The Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish , 411 types of hard coral, one-third of the world's soft corals, 134 species of sharks and rays, six of the world's seven species of threatened marine turtles
How many animals are there in the Great Barrier Reef?
Around 1300 species, including a number that are commercially important (for example, some species of crabs and prawns). More than 3000 species known from the Great Barrier Reef.
What fish are native to the Great Barrier Reef?
More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef, including the clownfish, red bass, red-throat emperor , and several species of snapper and coral trout. About 5,000 species of mollusks live on the reef.
How many species of animals live in coral reefs?
Scientists believe that more than a million species around the world live on coral reefs. At any one reef, thousands of species can be collected or observed living there.
What is the rarest species in the Great Barrier Reef?
As the only species in the genus Chelonia, the Green Turtle is a rare icon of the Great Barrier Reef.
What is the most popular fish in the Great Barrier Reef?
Damselfish . From stunning bright colours to drab, muted hues, Damselfish are one of the most common species found in the Great Barrier Reef and can be seen virtually everywhere. Damselfish are surprisingly territorial for their size and diverse coloration.
Are there sharks in the Great Barrier Reef?
There are many different species of sharks found in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef ranging from small bottom-dwelling sharks such as wobbegongs to larger types such as tiger sharks and the distinctive hammerhead shark that has a nose shaped like the letter ‘t'.
Is coral a plant or animal?
Though coral may look like a colorful plant growing from roots in the seafloor, it is actually an animal . Corals are known as colonial organisms, because many individual creatures live and grow while connected to each other. They are also dependent on one another for survival.
What is the largest coral reef in the world?
Some key facts about the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park : covers 344,400 km 2 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.
Do coral reefs produce oxygen?
Most corals, like other cnidarians, contain a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, within their gastrodermal cells. ... In return, the algae produce oxygen and help the coral to remove wastes.
Why is the reef in danger?
The whole marine ecosystem is being threatened by the loss of our reefs . Some of the factors which are killing the corals are the increasing temperature of our oceans, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, unethical fishing methods, water pollution, sedimentation and human activities.
What is the largest animal in the Great Barrier Reef?
Mollusks. Mollusks are a widely divergent order of animals, including species clams, oysters, and cuttlefish. Marine biologists believe there are at least 5,000 and possibly as many as 10,000 species of mollusks inhabiting the Great Barrier Reef, the most visible being the giant clam
What eats clown fish?
Clownfish are also known as “anemonefish” because they live in community with sea anemones. ... Besides dead tentacles and anemone's leftovers, clownfish eats various algae and plankton. Even though anemone provides protection against predators, clownfish is often preyed by large fish, eels and sharks .
Do dolphins live in the Great Barrier Reef?
Around 30 species of whale and dolphin
What predators live in the Great Barrier Reef?
Sharks are the boss of the reef, but large mobile apex predators such as tigers, hammerheads and bull sharks are the most vulnerable in conservation frameworks based only on Marine Protected Areas.
