Coral Reefs By Mrs. Goodyear Coral Reefs By Mrs. Goodyear

What is a Coral Reef? Coral reefs are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats that are rich in life. The reefs are formed from coral polyps.

Where are the Coral Reefs? There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and off the coasts of northeast and northwest Australia and on to Polynesia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida, USA, to the Caribbean, and down to Brazil.

Types of Coral Reefs Fringing reefs are reefs that form along a coastline. They grow on the continental shelf in shallow water. Barrier reefs grow parallel to shorelines, but farther out, usually separated from the and by a deep lagoon. They are called barrier reefs because they form a barrier between the the lagoon and the seas, impeding navigation. Coral Atolls are rings of coral that grow on top of old, sunken volcanoes in the ocean. They begin as fringe reefs surrounding a volcanic island; then, as the volcano sinks, the reef continues to grow, and eventually only the reef remains.

Animals of the Coral Reefs

Who are the Coral Reef Predators? Coral Reefs in Danger: Many coral reefs are dying. Major threats to coral reefs are water pollution (from sewage and agricultural runoff), dredging off the coast, careless collecting of coral specimens, and sedimentation (when silt or sand from construction or mining projects muddies the waters of a reef and kills coral, which needs light to live).

Interesting Facts The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the world. It is over 1,257 miles (2000 km) long. Coral polyps are generally nocturnal feeders. At night, they extend their tentacles to capture food with the aid of nematocysts.

The End

1. Corals and Coral Reefs (Sea World) 2. Venture into Hawaii’s Coral Reefs 3. Coral Reef Animals 4. Coral Reef Sources