Animals of the Coral Reef

SEA TURTLES: Sea Turtles are reptiles that live almost everywhere in the ocean except in the polar regions. Throughout the world there are 7 different species of Sea Turtles, Green sea turtle, Loggerhead sea turtle, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Olive ridley sea turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle, Flatback sea turtle, and the Leatherback sea turtle. Sadly each one of these species are on either the threatened or endangered watchlist.

SEA URCHINS: Sea urchins are spiny, circular creatures that live on the ocean floor, anywhere from shallow water to the deep sea. They belong to the same family as the sea cucumber and starfish. Sea urchins have a hard shell, known as a test, which is covered in sharp spines, these help protect against predators. Sea Urchins are herbivores, and feed off of kelp, aglae, and any other plant life. Sea Urchins are very venomous, and when punctured by spines, they will pass on venom that will cause serious inflammatory reactions.

SEA ANEMONE: Sea Anenome belong to the same family as jelly fish and coral and appears to be a hybrid between the two. They have a mouth surrounded by tentacles, used to capture and immobilize their prey, such as small fish and plankton. Sea Anenome also have a very distininct relationship between other animals in the reef, such as clown fish and hermit crabs. Clown fish live within the the collection of anemone tentacles which sting predators upon contact. Meanwhile, Sea Anemone use old hermit crab shells as shelter when in vulnerable areas.

STING RAYS: Sting rays are a long flat fish with a long tail with multiple serrerated venomous spines. Although they are not known for being aggressive, if provoked their venom will cause severe pain, edema, cyanosis, erythema, petechiae, local necrosis, ulceration and delayed wound healing Their broad, diamond shaped body, allows them to glide with the current with ease, with some species of sting rays being known for their sheer size, being the biggest freshwater fish. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans and mollusks. 

SEA HORSES: Sea Horses are distinct in their appearence, ranging from their long snout, long curled tail, and small body. The tail is used to grab on to coral or other plants to be kept stable in opposition of the current when sleeping. Their reproductive cycle is unique due to the male holding the fertilized eggs in their pouch instead of the female. They are carnivorous and feed on small crustaceans, such as copepods and shrimp. They are endangered because of pollution, destruction of their habitat, and the aquiarium trade.

CORAL: Despite popular belief, the coral that makes up all coral reefs are actually invertebrate organisms made up of calcium carbonate. Being the center framework for all reefs, coral is by far the most important. Along with being an animal, coral is also photosynthetic. In recent events, however, climate change is having a negative effect on the life of all coral, with rising water temperatures, coral starts to die, leaving all animals with no home killing off a very large portion of the ecosystem.