Under the Sea 3D Page #2

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and its primitive eye is little more than a

pinhole in front of the light-sensitive retina.

Like the coral reef itself...

its strong shell

is made of calcium carbonate.

Once, over 2,000 species of nautiloids

dominated life under the sea.

But that was long before

dinosaurs roamed the planet.

And the climate above and within the ocean

has changed many times since.

Today, only 6 species of nautilus

haunt the deep sea.

Sudden changes in climate can exterminate

species that cannot adapt quickly.

Corals need carbon dioxide to grow...

but we're putting so much

of it into our atmosphere...

that it's causing

global temperatures to rise.

If sea water gets too warm,

coral reefs bleach white and die.

But even more deadly

is a new threat called ocean acidification.

Too much carbon dioxide inhibits

the formation of calcium carbonate...

the stuff coral reefs are made of,

and the shells of the chambered nautilus...

the cuttlebone, and the skeletons

of thousands of other species.

Many animals could become extinct.

Coral reefs could begin to dissolve.

As temperatures rise, many species

can move south toward cooler waters.

The dwarf minke whale spends its winter

in the Great Barrier Reef.

Then in the spring, it heads south

to the cold waters of the Southern Ocean.

Cape Catastrophe, South Australia.

In these cold waters

lurks an ancient leviathan...

one of the ocean's

most magnificent hunters...

the great white shark.

Great whites often reach

A shark that large

may weigh more than a ton...

and can easily make a single meal

out of a 200-pound sea lion.

Sea lions must remain constantly alert.

The world's largest stingrays

also hunt here...

searching for crustaceans and mollusks

hiding beneath the sand.

The rays often travel

with their own entourage...

a squadron of opportunistic fish...

ready to pounce on small animals

frightened from their hiding places.

Most of the time, the great white shark

will ignore a stingray.

But not always.

Great whites have often been found

with foot-long stingray barbs...

embedded in their jaws.

Australian sea lions are among

the rarest of marine mammals.

Once hunted relentlessly,

now only 10,000 or so remain.

They seem to be the most carefree

of creatures.

But as global temperature rise...

the animals living in South Australia

have nowhere further south to move.

Each year in these shallow gardens,

giant cuttlefish gather for spawning.

They are the largest cuttlefish

in the world.

Males sometimes reach

more than 3 feet in length.

Giant males confront each other,

competing for females...

hiding in the yellow sponge below.

These confrontations seldom result

in serious violence.

Instead, males puff themselves up

and look as menacing as possible...

then communicate

their willingness to fight...

with angry displays

of color and pattern.

As the big males compete...

smaller males, called sneakers,

disguise themselves as females.

Then, cloaked in feminine charm...

they slip past

the dueling giants unchallenged.

Females seem to find

the cross-dressing males quite attractive.

Sneakers are

surprisingly successful lovers.

Giant cuttlefish mate face to face...

in a tangled embrace

that may last many minutes.

The urge to find a mate is strong

but this cuttlefish is hungry.

The crab's sharp claws

cause the cuttlefish to hesitate.

No one likes to be pinched in the face.

But a crab dinner

certainly seems worth it.

A female has deposited her eggs

in a crevice beneath the reef.

This is her final act.

In the next few weeks...

all of the adult male

and female cuttlefish will die.

Giant cuttlefish live only 2 years.

But these have left their legacy.

In about 4 months,

these eggs will hatch...

and a new generation of giants

will inherit this undersea garden.

Swarms of mysid shrimp roll over the reef

like a mountain fog.

These tiny shrimp become food

for many species.

One is among the most bizarre

of all ocean creatures.

The weedy sea dragon...

is one of only 3 species of sea dragon

that exist on Earth.

He propels himself by undulating

tiny transparent fins on his back...

and on either side of his head.

The dragon slurps his dinner

with a long tubular snout...

that's perfectly designed

for capturing tiny shrimp.

The other dragon living here...

defies even

the most fertile imagination.

The leafy sea dragon.

He has turned camouflage

into an exquisite work of art.

Sea dragons seldom venture

far from home.

Indeed, these delicate creatures

are not designed to swim fast or far.

As the climate changes...

undersea gardens

in the gulfs of South Australia...

are beginning to die out.

When these gardens disappear...

the dragons must vanish with them.

But there are hopeful signs

of an even greater change taking place.

It's a change within us.

We finally seem ready

to accept the responsibility...

for the changes we are causing

to our atmosphere...

our oceans, and our planet.

We have the skills.

If we apply them,

our legacy could be an ocean wonderland...

where dragons still roam...

and where sea lions are forever at play.

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