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What Animals Live In and Around Coral Reefs?

The coral reef is a place rich in aquatic sea life, complete with entire life cycles of symbiotic relationships. Many different species call the reef home, and each reef is unique dependent upon its depth, location and history. The brightly colored fish associated with reefs are far from the only living organisms in the coral reef.

Fish
- A clown anemone is a typical inhabitant of the coral reef.
  
  Reefs are especially popular with small fish due to their unique structures and ecosystems. Many species of small fish, such as the Clown Anemone call the reef home. In fact, some reefs, such as the Great Barrier Reef, are home to over 1500 species of fish. In addition to small fish, reefs also play host to some much larger fish, like the whale shark, which can grow upwards of 12 meters and which is attracted to the reef by the species that it preys on.
Reptilian Sea Life
- The Gulf of Mexico is home for five out of seven of the Earth's sea turtles.
  
  The reef also is home to some species of animals that haven't changed much since the reefs started growing nearly 25 million years ago. These include the reptilian inhabitants of the reef, such as sea snakes and sea turtles. Sea snakes evolved from our land snakes, but they are separate from eels because of certain characteristics. Sea turtles, which are endangered due to poaching, are often noted as inhabitants of coral reefs.
Marine Mammals
- Dolphins are some of the larger inhabitiants of the reef.
  
  Another typical inhabitant of reefs is the dolphin. Many different species of dolphin visit reef waters to feed and socialize. Many reefs also are visited by much larger marine mammals. Whales as small as the dwarf minke whales or as large as killer whales have been spotted among the reef sea life. These whales tend to feed on fish that venture too far from the relative safety of the reef.
Mollusks
- Giant clams have a symbiotic relationship, as do coral reefs, with a plantlike algae that thrives near shallows reefs, above 65 feet deep.
  
  Amazingly, the Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 5,000 different species of mollusks. Reefs all over the world are home to these unusual creatures, which include the giant clam. These clams can grow to be more than 3 feet long and are known for their ability to produce huge, valuable pearls. The octopi and squid also are members of the mollusk family.
Coral
- Coral consists of tiny polyps, which colonize and live for hundreds of years.
  
  To turn a regular patch of ocean floor into the most diverse ecosystem on the planet is no small feat. Some coral reefs have been developing for more than 25 million years. The growth occurs because of coral polyps, small colonizing animals with tiny tentacles that link up to create the reefs. Polyps get their energy from the algae that grows on them, and since algae needs light to survive, reefs are only found in shallow water. The reason coral reefs take so long to grow is that polyphs can only grow about 2/5 of an inch per year.

Animals & Science