Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is along the east coast of Queensland in Australia.  It is the world's largest coral reef.  It is over 1250 miles (2000km) long!  It is a combination of more than 2,900 reefs.

A coral reef   is a natural barrier made of the bodies of living and dead coral.  It is normally just below the surface of the water.  A coral is a piece of marine polyp.  Polyp is the part of the coral reef that lives.  There are many different types of coral, these types are what gives the reef it's COLOR.  Corals eat plankton and don't like pollution. Coral grows in warm places with salt water that is clear and where there is plenty of sunlight.

Things that live in the Great Barrier Reef are:

• 1500 different types of fish
• Coral (400 types)
• Mollusks (4,000 species [like clams and sea slugs])
• 500 types of seaweed
• 215 different birds
• Whales who visit during the winter
• 16 species of sea snakes
• And last on my list (but not least) 6 sea turtle species

The Crown Of Thorns Starfish eats the coral reef, and thus, damages it.  Humans also do damage by spilling oil and other pollution like sewage over and in it.  Humans hurt it in other ways by stepping on it, taking some pieces home for souvenirs or dropping anchors on it or even dragging equipment and boats over it.   If the reef could it would say, "Don't hurt us! What did we do to you?".

In the coral reef there are not many sharks.  Don't go looking for them because for one, they like the open sea, and for two, you would not want to go out from the reef into open water, (if you know what I mean) but if you are lucky then you might see one or two or more.