A large colony of a rare coral has been found in the nation's easternmost Dokdo Islets.
The National Institute of Biological Resources said that a colony of Dendrophyllia cribrosa, a genus of cup corals, was discovered on a rock 25 meters underwater west of the islets in June this year.
The rare coral is designated as a class two endangered wild species in South Korea.
The coral cluster newly found in Dokdo is five meters in width and three meters in length, the largest-ever found in the nation.
The orange-colored marine invertebrate mainly lives on rocks 20 to 30 meters deep in clean waters. Its existence has been confirmed only in some areas in the South and East Seas.
With the latest discovery, Dokdo is now home to two species of marine invertebrates, including a white coral named Antipathes japonica. The number of endangered wild species living in Dokdo has also increased to 20.
Source: KBS World Radio
