By: Lauren Virostek GREAT BARRIER REEF

Basic Facts covers 344,400 km2 in area includes the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem includes some 3000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays and about 150 inshore mangrove islands extends south from the northern tip of Queensland in north-eastern Australia to just north of Bundaberg is between 60 and 250 kilometers in width has an average depth of 35 meters in its inshore waters, while on outer reefs, continental slopes extend down to depths of more than 2000 meters

Coral Coral reefs are built by coral polyps as they secrete layers of calcium carbonate beneath their bodies Soft corals, such as sea fans and sea whips, do not produce reefs; they are flexible organisms that sometimes resemble plants or trees. Soft corals do not have stony skeletons and do not always have zooxanthellae. They can be found in both tropical seas and in cooler, darker parts of the ocean. There is a multitude of different kinds of coral on the Great Barrier Reef, including hundreds of species of both hexacorals (hard corals) and octocorals (sea pens, blue corals, soft corals and sea fans)

Fish Most fish reproduce by laying eggs, though some fish, such as great white sharks, give birth to live babies called pups Fish use a variety of low-pitched sounds to convey messages to each other. They moan, grunt, croak, boom, hiss, whistle, creak, shriek, and wail. They rattle their bones and gnash their teeth. However, fish do not have vocal chords. They use other parts of their bodies to make noises, such as vibrating muscles against their swim bladder Saltwater fish need to drink more water than freshwater fish. Since seawater is saltier than the liquids in a fish’s body, water inside the fish is constantly flowing out. If they didn’t drink to replace the lost water, saltwater fish would dry up like prunes.

Fish More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef. Around 10 percent of the world’s total fish species can be found just within the Great Barrier Reef. 133 species of shark and ays are found along the Great Barrier Reef and range from small, cryptic species such as the epaulette shark to large, migratory species such as the whale shark. The smallest fish is called the Stout Infant Fish which is only 7 millimeters long, and the biggest is the whale shark which can grow up to 12 metrers long

The most common species encountered on the reef is the spinner dolphin Dolphins Whales Dolphins evolved from mammals that have returned to the sea, and over millions of years have perfected a streamline body extremely efficient for movement through the water. Their tails are horizontal (as opposed to vertical in fishes), and lack any bone support, and through a series of tendons are able to produce powerful strokes to move through the ocean. The most common species encountered on the reef is the spinner dolphin Whales are divided into two suborders: baleen and toothed whales. Baleen whales have a comb-like fringe, called a baleen, on the upper jaw, which is used to filter plankton, as well as small fish and crustaceans. They are the largest species of whale. Toothed whales have teeth and prey on fish, squid, other whales and marine mammals. They sense their surrounding environment through echolocation 3o species of whales and dolphins including Humpback, dwarf

REFRENCE http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/facts-about-the-great- barrier-reef http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/microsites/biodiscovery/03sponges-and- corals/types-of-corals.html http://coral.org/coral-reefs-101/coral-reef-ecology/how-reefs-are-made/ http://facts.randomhistory.com/fish-facts.html http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/about-the-reef/great-barrier-reef-facts/ http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/information/for-kids/ http://www.greatbarrierreefs.com.au/dolphin-great-barrier-reef/ http://www.defenders.org/whales/basic-facts