000 feet(beyond 2000 meters) deep in the ocean. They can live in cold waters to up to 30.2 F.( 0°C).

Coral reefs have been discovered in the North Atlantic. They are found in all the world’s oceans as they can endure extreme temperatures and are independent in all environments. They grow really slowly as there is no sunlight to help the metabolism.

Do Deep Sea Corals Can Be Hundreds Or Thousands Of Years Old?

Deep Sea corals are one the oldest animals on the planet as some species in Hawaii was estimated to be 2,742 years old . The lifespan of the black coral colony is 70 years!

In 2009 Scientists discovered that deep-water species are 4,265 years old ! Corals form colonies of many hundreds or thousands of polyps. Most found coral reefs are 5,000- 10,000 years old. They can reproduce asexually and continuously build colonies over time therefore some species are actually growing for 40,000 years. These corals need a rocky hard surface to grow. The Importance Of Deep Sea Corals:

these creatures are so important to life In the deepsea as they form the perfect environment for other deep sea creatures to thrive and as a shelter. Cold-water coral reefs form magnificent biodiversity hot spots in the deep ocean. Still, Coral reefs are really threatened by overfishing, pollution, and environmental destruction. Also, the increased carbon dioxide, makes it harder and harder for corals to build the physical structure of the reef. There are a lot of efforts to replenish the coral reef population. But limiting carbon emissions in the ocean will help the life of these creatures!