In 2016, when motorists will be able to drive across the ocean between Italy's main land and Sicily on what will be the longest suspension bridge ever built, few will have an inkling of the vast and otherworldly forests that stretch beneath the waves hundreds of feet below. In April, a team of Italian researchers discovered the largest known underwater coral forest. Using an underwater robot, marine biologists at Italy's Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) found almost 30,000 colonies of the Black Coral Antipathella subpinnata at depths between 55 and 100 meters (180 and 328 feet). Image: ISPRA"In that stretch of water, images taken by the robot showed a seascape completely dominated by spectacular tree-like colonies of black coral, some more than 1 meter (3.3 feet) high. This is the first time these rare species are observed in their natural habitat," biologist Eva Salvati said in an article on Discovery News.
Black Coral can thrive in light-less depths because unlike their shallow water counterparts, they do not harbor symbiotic algae they harbor in their tissues that depend on sunlight to drive photosynthesis. Highly sought after by jewelry makers for the jet-black shine of their skeleton, all Black Coral species are listed as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species act (CITES) and their trade should be carefully regulated.
