Page 194 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

LIVING IN THE UNDERWATER GARDEN
A tropical reef can be as vibrant
and colorful as any garden.
COMMUNITY The sea floor is carpeted with
an astonishing variety of corals,
seaweeds, and sponges. Teeming
with life, coral reefs are called
rain forests of the sea.
CORAL REEF

Coral reefs are richer with life than anywhere else
in the ocean. Here, basking in the tropical sunshine,
hundreds of different species of corals grow and provide
a habitat for thousands of snails, fish, and other animals.
Some creatures graze on the coral, whereas others are
hungry predators. Other animals even form partnerships
and help each other survive.

WORKING TOGETHER
Some animals work together to make
their lives easier. This shrimp plucks
scraps of food from a moray eel’s mouth,
giving the eel a teeth-cleaning and
getting itself a meal.

Eels provide
easy pickings for
hungry shrimp

HUNTING GROUND
Reef sharks are surrounded by so
much prey that they don’t have to
move far to satisfy their big appetite.
Many can squeeze between rocks
to grab fish that are hiding there.

STATS AND FACTS

SIZE 232,000 sq miles (600,000 sq km) total
area of all coral reefs on the planet
The Great Barrier Reef
sq miles 100,000 200,000 off northern Australia
is the biggest reef in the
sq km 200,000 400,000 600,000 world. It is even visible
from space. New species
138,220 sq miles of fish are found there
(358,000 sq km)
GREAT BARRIER REEF each year.
Great Barrier Reef
400 coral species
SHARK SPECIES ON REEFS
1,500 fish species
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