Do you love underwater world?
Coral reefs are one of the greatest underwater wonder. It is an oldest ecosystem which houses a millions of diverse species like fish, sponges, sea turtle and many other marine creatures.
What is a coral?
Corals are animals but they look like beautiful plants and rocks. Basically, there are two types of corals: hard / stony corals and soft corals. In this, only hard corals build reefs. They look like rocks but it is a structure made up of animal skeletons. Soft corals look like plants. But in real, corals are sessile invertebrate animals related to jellyfish and anemones. They mostly live in colonies consisting of thousands of tiny organism called polyp.
How corals got their vibrant colors?
While taking underwater tours, you must have seen corals in bright, brilliant and in varied stunning colors. Corals got their color from zooxanthellae (tiny algae) living inside their tissues and from chemicals in the water. The surprising fact is several million zooxanthellae live and produce pigments in just one square inch of coral.
How coral reefs are formed?
A Coral is the colony of tiny creatures called polyps. Each polyp reproduce, grow and secretes a hard outer skeleton of limestone (calcium carbonate) and attach themselves on the ocean floor either to rock or on the dead skeletons of other polyps. This process continues and the Corals grow very slowly and take thousand to million years to build many coral colonies which together forms the beautiful coral reef structure.
Where coral reefs are found?
Coral reefs are found in oceans and its size can be large or small. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is over 1,200 miles long and it is the world's largest reef structure which can be seen even from the outer space. Coral reefs mostly develop in shallow warm water in all tropical areas of the world. Some corals can also be found in deep cold oceans. Coral Reefs thrive 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They need sunlight to survive and coral reefs grow best in saline, clean and clear water. Coral Reefs also develop in areas that have a lot of wave action because the waves bring in food, nutrients and oxygen to the reef.
Coral Reef are called the rainforest of the sea and they looks like a busy city. More creatures live in and around coral reefs and each does a job to keep the ecosystem healthy.
Coral reefs are natural wonders. Do you love watching corals in underwater? Share with us about your underwater tour.
Coral reefs are one of the greatest underwater wonder. It is an oldest ecosystem which houses a millions of diverse species like fish, sponges, sea turtle and many other marine creatures.
What is a coral?
Corals are animals but they look like beautiful plants and rocks. Basically, there are two types of corals: hard / stony corals and soft corals. In this, only hard corals build reefs. They look like rocks but it is a structure made up of animal skeletons. Soft corals look like plants. But in real, corals are sessile invertebrate animals related to jellyfish and anemones. They mostly live in colonies consisting of thousands of tiny organism called polyp.
How corals got their vibrant colors?
While taking underwater tours, you must have seen corals in bright, brilliant and in varied stunning colors. Corals got their color from zooxanthellae (tiny algae) living inside their tissues and from chemicals in the water. The surprising fact is several million zooxanthellae live and produce pigments in just one square inch of coral.
How coral reefs are formed?
A Coral is the colony of tiny creatures called polyps. Each polyp reproduce, grow and secretes a hard outer skeleton of limestone (calcium carbonate) and attach themselves on the ocean floor either to rock or on the dead skeletons of other polyps. This process continues and the Corals grow very slowly and take thousand to million years to build many coral colonies which together forms the beautiful coral reef structure.
Where coral reefs are found?
Coral reefs are found in oceans and its size can be large or small. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is over 1,200 miles long and it is the world's largest reef structure which can be seen even from the outer space. Coral reefs mostly develop in shallow warm water in all tropical areas of the world. Some corals can also be found in deep cold oceans. Coral Reefs thrive 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They need sunlight to survive and coral reefs grow best in saline, clean and clear water. Coral Reefs also develop in areas that have a lot of wave action because the waves bring in food, nutrients and oxygen to the reef.
Coral Reef are called the rainforest of the sea and they looks like a busy city. More creatures live in and around coral reefs and each does a job to keep the ecosystem healthy.
Coral reefs are natural wonders. Do you love watching corals in underwater? Share with us about your underwater tour.
