Coral Reefs

Environments

Coral reefs are wet environments.
They are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats that are rich in life.
The reef is made from coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies; when coral polyps die, they leave behind a hard, stony, shape made of limestone.

Climate

Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land, and mostly in the tropics.

Where are Coral Reefs?
There are coral reefs along the coasts of Polynesia, Africa, India, northwest Australia, Florida, USA, to the Caribbean, and down to Brazil.
There are also coral reefs in the Red Sea.
The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the world. It is over 1,257 miles (2000 km) long.

Animal Life

The coral provides shelter for many animals including sponges,
fish (like Blacktip Reef Sharks, groupers, clown fish, eels, parrotfish,snapper, and scorpion fish), jellyfish, anemones,
sea stars (including the destructive Crown of Thorns), crustaceans (like crabs, shrimp, and lobsters), turtles, sea snakes, snails, and mollusks (like octopi, nautilus, and clams). Birds also feast on coral reef animals.

Plant life

There are two types of coral; hard coral and soft coral.
Hard corals (like brain coral and elkhorn coral) have hard, limestone skeletons which form the basis of coral reefs.
Soft corals (like sea fingers and sea whips) do not build reefs.

Coral Reefs in Danger

Many coral reefs are dying.
Major threats to coral reefs are:
water pollution (from sewage and agricultural runoff),
dredging off the coast
careless collecting of coral
and sedimentation (when silt or sand from building or mining projects muddies the waters of a reef and kills coral, which needs light to live).