Ocean Wonderland Page #2

Traffic can get heavy at times.

It's okay, I can wait.

Bigeye trevallies

are another sociable species,

at least by day.

By night, the dense schools disperse

and each fish must find its own dinner.

Although the barracuda exudes

elegance and danger,

unless provoked,

they are no danger to you humans.

With nightfall, a strange serenity

descends on the reef

and a whole new array of life is revealed.

Many creatures filter the water for food,

like these feather stars.

The corals themselves

extend their tentacles to catch zooplankton.

Sea squirts filter the waters

in search of nutrition.

Small fish retreat into the delicate maze

of coral branches.

At night, these trumpetfish

prefer the man-made shelter

the shipwreck can provide.

This puffer fish doesn't look too happy

about our late-night intrusion,

so let's sneak away. Come on.

Sorry, my friend. Go back to sleep.

Here's a creature that always makes me

duck into my shell,

one of the deadliest on the planet,

the sea snake.

Let's follow it into deeper water,

where the colours begin to fade away.

It moves through the water

like a ribbon of doom,

with a venom so powerful

that just one bite is all it takes.

You're dead within seconds.

I think I'd rather wait up here.

Could we get moving?

Everyone still with us? Good.

Luckily for you,

sea snakes seem to prefer seafood.

They rarely attack humans.

Here is one of the most important predators

to be found on a reef,

the potato grouper.

Some groupers reach truly impressive sizes,

over 8-feet long

and weighing more than 600 pounds.

They don't skimp on their meals, either.

The largest ones even dine on small sharks

and, sadly, young turtles.

Yes, poor Quincy ended his days as

a rather unhappy meal for a potato grouper.

When two groupers meet for combat

or courtship, complex rituals often ensue.

Hard to believe and hard to admit,

but the ocean's most graceful creature

is not the turtle.

It's the eagle ray.

As these gentle giants glide along with

the majesty of their airborne namesakes,

it is easy to forget

that we are viewing fish beneath the waves

and not eagles above the clouds.

Their wingspan can reach widths

of up to 8 feet.

Even in these murky waters,

the eagle ray is an elusive beauty.

An encounter with even just one

is always a privileged moment.

Sometimes I wish I had wings like those.

But then again,

I make out fine just the way I am.

Diving deeper,

you'll meet lurking among the reefs

the most powerful predator of them all.

The shark is among the ocean's

most ancient inhabitants

and, for me, the scariest, I might add.

So if you don't mind,

I'll stay here while you look at them.

350 million years of evolution

have honed them to predatory perfection.

Hundreds can find their home

in one healthy reef.

Fast, fierce, sleek and agile,

an incredible animal

that I prefer to view from afar,

because at feeding time, they

behave as if they have a licence to kill.

And I suppose they do.

Unprovoked, sharks rarely attack people,

and yet humans have decimated

the shark population

by killing millions of them each year.

Sharks are now rare on most reefs.

Today, another darker reality faces

our reefs. They are endangered.

When a coral reef dies,

all the life that thrives

in and around it vanishes, as well.

Since one-quarter of all us marine

life depends on the reef for survival,

imagine the consequences.

The health of the planet

depends on the health of its oceans.

When oceans sicken and die,

the well-being of our Earth

is thrown into peril.

I used to visit this reef every year

when I was younger,

a reef that was teeming

with life and activity.

Today, this reef is dead.

There is no more life here.

Sewage, industrial waste, pollution,

destructive fishing practices,

careless tourism and even deforestation

are some of the man-made elements

that threaten the health of our reefs.

In addition, the massive

energy consumption of humans

is altering the planet's climate

and warming up the oceans.

One silent victim is the coral.

If human activity continues

on its present course,

most of the world's coral reefs

may be dead within 50 years.

The problem is clear.

And many of the solutions are

already known.

Modern man must transform himself

from being the threat

to becoming the defender.

Around the globe, many organisations,

such as the United Nations

Environment Programme

and the World Wildlife Fund,

are already working hard

to improve the health of our oceans.

Together, you can ensure

a brighter future for coral reefs

and the millions of other creatures

that live beneath the waves.

For yourselves and future generations,

please help save the coral reefs

and preserve this ocean wonderland.

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