Coral
Reefs
Coral Reefs
By
By
Mrs. Goodyear
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
•Barrier reefs grow parallel to
shorelines, but farther out, usually
separated from the and by a deep
•Fringing reefs are reefs that lagoon. They are called barrier
form along a coastline. They reefs because they form a barrier
grow on the continental shelf in between the the lagoon and the
shallow water. seas, impeding navigation.
•Coral Atolls are rings of coral that grow on top of old, sunken volcanoes in the ocean. Th
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
Sources
1. Corals and Coral Reefs (Sea World)
http://seaworld.org/infobooks/Coral/home.html
2. Venture into Hawaii’s Coral Reefs
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002237/splash/page.htm
3. Coral Reef Animals
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/painting/coralreef.shtml
4. Coral Reef
http://www.solcomhouse.com/coralreef.htm