Coral reefs are built by tiny animals called coral polyps, which secrete calcium carbonate to form hard skeletons, creating large reef structures over thousands of years in warm, shallow oceans. These important ecosystems provide habitats for 25% of marine life, protect coastlines, and support human communities but are threatened by pollution, overfishing, and global warming, which can lead to coral bleaching. Corals rely on a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae, zooxanthellae, whic

Oysters harnessed in fight to save Great Barrier Reef

A diver came across an endangered shark just feet away while off the coast of the Spanish island of El Hierro earlier this month. The dive center that posted the video said that smalltooth sand tiger sharks, an endangered species, only appear “intermittently” in the area, and that this is the first time they’ve come across one since 2019. According to the IUCN, smalltooth sand tiger sharks are “rarely recorded from the Atlantic Ocean.” Since 1991, there have only been 18 records from the nearby

Patterns only the reef can create. Mackay Reef showing off today with Ocean Safari | Master Reef Guides