What species does the Great Barrier Reef have?
What species does the Great Barrier Reef have?
The Great Barrier Reef is a refuge for many species of conservation concern. These species of conservation concern include inshore dolphins, whales, dugongs, sawfish, sea snakes, marine turtles and some fish and sharks.
What species lives in the coral reef?
Coral reefs provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins, and many species of fish. Coral reefs are also linked ecologically to nearby seagrass, mangrove, and mudflat communities.
How many species of coral are found in the Great reef?
600 different types
About 600 different types of coral can be found in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and all of them come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Despite looking like plants, these corals are actually colonies of very small animals called coral polyps which are closely related to jellyfish.
What is one unusual * species that lives in a coral reef ecosystem?
There are the seahorses, which are one of the most unusual fish designs on the reef. And believe it or not, it is actually the male seahorse that gives birth to the young. There are even seahorses that look like seaweed. Camouflage has evolved into an art form here on the coral reef.
How many coral species are there?
There are about six thousand species of coral around the world, with some species growing in warm shallow waters near coastlines and others thriving on the dark, cold seafloor of the open ocean. Though coral may look like a colorful plant growing from roots in the seafloor, it is actually an animal.
What is the most rare coral in the Great Barrier Reef?
Muga dhambi
Muga dhambi is of the coral genus Porites and is one of a large group of corals known as “massive Porites”. It’s brown to cream in colour and made of small, stony polyps. These polyps secrete layers of calcium carbonate beneath their bodies as they grow, forming the foundations upon which reefs are built.
What is the most common coral in the Great Barrier Reef?
Staghorn variety
The most common type of hard coral found in the Great Barrier Reef is the Staghorn variety, which over time forms limestone casings that become an important building block in the reef’s expansion providing a safe habitat for its many ocean-dwelling creatures to live in.
Do jellyfish live in coral reefs?
The coral provides shelter for many animals in this complex habitat, including sponges, nudibranchs, fish (like Blacktip Reef Sharks, groupers, clown fish, eels, parrotfish, snapper, and scorpion fish), jellyfish, anemones, sea stars (including the destructive Crown of Thorns), crustaceans (like crabs, shrimp, and …
Are seahorses in coral reefs?
Seahorses are an emblematic species for marine conservation and help protect the habitats they are found in (mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, seagrasses, and seaweeds).
What are coral names?
The 22 Out-of-this-World Types Of Coral
- Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata)
- Open Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi)
- Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sinuosa)
- Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis)
- Leaf Coral (Pavona decussata)
- Vase Coral (Montipora capricornis)
- Venus Sea Fan Coral (Gorgonia flabellum)
- Sun Corals (Tubastraea)