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The biggest coral reef on Earth, full of colour, fish and turtles. Ten questions about the underwater wonder off the coast of Australia.
Snorkel beginner 0–4 · Reef explorer 5–8 · Honorary reef ranger 9–10
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The reef runs along the coast of Queensland, in the north-east of Australia, in the Coral Sea.
Photo: NASA/Kjell Lindgren, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Clownfish live among the stinging tentacles of sea anemones. A layer of slime protects them, and in return they keep the anemone clean.
Photo: Nick Hobgood, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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A coral is made of thousands of tiny animals called polyps. Over hundreds of years their limestone skeletons pile up and grow into a reef.
Photo: Toby Hudson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The reef is so big that astronauts can spot it from orbit. It is often called the largest structure on Earth built by living things.
Photo: Richard Ling <wikipedia@rling.com>, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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It stretches for about 2,300 kilometres and is made of nearly 3,000 separate reefs and hundreds of islands. That is roughly the distance from Amsterdam to Athens.
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Corals get their colour, and most of their food, from tiny algae living inside them. When the water gets too warm they push the algae out and turn white. If the water cools down in time, they can recover.
Photo: Acropora at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The Endeavour struck the reef and started to leak. The crew threw heavy things overboard, freed the ship and spent weeks repairing it on the coast, near where the town of Cooktown is today.
Photo: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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In late spring, many corals spawn on the same nights. The water fills with pink and white specks that drift off to start new corals. Divers say it looks like an underwater snowstorm.
Photo: Silke Baron, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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Dugongs and manatees are cousins and both are related to elephants. Manatees live in the Atlantic, though; around Australia you meet the dugong.
Photo: Gejuni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
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In a good season, tens of thousands of green turtles crawl onto this small island to lay their eggs. Visitors are not allowed, so the turtles have it to themselves.
Photo: Edwin Augustus Porcher, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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