The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef. Located a mere 60 meters below the sea's surface off the eastern coast of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef expands over an area greater than 23000 square kilometers. It is also one of the world's most complex and diverse ecosystems. Its animal inhabitants include:
- 1500 species of marine fish
- 360 species of hard corals
- 600 species of echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers)
- 500 species of seaweed
- a variety of marine mammals (whales, dolphins, dugongs)
- 6 species of marine turtles
- 200 species of birds
- 125 species of sharks (Source: 'Reef Facts')
Marine Fish
Well over one thousand species of fish inhabit the Great Barrier Reef. They include yellow-faced angelfishes, fusiliers, blue tuskfishes, cardinal fishes, tervallies, gobies, Mandarin fishes, manta rays, and tiger sharks.
Hard Corals
Hard corals form the backbone of the reef, but it wasn't until the mid-18th century that corals were recognized as animals, not (as previously thought) plants. Corals are remarkable creatures, forming vast colonies and habitats.
Sponges and Echinoderms
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide variety of sponges (yellow burrowing sponge, tubular sponge, thick yellow fan sponge) and echinoderms (sea urchin, sea cucumber, blue sea star, brittle star).Marine Reptiles
Numerous marine reptiles inhabit the reef including green sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, olive sea snakes, turtle-headed sea snakes.Marine Mammals
The marine mammals that frequent the reef include humpback whales, Irrawaddy river dolphins, minke whales, and spinner dolphins.
