Some of these turtles are genetically distinct to the Great Barrier Reef. There are different species such as green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, flatback turtle, and olive ridley. Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed It is an important cultural feature of more than 100 clans. The Great Barrier Reef has been used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples for centuries.Īboriginal Australians have lived in the area for at least 40,000 years, while the Torres Strait Islanders have been here for more than 10,000 years. Australian Aboriginals have lived in the area for more than 400 centuries The fertilizers increase the number of phytoplankton available for the crown-of-thorns starfish larvae to consume. Intensive farming happens around the Great Barrier Reef such as sugarcane farming and beef farming. Most of the water comes from farm overflows. This is caused by the rivers of northeastern Australia that pollute the Reef during tropical flood events. Pollution is another threat to marine life at the Great Barrier ReefĪnother key threat to the Great Barrier Reef is pollution and declining water quality. The constant bleaching has caused detrimental ecological effects on the reefs. This is sadly expected to be an annual occurrence due to global warming. This is mainly caused by ocean warming which in turn increase coral bleaching.īetween 19, a large part of the coral reef was bleached due to marine heatwaves during the summer. One of the greatest threats to this reef is climate change. The greatest threat to the Barrier Reef is climate change It is the algae that give the corals their vibrant colours. These algae absorb light from the sun and in return feed the corals. The survival of the coral polyps is based on their relationship with the algae inside them. These corals form from calcium and carbonate ions from the seawater which hardens the outer layer, hence protect their inner soft bodies. These organisms have sac-like bodies with tentacles. This is also the largest coral reef in the world.Ĭorals are formed by tiny creatures known as polyps. It stretches all the way to the Queensland coast. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living organism on the planet. There are shallow-water reefs that can be seen from satellite images that cover about 80% of former limestone relics of older reefs. The corals rose to sea level about 20,000 years ago and this allowed the formation of cays and reefs.

It was formed when the seawater temperatures increased allowing the coral to breed.Įach year, the corals grow at about 1-25 centimetres on dead older cells. Scientists discovered that the reef has been around for more than half a million years. The Great Barrier Reef is 500,000 years oldĪn English explorer, Captain James Cook, spent six weeks repairing his ship after they struck the reef during his expedition. One will also find colourful butterflyfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, parrotfish and clownfish popularly nicknamed Nemo. There are more than 6 different species of sea turtles, 215 bird species and 5,000 types of mollusc, not to mention sea snakes, sharks and rays. Some of these fishes are snappers, wrasse, coral trout, dugongs, whales and dolphins. The Great Barrier Reef is massiveĪbout 10% of fish species in the world are found at the Great Barrier Reef. This reef has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. This Great Barrier Reef is part of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world. On the northern part of the great reef are the ribbon reefs and deltaic reefs.Ī newly discovered reef of about 500 metres tall and 1.5 kilometres long was found in the northern area in 2020. The Great Barrier Reef is divided into 70 World Heritage bioregions and 30 reef bioregions. Here are the top 10 facts about the Great Barrier Reef. There is more about this great natural wonder. This natural beauty attracts millions of tourists from all over the world each year. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the world, and you guessed it right, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. It is made up of over 3000 individual reefs, coral cays and beautiful tropical islands, not forgetting the idyllic beaches. It is without a doubt the most iconic natural landmark in continental Australia. This reef spreads from Cape York to Queensland.ĭid you know that this is the largest living organism in the entire world? Well, now you know. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most well-known, most beautiful and most sought-after locations.

Barrier reef