- Size
- Domed colonies to several metres; among the longest-lived corals
- Snorkel or dive
- Snorkel and dive.
- Best season
- Year-round.
- Conservation
- Most massive Porites are Least Concern (IUCN).
How to recognise it
Solid, rounded mounds and boulders with tiny, evenly spaced polyps; usually yellow-brown to green with a smooth or knobbly surface.
Behaviour in the wild
Slow, resilient reef-builders that survive where branching corals cannot; often carry spiralling Christmas-tree worms and boring bivalves.
Where to see it in the Maldives
Lagoon patch reefs and reef slopes atoll-wide; large old domes anchor many house reefs.
Visual field notes
See boulder & massive coral from more than one angle.
One verified identification image is currently available.
Field notes
A single Porites boulder can be centuries old, laying down annual growth bands that scientists read like tree rings to reconstruct past ocean climate.
Profile references
References are shown transparently; profile copy may also include editorial synthesis. Seasons and sightings vary with wild conditions.
