Gold coral (Lat. Savalia savaglia). Gold coral or false black coral is a rare species that inhabits the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The largest number of colonies were recorded in the Canary Islands, while the largest number of colonies for the Mediterranean Sea is located in the Boka Kotorska Bay. This bushy coral is actually a parasite on various gorgonians that outgrows and wraps its almost black protein skeleton. Polyps are numerous, whitish to mostly golden yellow, hence the name gold coral. There are up to 30 tentacles around the oral opening, which are arranged in two rows. It grows very slowly, only a few millimeters a year, and analyzes with radioactive carbon indicates the age of some colonies of about 2700 years, which makes them among the oldest living organism on the planet. The largest groups of gold coral colonies in the Mediterranean Sea are located near the “vrulja”, near Sopot and Dražin Vrt. Anchoring and fishing are prohibited at these locations to avoid breaking and destroying corals. “Vrulja” is submerged freshwater spring that creates specific environmental conditions, primarily reducing salinity and temperature, as well as transparency of sea water and altered sedimentation intensity. Such changed environmental conditions affect the development of gold coral and in the immediate vicinity of the “vrulja” near Sopot and Dražin Vrt are at unusually small depths of 10 to 25m, while in other locations gold coral is mostly from 30 to 100m and even up to 700m deep. It feeds by capturing plankton and other particles from the water, and can also absorb dissolved nutrients.