coral reef

A beautiful coral reef is a healthy coral reef: new system judges health and beauty of reefs just from underwater photos.

Australia has declared that it will ban dumping of sediment in the marine park area of the Great Barrier Reef, but not in the...

Most Caribbean coral reefs may disappear within 20 years, if something isn't done, a new report warns - but for once global warming is not to blame.

Warming seas around the world are threatening corals. But scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University have noticed that corals in...

Scientists have learned that coral's symbiotic algae can scoop up available nitrogen, store the excess in crystal form and slowly feed it to the...

Exquisitely patterned Harlequin Shrimp eats starfish alive: starfish takes days to die.

In today's diving industry, the customer satisfaction, the return of business, the word of mouth and the competition for tips overrides environmental responsibility. Not for every dive center, not for every dive guide, but enough to see some frightful behaviour underwater.

How do corals evolve into separate species when their larvae can drift around the ocean over extremely long distances?

The Giant Manta Ray is the largest living ray and a very impressive sight underwater. Mantas migrate vast distances, crossing international boundaries, in search of food. Products from manta rays have a high value in international markets, and targeted fisheries hunt them for their valuable gill rakers used in traditional Chinese medicine. Monitoring and regulation of the exploitation and trade of manta rays is urgently needed, as well as protection of key habitats.

Corals in the genus Acropora generate much of the structural complexity upon which coral reefs depend, but they are susceptible to damage from toxic seaweeds. Acropora nasuta minimises this damage by chemically calling goby fishes who within minutes start chomping on the seaweed.