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This branch of Lophelia coral was brought up from over 1,250 feet of water from a reef off the coast of North Carolina. The reef that this branch of coral was taken from is believed to be over 10,000 years old. Deep sea corals are challenging our knowledge of coral growth and worldwide distribution patterns. Unlike shallow water corals that take on a stark white appearance from expelling their symbiotic algae, Lophelia corals are naturally white because they have no zooxanthellae cells.
