Page 7 - Coral Reefs

Clark’s Anemone Fish
Coral Reefs Rainforests of the Oceans Amphiprion clarkii

Like all things grand and magnificent, coral reefs also took a long time,
a very long time, to be what they are today in terms of their grandeur
as well as beauty. Primitive ancestors of coral reefs formed in the
seas about 400-500 million years ago, much before life emerged on
land. And they have not stopped building since then.

Aerial view of Great Barrier
Reef, Queensland, Australia Coral polyps
are related to jellyfish
and anemones. They
all belong to the
animal group known
as Cnidarians

It was none other than Charles
Darwin, who also gave us
the theory “survival of the
fittest”, who first classified
coral reef formations based
on observations during his
voyages. His classification,
according to the shape and size
of coral reefs, still holds good.

Photo : Peter Adams/gettyimages

Land

Reef

Barrier Reef Atoll

Barrier Reefs grow parallel to the shoreline and Atolls are reefs that grow around islands, which
develop due to the subsiding of islands around gradually sink into the sea over centuries due to
which fringing reefs grow. They are separated volcanic activity leaving the reef behind. Atolls
from the mainland by a deep lagoon. can take up to 30 million years to form. 7