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Once a year, taking cues from the lunar cycle and ocean temperatures, entire colonies of coral reefs simultaneously release their gametes into the ocean.
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The phenomenon creates an underwater “blizzard” of cascading flakes in shades of white, yellow, red, and orange.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2d1f59_0e530ec56a4c45328d647bb395692f70~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_65,h_49,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/2d1f59_0e530ec56a4c45328d647bb395692f70~mv2.jpg)
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.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2d1f59_9465da52aedf4c2ba7371ca2eca77ea4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_123,h_92,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/2d1f59_9465da52aedf4c2ba7371ca2eca77ea4~mv2.jpg)
Notably, scientists still do not fully understand the workings of this complex and visually stunning phenomenon.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2d1f59_9f214d8b4dfa4a7ba52b7b9d3dd24d3e~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_65,h_49,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/2d1f59_9f214d8b4dfa4a7ba52b7b9d3dd24d3e~mv2.jpg)