Once a year, taking cues from the lunar cycle and ocean temperatures, entire colonies of coral reefs simultaneously release their gametes into the ocean.
The phenomenon creates an underwater “blizzard” of cascading flakes in shades of white, yellow, red, and orange.
Mature coral reefs release all their gametes at the time to maximize the chances of fertilization, since the specimens are only viable for a few short hours.
Notably, scientists still do not fully understand the workings of this complex and visually stunning phenomenon.
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