Nature: Scientists find 400-year-old giant coral

A giant coral reef has been discovered in the Great Barrier Reef

Scientists have discovered a giant coral in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, that is said to be at least four centuries old and the widest coral in the area.

The giant coral is thought to have spawned on the reef between 421 and 438 years ago and is almost the same size as a double decker bus.

A team of scientists and community divers, which include a 17-year-old, discovered the coral off the coast of Goolboodi (Orpheus Island).

Measuring at 5.3 metres all and 10 metres wide, it is twice the size of its nearest cousin, though not the largest in the world.

The coral is said to be very important for the ecosystem that it lives in.

Professor and managing director of Reef Ecologic, Adam Smith, described it as a "block of apartments" for marine life.

Adam said: "There's other corals, there's fish, there's other animals around that use it for shelter or for feeding, so it's pretty important for them."

The Great Barrier Reef is full of big corals, such as this one where a photographer inspects its condition

The Manbarra people, who are the traditional owners of Palm Island next to the reef, have named the coral Muga dhambi, which translates to "Big coral".

17-year-old Kailash Cook helped measure the coral and is listed as a co-author in the journal Scientific Reports, which contains the details of their findings.

The authors of the journal want the coral to be monitored and the Great Barrier Reef to be protected from increasing threats from climate change.