Oct. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Scientists discovered a coral reef in the Seychelles off Curieuse Island that is home to more than 200 giant tortoises.

The mass of coral found south of the island showed signs of destruction, and recovery, from the 2004 tsunami, according to British researchers from the University of Essex who took part in a conservation study funded by Mitsubishi Corp. in conjunction with the Earthwatch Institute.

The disaster almost four years ago left about 229,000 people dead when an underwater quake off Sumatra sent waves as high as 30 meters (100 feet) crashing into coastlines from southeast Asia to eastern Africa, briefly inundating low-lying islands such as the Seychelles.

The archipelago nation of 115 islands lies north of Madagascar, about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) east of Africa.

The university researchers, including Dave Smith and Dave Suggett, are working on experiments to test species' abilities to tolerate warming weather in the hope the findings may help predict the fate of coral reefs faced with climate change.

Studies this year by the IUCN conservation group found 70 percent of warm-water reef-building coral species are susceptible to climate change.

To contact the reporter on this story: Randall Hackley in Zurich at rhackley@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 24, 2008 10:43 EDT