Coral Reef Animals Animals in the Great Barrier Reef
Photo: Coral Reef animals
A coral reef is a complex underwater ecosystem made up of the calcium carbonate skeletons of coral polyps. The Great Barrier Reef is a prime example of such an ecosystem. The reef is home to a vast array of marine species, including fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and invertebrates like sea stars and sea urchins. Some of the most iconic animals found in coral reefs include clownfish, which live in symbiosis with anemones, and sea turtles, which feed on seagrass and algae. Other reef animals include sharks, rays, dolphins, dugongs, and various species of crustaceans and invertebrates. The reef is also an important feeding ground for migratory species such as humpback whales and sea-birds.
Fan Coral
A type of soft corals that anchor themselves in sand or mud instead of hard surfaces. They are nocturnal, only extending their polyps at night time.
Read MoreSquid
Squids are soft-bodied molluscs related to octopus and cuttlefish. They move through the water backwards and are one of the smartest invertebrates.
Mandarin Fish
The beautiful mandarin fish has no scales for protection. Instead, it is covered in smelly toxic mucus and spines to deter predators.
grouper
The giant grouper, with its huge mouth, is the largest bony fish in the barrier reef. It can grow to 2.5 meters and weigh 360 kgs.
Sting Ray
Stingrays are flat-bodied fish related to sharks. They eat snails, molluscs, fish, and other small creatures. Their long poisonous barbed tail.
Star Fish
Star fish typically have five arms. They can regenerate lost limbs. They have no brain or blood and use seawater to pump nutrients through their bodies.
Moray Eel
Moray eels are fish with long slender snake-like bodies with a large set of jaws. It hides in crevices and attacks prey that pass by.
Leatherback Turtle
It is the largest turtle of them all. It is called a leatherback because it doesn't have a hard shell but has leathery skin instead.
Hermit Crab
Hermit crabs wear other creatures' shells for protection and change shells when they outgrow them. This crab has attached venomous anemones.
Manta Ray
The manta ray is a flat saucer-shaped fish related to sharks. It is a filter feeder that eats plankton. Its barbed tail is not venomous.
Humphead Wrasse
Also known as the Napoleon Fish, this carnivorous fish eat other fish, sea stars, sea urchins and crabs. They can grow to two metres and weigh 190kg.
Textile Cone
The Textile Cone's harpoon-like tooth can pierce the skin, rubber gloves and wetsuits. Its venom causes respiratory paralysis and eventual death
Blue-Ringed Octopus
Blue-ringed octopods are venomous marine animals. They are related to squid and cuttlefish and change colours to suit their environment.
Crown of Thorns Starfish
These multi-armed starfish, with venomous spines, feed on hard coral. Sometimes they grow to plague proportions devastating coral.
Sea Slug
Sea slugs come in all shapes, colours, and sizes and are usually translucent. Their bright colours are a warning to predators that they are poisonous.
Loggerhead Turtle
This turtle is the largest hard-shelled turtle in the world. It feeds on shellfish, crabs, sea urchins, and jellyfish. They are known to travel vast distances.
Green Turtle
Green turtles feed mostly on seagrasses but they also eat venomous box jellyfish. It gets its name from the colour of its fat.
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
The peacock mantis shrimp has the fastest punch in the world, creating small implosions in the water that generates heat, light, and sound.
Boxer Crab
The boxer crab has a very creative way of protecting itself. It attaches two sea anemones to its claws and waves it about the scare off predators.
Nautilus
The nautilus is related to the octopus. It moves by shooting out a stream of water through a siphon. The nautilus catches its prey with 90 long tentacles.
Whale
Humpback whales are air-breathing mammals that travel up from the Antarctic. They can grow to 12 – 16 metres and weigh around 36,000 kgs.
Sea Urchin
Sea urchins are non-aggressive and covered in venomous spines. They use their five-pairs of feet with suckers for movement and adhesion.
Lion Fish
A fish with zebra-like stripes and venomous spines, a sting from a spine can be very painful but not fatal to humans.
Dolphin
Dolphins are air-breathing mammals related to whales. They are very vocal and playful. They feed on invertebrates, fish, and squid.
Parrot Fish
Parrot fish are so named because they have front teeth that are fused and look somewhat like to beak of a parrot. They use these teeth to rip off pieces of coral.
Banded Coral Sea Snake
These very venomous snakes swim underwater but still need to surface to breathe. They are excellent swimmers and divers.
Jellyfish
There are more than 100 species of jellyfish on the Great Barrier Reef. Only a few are fatal to humans. They use their long tentacles to catch prey.
Types of Animals in The Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef Species Diversity
The Great Barrier Reef is a complex and diverse ecosystem comprising interconnected systems of coral, algae, and other marine organisms. Located on the north-eastern coast of Australia, it is the largest coral reef system in the world, spanning over 2,300 km (1,430 mi). The Great Barrier Reef is home to an astonishing variety of marine life (see list below). It is also a breeding ground for several species of turtles, including the green sea turtle and the loggerhead turtle. The ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is a delicate balance, and many of the species that live there depend on each other for survival. Coral, for example, provides a habitat for many of the other species, while fish help to maintain the health of the coral by consuming algae that can damage it. However, the reef faces numerous threats, including climate change, overfishing, pollution, and coastal development, which all affect the delicate balance of this unique ecosystem.
The Great Barrier Reef has the world's most diverse range of underwater animals including:
• 1,625 species of fish.
• 360 types of coral.
• 3,000 types of molluscs (like giant clams and the sea slug).
• 215 species of birds.
• 14 species of sea snake.
• 6 out of the world's 7 species of sea turtle (all listed as threatened).
• 630 species of echinoderm ( starfish, sea urchins).
• 30 species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins).
• 22 species of sea birds and 32 species of shorebirds.
• 30 species of dolphins and whales.
• 133 species of sharks and rays.
• 1,300 species of crustaceans (crabs, prawns).
• 450 species of hard coral.
• 40 species of sea anemones.
• 150 species of soft coral and sea pens.
• 100 jelly fish (blue bottle, box jellyfish).
• sponges.
• crocodiles.
All Rights Reserved. (Last Updated: May 23, 2023)