One bamboo coral observed at Carondelet Reef was truly a behemoth. Bamboo corals are named for their skeleton, which has alternating nodes and internodes resembling bamboo shoots. This particular individual was nearly three meters wide. Estimates of the age of this coral could be as high as 300 years old!
Bamboo Coral
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs. Download larger version (jpg, 1.8 MB).

One bamboo coral observed at Carondelet Reef was truly a behemoth. Bamboo corals are named for their skeleton, which has alternating nodes and internodes resembling bamboo shoots. This particular individual was nearly three meters wide. Estimates of the age of this coral could be as high as 300 years old!

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