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NHK

Coral begins spawning off Wakayama Pref. in western Japan

A variety of coral in the Pacific Ocean off Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan has begun its annual spawning. The sea off the prefecture's Kushimoto Town at the southernmost tip of the main island of Honshu is a habitat for several kinds of coral thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current that flows nearby. A member of staff at a local aquarium captured video of the spawning of a type of coral known as acropora muricata, or staghorn coral, on Saturday night. It began releasing pale-pink "bundles" containing both eggs and sperm, each measuring about one millimeter across. The aquarium said acropora spicifera, a type of table coral, is also expected to spawn early next month. Sakuma Yuumi, who took the video, said coral spawning is an important event that comes only once a year. She said she has observed the phenomenon every year, and is always in awe of the fantastic scene. She added that she is looking forward to verifying the annual event in the other coral varieties.