Great Barrier Reef

WHAT IS THE GREAT BARRIER REEF?
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef, stretching along the east coast of Queensland in Australia for over 1250 miles!	It is not a single reef at all, but is made up of over 2900 individual reefs very close to each other.
WHAT IS CORAL?
A coral is a tiny marine animal. It is the living part of the coral reef. There are many different kinds of corals.	These are what gives the coral reef its colorful appearance. Corals feed mostly on plankton,	and grows in warm climates where there is clear salt water and sunlight. They don't like pollution.
WHAT IS A CORAL REEF?
A coral reef is a natural barrier made of the bodies of living and dead coral. It is normally just below the surface of the water. It is made of two parts.	The white part is made from the bodies of zillions of corals which have died over hundreds and thousands of years.	The colorful part is the living part of the coral reef. It is made up of living polyps.
WHAT CREATURES CALL THE GREAT BARRIER REEF HOME?
-- 1500 kinds of fish _ 400 different types of coral	-- 4,00 mollusks (like clams and the sea slug) -- 500 species of seaweed	-- 215 species of birds -- 16 species of sea snake -- 6 species of sea turtle
HOW DOES THE REEF GET DAMAGED?
The Crown of Thorns starfish destroys the coral reef by eating it, but people do considerable damage to reefs by	dropping anchors on them, grounding boats on them, polluting the water, and breaking off pieces for souvenirs.
LINKS: http://www.undersea.com.au/ (Undersea Explorer Research Organization) http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/features/features01.html (Australian Institute of Marine Science) http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/reef-monitoring/ltm/bleaching-event/bleaching-01.html (Coral Bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef)