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Great Barrier Reef Facts

04.15.2009 · Posted in Home and Garden Articles

Coral reefs are the oldest and most primitive forms of life and are over 500 million years old. At 2,000 km from Bundaberg to the tip of Cape York and an area of approximately 350,000 sq km, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world. Between the outer edges and the mainland you can find more than than 2,000 islands and almost 3,000 separate reefs. nnThe growth of coral reefs is dependent on the sea level as coral cannot grow above the water line or below 30metres.As sea level rises, old coral turns to limestone, on top of which new coral can build eventually forming barrier reefs. The Great Barrier Reef consists of thousands of separate reefs and is comparatively young, most of it having formed since the sea level rose after the end of the last Ice Age .An outer reef system corresponds with Queenslands continental shelf. Reef systems nearer the mainland correspond with submerged hills.nnApproximately 18,000 years ago during the last Ice Age waters were low exposing a range of forested hills. Coral grew in the shallow waters of the continental shelf. Then around 9,000 years ago, following the last Ice Age the water level rose to submerge the hills and coral began to grow in new places. Over the succeeding millennium, coral formed walls on the continental shelf while an array of fringing and platform reefs, coral cays and lagoons formed around the former hills.nnMore than 2000 species of fish and innumerable species of hard and soft coral are found in the waters of Great Barrier Reef. The diversity of life forms is extraordinary and there is also a huge array of invertebrates such as the graceful sea slug, 12 species of sea grasses and 500 types of algae. Also in the water you can find Manta rays, potato Cod, Great White Sharks, Coral Groupers, Giant Clams, Moray eels and Clown anemone fish.nnTo safely breed and raise their young, tropical birds tend to gravitate on the reef islands. The island is free of mainland predators which makes it a more friendly environment for these tropical birds. Gulls, gannets, frigate birds, and shearwaters are just some of the wonderfully coloured birds you can find here.

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