the waves of these as your seas hide an
abundant treasure below the waves coral
reefs provide a habitat for teeming life
alive with a kaleidoscope of color in
oceans around the world clear and well
circulating waters encourage corals to
anchor and grow despite their plant or
stone like appearance corals are
actually animals they come in many
colorful forms and textures starting as
tiny cylindrical polyps just a couple of
millimeters in diameter they grow about
a half an inch a year and can become
several feet in diameter
corals form reefs as successive
generations build on the skeletal
remains of older generations reefs can
be hundreds of feet wide and stretch for
miles the greatest collection of reefs
is located off the northeast coast of
Australia the Great Barrier Reef this
collection of reefs encompasses 135
thousand square miles thousands of
species of reef fish mollusks sea stars
and other creatures inhabit coral reefs
the reef system spiny grottoes offer
refuge and feeding grounds for a variety
of aquatic life in spring this Caribbean
reef plays host to the frenetic mating
of fish a male Yellowhead Jawfish is
left alone to tend the fertilized eggs
he carries in his mouth he spits them
out from time to time in order to aerate
them over the five-day gestation period
in this aquatic community unusual
relationships develop a cleaning station
thrives around this coral head often
patronized by the tiger grouper tiny
gobies fearlessly entered the Tigers
mouth to feed on dead tissue and
parasites but just as the reef Foster’s
life it can harbour danger lurking on
the fringes of this Caribbean reef the
Barracuda is a fierce predator equipped
with razor-sharp teeth although they do
hunt in groups sometimes adults branch
off and prowl for food on their own
this small ballyhoo fish is a mere snack
for this hungry Barracuda coral reefs
have been evolving for about five
hundred million years but these days
they are under threat global warming
pollution and overfishing have
contributed to their decline earnest
efforts are underway to protect the
world’s reefs and restore them
artificial reefs created from sunken
ships and other man-made objects have
shown some short-term promise but man’s
impact on the environment continues to
make the future of coral reefs uncertain
abundant treasure below the waves coral
reefs provide a habitat for teeming life
alive with a kaleidoscope of color in
oceans around the world clear and well
circulating waters encourage corals to
anchor and grow despite their plant or
stone like appearance corals are
actually animals they come in many
colorful forms and textures starting as
tiny cylindrical polyps just a couple of
millimeters in diameter they grow about
a half an inch a year and can become
several feet in diameter
corals form reefs as successive
generations build on the skeletal
remains of older generations reefs can
be hundreds of feet wide and stretch for
miles the greatest collection of reefs
is located off the northeast coast of
Australia the Great Barrier Reef this
collection of reefs encompasses 135
thousand square miles thousands of
species of reef fish mollusks sea stars
and other creatures inhabit coral reefs
the reef system spiny grottoes offer
refuge and feeding grounds for a variety
of aquatic life in spring this Caribbean
reef plays host to the frenetic mating
of fish a male Yellowhead Jawfish is
left alone to tend the fertilized eggs
he carries in his mouth he spits them
out from time to time in order to aerate
them over the five-day gestation period
in this aquatic community unusual
relationships develop a cleaning station
thrives around this coral head often
patronized by the tiger grouper tiny
gobies fearlessly entered the Tigers
mouth to feed on dead tissue and
parasites but just as the reef Foster’s
life it can harbour danger lurking on
the fringes of this Caribbean reef the
Barracuda is a fierce predator equipped
with razor-sharp teeth although they do
hunt in groups sometimes adults branch
off and prowl for food on their own
this small ballyhoo fish is a mere snack
for this hungry Barracuda coral reefs
have been evolving for about five
hundred million years but these days
they are under threat global warming
pollution and overfishing have
contributed to their decline earnest
efforts are underway to protect the
world’s reefs and restore them
artificial reefs created from sunken
ships and other man-made objects have
shown some short-term promise but man’s
impact on the environment continues to
make the future of coral reefs uncertain
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