Monday, 2 July 2012
coral reefs are found in warm seas, where the water is shallow & there's plenty of light
coral will grow only in clean water (free from pollution)
most coral reefs are found in the indian & pacific oceans, the caribbean & the red sea. they aint found where there're cold ocean currents or where large rivers flow into the sea
sunlight is a must for corals... simply they have tiny algae called zooxanthellae in their cells. these algae use the sunlight to make their own food
the algae will furnish the corals with food. in return, they get shelter & protection
some coral reefs are close to the shore are exposed when the tide goes out
the exposed coral is then damaged by the sun & the wind
the great barrier reef is the world's larger coral reef. it runs along the northeast coast of australia & is 2,500 km long
almost 6,000 different species species of animal live on this reef
credits: my first ocean life encyclopedia/google/numerous info
