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Corals record how many days there are in a year. Orbit: Earth’s Extraordinary Journey I, BBC 2012
I have been enthralled by coral reefs ever since. Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild III: Our Fragile Planet, BBC 2012
At certain times of the year corals also release sexual cells into the water. Some of the larvae that result begin new colonies. David Attenborough: Life on Earth (revised series)
The most impressive invertebrates may seem to be the giants but in fact it’s some of the smallest that can make the biggest impact. Every square inch of this island has been created by an every-growing living super-structure – a coral reef. It’s taken thousands of years to reach this size. And it all began with creatures smaller than a pin-head. David Attenborough, Life e8: Creatures of the Deep, BBC 2008
Corals are in fact extremely aggressive. And will fight to the death to expand their territory ... Then, just once a year, a few days after the November full moon, the corals take part in a mass spawning event. ibid.
Reefs are the work of polyps – tiny colonial animals like minute sea anemones. David Attenborough, Planet Earth e9: Shallow Seas, BBC 2006
To date the Coral Reef Project has identified more than a thousand likely new species. David Attenborough, Horizon: The Death of our Oceans? BBC 2010
Coral reefs are some of the most complex eco-systems on the planet. Richer even than tropical rain forests, they are home to a quarter of all marine fish species. Corals may look like plants, but they are in fact two species: an animal – the coral, and tiny algal guests that live within the corals’ bodies. Attenborough Explores ... Our Fragile World, BBC 2009
Corals are highly sensitive to changes in the water temperature. Even a rise of one to two degrees Celsius will stress the coral polyps, and they will expel ... their microscopic algal partners. The algi give the corals their colour, so once expelled the corals will turn white. This event is called Coral Bleaching. But if the changes are short-lived the corals will recover. ibid.
Corals face another side-effect of global warming ... storms. And strong storms produce rough seas. ibid.
Tropical coral reefs occupy only a tenth of 1% of the ocean floor, but their shallow warm waters and stable year-round conditions support some of the most crowded and varied communities to be found anywhere in the oceans. David Attenborough, Blue Planet s1e1: One Ocean, BBC 2017
As far down as three and a half miles there are more species of coral in the deep than on shallow tropical reefs. David Attenborough, Blue Planet s2e2: The Deep, BBC 2017
In a far corner of south-east lies the coral triangle. A cluster of the richest coral reefs in the world. Undersea cities crammed full of life. David Attenborough, Blue Planet s2e3: Coral Reefs
A cuttlefish – it specialises in hunting crabs. But a large crab is a dangerous quarry – it has powerful claws. The cuttlefish however has a remarkable talent – its skin contains millions of pigment cells with which it can create ever changed colours and patterns. ibid.
Coral colonies can continue to grow for centuries, possibly millennia. And they can build structures that can reach as high as a house. ibid.
Coral is vital to the health of the ocean. Oceans III: Red Sea, BBC 2008
Coral reefs support a quarter of all fish species and help support the coastal people here. Oceans VI: Indian Ocean – Coastal Waters
Corals use chemical and biological warfare. ibid.
Coral grows at about one centimetre a year. ibid.
Black corals are the slowest growing corals in the world. New Zealand: Earth’s Mythical Islands II, BBC 2016
Deep-water corals and sponges cover the rocky slopes, and sea lilies face into the slow deep current which sweeps food particles to their outstretched arms. Light the Ocean, National Geographic 2016
The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia stretches over 350,000 kilometres and is home to 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 species of mollusks and 400 species of coral. The equilibrium of every ocean depends on these corals. Home, 2009
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has lost a third of its coral and is now in danger of collapse. Australians are caught in the grip of a bitter culture war over climate change and its impact on the reef. Australia’s farmers also stand accused of damaging the reef. Our World: The Battle for the Great Barrier Reef, BBC 2019
150 kilometres of islands, coral reefs and mangrove swamps form one of the greatest barrier reef systems on Earth. Travel beneath the surface here and you travel back in time to when the Earth’s seas were pristine … Coral reefs pulsate with life. Natural World: Wild Cuba: A Caribbean Journey, BBC 2020
I travel from Darwin in Australia’s far north across the remote Cape York peninsula and on to the Great Barrier Reef … I discover how Australia’s booming industries is threatening the world’s greatest barrier reef. Australia with Simon Reeve II, BBC 2020
Giant volcanic rock walls rise up from the sea. Just how were these giant structures built and why? … One of the world’s most baffling sites. Ancient Aliens s12e23: The Mystery of Nan Madol, History 2017
Today much of Nan Madol is hidden beneath dense vegetation … An 11-square-mile complex consisting of more than 100 man-made islands standing upon a submerged coral reef. ibid.
‘The Red Sea and the coral reefs are some of the most bio-diverse in the world.’ Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s2e1: Rea Sea & Petra, local, Channel 4 2023