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 is the biggest fish in the Great Barrier Reef?
The longest living Great Barrier Reef fish are the red bass, which can live to more than 50 years. The whale shark is biggest of all Great Barrier Reef fish, growing up to 12m long.
What animal live in the Great Barrier Reef?
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 is the top predator of the Great Barrier Reef?
Coral reef habitats in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) are characterized by abundant top-level predators such as sharks and jacks . The predator assemblage is dominated both numerically and in biomass by giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) and Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis).
Are there crocodiles in the Great Barrier Reef?
Saltwater crocodiles are typically found in the murky waterways, rivers, lakes, and swamps in the Northern region of Australia. However, on occasion, they can be found in the ocean region, with the beaches and islands in the Great Barrier Reef known to have an occasional croc sighting .
What is killing the Great Barrier Reef?
According to the GBRMPA in 2014, the most significant threat to the status of the Great Barrier Reef is climate change , due to the consequential rise of sea temperatures, gradual ocean acidification and an increase in the number of “intense weather events”.
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 fishing banned in the Great Barrier Reef?
Fishing is allowed in about 70 per cent of the marine park area, while the remainder is covered by protected zones. ... Illegal fishing on the Great Barrier Reef comes in many forms, but the most common was line-fishing, wither with rod and reel, or handline.
Are there killer whales in the Great Barrier Reef?
Other whale and dolphin species reported from the Great Barrier Reef include Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Australian snubfin dolphins, spinner dolphins, pan-tropical spotted dolphins, false killer whales, killer whales, short-finned pilot whales, sperm whales and various beaked whales.
Do sharks eat Mesopredators?
Mature individuals of large bodied sharks such as tiger sharks are best described as apex predators, but smaller sharks and young animals of larger species are best described as mesopredators 1 . ... Large sharks eat larger prey , have higher energetic requirements and larger feeding areas.
Who eats who in the Great Barrier Reef?
Seagrass, phytoplankton, and seaweeds are the producers. Primary consumers like clams, shrimp, zooplankton, and small fish eat the producers. Larger fish, rays, and octopi are the secondary consumers, and sharks are the ultimate predator in this ecosystem, eating many types of primary and secondary consumers.
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 .
How many shark attacks have there been in the Great Barrier Reef?
There have been 18 unprovoked shark bites so far in 2020, one more than last year and the same as in 2018. In 2015, there were 22.
Are there jellyfish in the Great Barrier Reef?
Tropical northern Australian waters are home to a number of harmful jellyfish, including the large multi -tentacled deadly box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri and several species of smaller jellyfish known to cause the debilitating Irukandji syndrome.
How many animals live in the Great Barrier Reef?
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, and more than 30 species of marine mammals, including the vulnerable dugong.
What are bad things about the Great Barrier Reef?
The Reef is highly vulnerable. In the past three decades, it has lost half its coral cover, pollution has caused deadly starfish outbreaks , and global warming has produced horrific coral bleaching. Coastal development also looms as a major threat.
