|
DID YOU KNOW?
That the Great Barrier Reef is the only living
thing on earth that can be seen from outer space!
- 600 continental islands and 350 coral
cays are spread throughout the reef.
- There are approximately 3400 individual
reefs that make up the Barrier Reef.
- That the Great Barrier Reef was declared
World Heritage on 26th October 1981.
- The reef stretches for more than 2300
kilometres. From near Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland
Australia to the Papua New Guinean coastline.
- Not all coral is hard. In fact some are
soft and spongy.
- The main industry on the reef is
tourism. Reported to generate more the 1 billion Australian
dollars annually.
- Sea Turtles do not have a sex when they
are laid; the heat of the sand that they are laid in determines
their sex. Sand with a temperature of more than 27ºC (80º F)
produces more females. Cooler sand produces more males!
The diversity of life in the reef is
immense with approx:
- 2800 species of fish
- 400 different types of coral
- 4,00 molluscs
- 500 species of seaweed
- 215 species of birds
- 15 species of sea snake
- 6 species of sea turtle
Majestic creatures, such as the giant humpback whales
spend their winters in the tropics and may grow to more than 15 metres
[45 feet] in length. Tourists revel in the dances that the whales
perform right along side their boats. With huge tail flukes they make an
impressive display. Another friendly marine mammal is the bottlenose
dolphin who enjoy playing in schools. They often ride the bow waves of
boats. Both the whales and dolphins are now a protected species
Coral Image Gallery
|
