WORLD REEF DAY brings awareness to the indispensability of our coral ecosystems, half of which have already been lost due to climate change.
Did you know?
- Corals aren’t plants and they aren’t shells — they’re animals. And some of the oldest; studies indicate some corals can live for 5,000 years.
- Corals are very sophisticated creatures. They’re made of thousands of smaller animals (polyps) that connect, creating a single organism or colony. These colonies join with others, becoming reefs.
- There are two main types of coral: hard and soft. Hard corals are “reef-building” corals; Soft corals are bendable and protect the reef.
- Coral reefs only make up one percent of the ocean floor, but they support a quarter of ocean life.
- Most of the world’s coral reefs appear in six countries: Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and the Maldives.
- The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth, spanning over 2,200 km (1,400 mi) and dating back nearly 20,000 years ago.
