The Great Barrier Reef!

Interesting facts and information!

Location!

• The Great Barrier Reef is located off the North-Eastern Coast of Australia near Queensland.

What is it?

• One of the 7 Wonders of the World! It can be seen from space!

• It is the largest coral reef system in the world!• It is the world’s largest living structure!• It is made up of around 2900 individual reefs and 900

islands!• The Great Barrier Reef is around 2600 kilometres

(1616 miles) in length.• It’s the size of about 70 million football fields!

Coral!• A marine animal.• It resembles a cross between

colourful rocks and various bits of seaweed.

• Coral create calcium carbonate (limestone) which forms a hard, shell-like skeleton.

• Coral can be found in warm shallow seas or oceans.

• Coral only grows a few inches each year.

Life on the Reef!• It is home to a wide range of life, including fish,

sea turtles, giant clam, seahorse, sea snakes, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more.

• Over 1500 kinds of fish live in the Great Barrier reef, including Finding Nemo star the Clownfish!

• The smallest fish is called the Stout Infant Fish which is only 7 millimetres long, and the biggest is the whale shark which can grow up to 12 metres long!

• It also contains some of the deadliest animals in the ocean, including Box Jellyfish, the Blue Ringed Octopus, and Stone Fish.

Blue Ringed Octopus

Stingray

Blue StarfishDugong

Protection!

• The Great Barrier Reef is in danger of extinction. • 27% of the world’s reefs have already been lost. • This happens by pollution and throwing anchors on The

Great Barrier Reef. • We can protect our coral reefs by not dropping our

anchors on the reefs, because the reefs are very delicate. • Do not touch coral because it is very delicate. • Avoid stirring up the sea bottom. It will rip up the coral.• Don’t leave trash on the beach.