The Great Barrier Reef is the most popular coral reef in the world! More than two-million people visit the reef each year. It has shallow tropical water and has a depth of about 60 meters. The temperature ranges between 18 and 33 degrees Celsius. In coral reefs, there are amazing organisms. Jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, parasites, sea cucumber, sea pens, seaweed, clown fish, blow fish, sting rays, eels, green turtles, dugong, great barracuda, sponges and more – they are all such unique features of The Great Barrier Reef. One of my favorite of these organisms is the coral. A polyp coral can range anywhere between 3 millimeters and 76 millimeters in diameter or height. A colony sized coral can range between 75 millimeters and 1.5 meters either in width, height or length. I think that the coolest of these organisms is the anemone. It’s a mixture of a plant and an animal. How cool is that?!? Plenty of fish actually tend to live in them. Here are some more gorgeous organisms that live in coral reefs:
- Jellyfish did you know that jellyfish aren’t really fish?? They are 95% water and have no bones, ears, brains, or eyes. They use their stinging cells to catch their pray. They are found in tropical shores. They range in size from 1 inch to 200 feet long.
- Finless Porpoise is a mammal. They eat mollusks such as crustaceans, squid and fish. They dive for less than a minute to search for prey. They generally move in pairs of two but have been seen in groups of ten. They have been found in the East and Southeast Asia: Pakistan to Borneo, Korea, Yangtze River and the Eastern China Sea. They are 4.5-6 ft long.
- Skipjack Tuna eats fish such as squid and crustaceans. It swims in huge schools that can be as big as 50,000 fish. They are found in worldwide and tropical seas, and seasonally in temperate areas. They are usually 1 meter.
- Hawksbill is a reptile. It eats a lot of shellfish. It is found in the Tropical Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean. It lays more eggs at a time than any other turtle, usually about 150. It is 76-91 cm long.
- Clown Fish are part of the damselfish family. It eats tiny crustaceans and is friends with large sea anemones. It is found in Western and Central Pacific Ocean. It's size is usually about 6 cm.
- Blow Fish AKA porcupine fish. It is found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. It swims very slowly and blows up when in danger. It also defends itself with its sharp spines. It preys on crabs mollusks and sea urchins. It is 91 centimeters long.
- Sting Ray is a carnivore. It is found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. It spends the majority of its time inactive, partially buried in sand, often moving only with the sway of the tide. The average life span is 15 to 25 years. Its tail is used for protection. It stings whenever bothered. Its size is about 2 meters.
- Smooth Hammerhead is a type of shark that eats fish like rays and scavenges. It is found in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans and tropical and warm temperate areas. It is very dangerous and is known to attack humans. It comes 44.3 meters long.
- Green Turtles barely ever come to land except to bask or lay eggs. They are found in seas where temperatures do not fall below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. They are herbivores. They eat sea grasses, seaweed and jellyfish. They are 1.1 meters long.
- Dugong is found in the Coast of Eastern Africa, Indian Ocean, and Red Sea to Northern Australia. It eats seaweed and is a mammal. It is a very boring creature - it just lies there and comes to the surface to breathe every couple of minutes. It is born in the water and rises up to surface with help of his mother. It grows up to 3 meters.
- Great Barracuda is found in Atlantic, Indian, Pacific Oceans and Caribbean. It preys on fish and humans when bothered. It is solitary but gathers in groups before it spawns. It is about 6 feet long.
- Blue Marlin prey on fish and are found in worldwide, tropical and warm temperate seas. They weigh a minimum of 400 pounds. They swim very fast! They move toward the equator in winter and away again in summer. Their size is 3-4.6 meters.
- Mollusks is a category of animals including snails, clams, mussels, squids, and octopods. Known for their sea creatures. There are over 50,000 species in the mollusk catagory. Some are very rare and are only found in deep water. Most have shells.
All of these organisms make the coral reef a very unique biome. There are thousands of different things to see when you go snorkling or scuba diving. Each animal or organism is special in its own individual way, with different sizes, colors, designs and habits.
**A biome is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate, certain types of plants,and certain animal communities.
Although exploring coral reefs is extraodinary, humans have affected coral reefs by touching them. Touching Reefs, even slightly, can harm them. Boats and dropped anchors can cause horrible damage to these fragile ecosystems. Over time, humans can kill these reefs. This fact is a bad thing but that doesn't stop us from going down there and exploring the extraordinary features of The Great Barrier Reef and other outstanding coral reefs that are out there. 
CORAL REEFS ARE AMAZING!!!
Bibliography:
Internet Sources:
http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com
http://www.wikipedia.org
http://www.mbgnet.net/salt/coral/indexfr.htm
Print sources:
Seas and Oceans by Neil Champion
Coral Reefs: Life Below the Sea by Salvatore Tocci
No comments:
Post a Comment