Patty O'Brien., age 13, of Charlestown, Massachusetts., for her question.
What and where is the Great Coral Reef?
The grand‑daddy of all coral reef's is the Great Barrier Reef of Australia It is a massive underwater seawall which swoops down the northwest shores of the continent. This great reef of coral is 1100 sea miles long, which means it could. reach from Boston to Atlanta, Georgia. In places it is 90 miles wide. At its narrowest it is ten miles wide.
A barrier reef is called a fringe reef because it follows the shoreline like a bordering fringe. It is always separated from the land mass. by a lagoon of calm salt water. The Great Barrier Reef follows the coastline of northwestern Australia at distances from 20 to 70 miles, At low tide, certain patches of this massive seawall of coral are left above the water. These areas look like gardens of stones. The lumps of coral could be mistaken for delicate ferns and fans, clumps of foliage and low growing shrubs, all frozen into dull grey stone.
Under the water, however, the coral gardens look far from drab. They are tinted. with the colors of the rainbow, which makes them look even more flowery. Dainty little rainbow‑colored fishes glide in and out among the coral wonderland. They are the fantastically beautiful tropical fish which we borrow to adorn an indoor aquarium.
The lovely coral garden, however, is not plant life. Each tuft of stony foliage is an apartment house made by hosts of tiny coral animals. Each little coral is a polyp, a soft‑bodied creature with a round mouth and a fringe of tentacles, The coral is a midget cousin of the beautiful sea anemone which sits like a daisy in the tidal pools, The coral, however, does not feel safe sitting around without a shelter. So he uses the limey chemicals in sea water to build himself a little stone house. There are many varieties of coral in the oceans of the world and each variety has its own way of doing things, a baby coral begins life as a bud on the body of its parent. When ready, the bud breaks way. Some varieties never leave varieties never leave home. The young bud settles down arid builds his home right next door to Mama's. Some varieties take a few days of freedom before settling down, The youngster uses his tentacles to swim around while he seeks out a place to build.
Each variety of coral follows its own design in building. Some build in spikes like antlers some in branches, others in fans, fronds, delicate vases or basket shapes. The older rooms in the apartment house are vacant, for their owners have long since perished. But no young coral ever rents a vacant apartment. He always builds his own. His room is a little dome with an open window, ills feelers poke out of the window, fanning water and bits of food into his mouth.
New generations are always adding to the coral apartment houses. The building grows and grows. Other buildings go up, clustering together to form great masses of coral rock. The mass becomes an underwater hill a ridge, and, after millions of years, a great coral reef.