The Great Barrier Reef is home to a stunning array of animals, from microscopic plankton to whales weighing more than 100 tonnes. More than just fish and coral, the Reef supports:
1625 species of fish
, including 1400 coral reef species. More than 3000 species of molluscs (shells)
How many fish live in the coral reef?
Healthy coral reefs provide: Habitat, feeding, spawning, and nursery grounds for
over 1 million aquatic species
, including commercially harvested fish species.
How many fish are endangered in the Great Barrier Reef?
While coral might look like a plant, it's actually an animal as it does not produce its own food. Out of the 360 species of coral found in the Great Barrier Reef,
22 types
are currently endangered. The severe coral bleaching which has occurred damaged approximately 1,500 km of the reef's coral.
Does the Great Barrier Reef have fish?
Reef fish.
There are more than 1,500 species of fish at the Great Barrier Reef
, and they're incredibly varied in size, shape and colour.
What is the biggest fish in the Great Barrier Reef?
The
whale shark
is biggest of all Great Barrier Reef fish, growing up to 12m long. All Great Barrier Reef fish have ears: their ear bone is the only way for scientists to tell their age.
What is the smallest fish in the Great Barrier Reef?
This newly described species, known as the
Stout Infantfish
, was discovered during a survey at Lizard Island, located on the Great Barrier Reef north of Cairns. At full adult size this fish is just 7mm in length and 1mg in weight, which is tiny, in fact the word “tiny” on this page is longer than the fish!
How much is coral worth?
How Much Do Corals Sell For? Excellent examples of coral have recently sold for tens of thousands of dollars, with some of the most exquisite antique pieces fetching
upwards of $100,000
.
Who owns the Great Barrier Reef?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
are the Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef area and have a continuing connection to their land and sea country.
How many sharks are in the Great Barrier Reef?
We have surveyed over 45 km of reef front, during which we have counted
over 230
sharks from six species. These include the three reef shark species mentioned above, along with tawny nurse sharks, silvertip sharks and scalloped hammerhead sharks.
How many fish species are present now?
There are
over 34,000
recognized species of fish around the world, and they inhabit a wide range of watery habitats. While this number may already seem high, researchers keep on finding more new varieties of fish, some of which may be evolving continuously.
How many species live in the Great Barrier Reef altogether?
Type of animal Approximate number of species | Soft coral 150 | Fish 1,625 | Rays and sharks 130 | Marine mammals (whales, dolphins, dugongs, seals) 30 |
---|
Are there seahorses in the Great Barrier Reef?
Seahorse.
Seahorses are interesting, albeit beautiful, creatures that can be spotted swimming on the Great Barrier Reef
. However, sometimes it's difficult to see them as they're able to change colours and camouflage with their surroundings.
Is coral a fish?
Corals are in fact animals
. The branch or mound that we often call “a coral” is actually made up of thousands of tiny animals called polyps. A coral polyp is an invertebrate that can be no bigger than a pinhead to up to a foot in diameter.
What is the most common reef fish?
Undoubtedly, the
common clownfish
is the MOST POPULAR SALTWATER FISH.
What fish live in reefs?
- Moorish idol. The Moorish idol is often found in small groups. …
- Clownfish. On many tropical reefs, brightly colored clownfish can be seen swimming among sea anemone. …
- Yellow tang. …
- Porcupine pufferfish. …
- Pacific regal blue tang. …
- Four-striped damselfish.
What is the rarest fish in the Great Barrier Reef?
Researchers exploring the depths of the northern Great Barrier Reef have found a rare species of “walking” fish never before recorded in Australian waters. This type of scorpion fish is called the
Rhinopias agriloba
, is normally found in waters around Hawaii, in the central Pacific.
Is there sharks in 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'.
How deep is the Great Barrier Reef in feet?
The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, separated from the coast by a channel 100 miles wide in places and
over 200 feet
deep.
What type of fish is dory?
Also known as the
Blue Hippo Tang
, the Royal Blue Tang, the Regal Tang and the Palette Surgeonfish, the Blue Tang is a very popular fish in the aquarium industry, rising to fame after the release of the films Finding Nemo and its sequel Finding Dory.
Do clownfish live in coral reefs?
There are more than two dozen known species of clownfish.
All of them live in warm, shallow saltwater habitats like coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific Ocean, and the Red Sea
. While the most common clownfish are orange and white, different species can have different colors and patterns.
Are there eels in the Great Barrier Reef?
Although eels aren't the most obvious fish you're likely to encounter on your visit to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), they are certainly one of the most fascinating.
There are more than 700 species of eels worldwide, and a large number are found on the GBR
.
Can coral be black?
Black corals are found all over the world and at all depths. Typically, however, they are known as deep-sea corals and can be abundant in certain areas.
Black corals are rarely black
, but rather vary in color from white to red, green, yellow, or brown.
Is coral jewelry illegal?
The US:
It is illegal to harvest (with the exception of the highly regulated Hawaiian black corals) or to export any corals from the US
. The Lacey Act imposes civil and criminal penalties on a federal level for taking, possessing, transporting, or selling corals (and other wildlife) that have been taken illegally.
Is coral a pink?
Coral is a reddish or orangeish shade of pink
. The color is named after the sea animal also called corals. The first written use of coral as a color name in English was in 1513.
How dead is the Great Barrier Reef?
Australia's Great Barrier Reef has
lost more than half of its corals since 1995
due to warmer seas driven by climate change, a study has found. Scientists found all types of corals had suffered a decline across the world's largest reef system. The steepest falls came after mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017.
How old is the Great Barrier Reef?
Although coral reefs have been around for over 500 million years, the Great Barrier Reef is relatively young at 500,000 years, and this most modern form is only
8,000 years old
, having developed after the last ice age.
How much of the Great Barrier Reef is left?
Between 1986 and 2012, over half of the living coral has been lost. If current trends continue,
over 90 percent or more of the living coral will be gone from the central and southern parts of the reef in just 10 years
.