The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living system on earth, covering
2000km from the northern to southern sections, so large that
it can even be seen from space.
The incredible diversity of animal
and plant life is unmatched
elsewhere, only rainforest diversity comes close to rivalling
its abundance. The biodiversity includes over 350 species of
coral, 2,000 species of fish and over 4,000 species of molluscs.
Colour
plays an important role with many of the species found
on the Great Barrier Reef. Each fish species can distinguish
between its own species and others because of the colour and patterns
exhibited.
The diverse colour of corals occurs because of the different
species of algae within the tissues of each animal.
This profusion
of colour in the animals and plants can be seen in the Great
Barrier Reef exhibit, which displays an extensive
range of small and large fish species as well as many species
of different soft and hard corals. The oceanarium is a beautiful
example of a reef system containing a variety of tropical sharks,
fish and invertebrate species living together in such a habitat.
