Coral Reefs
The individual animals that make up coral colonies.
What are polyps?
This stress response happens when the ocean gets too warm or too cold; it makes coral look like it's seen a ghost!
What is bleaching?
Turtles often mistake this floating piece of trash for a yummy jellyfish snack.
What is a plastic bag?
This "chain" shows who eats whom; if one link is broken, the whole thing can fall apart.
What is a food chain?
This is the name for an "underwater farm" where scientists grow baby corals until they are big enough for the reef.
What is a coral nursery?
The material that corals build their skeleton out of.
What is limestone/calcium carbonate in relation to coral reefs?
This word, beginning with the letter 'R', means disposing of things like plastic bottles or cans responsibly so that they can be used to make something new.
What is recycling?
Baby turtles use the moon to find the ocean, but these human-made objects can confuse them and make them get lost.
What are lights? (or streetlights)
This is the "S" word for a relationship where two different animals live together and help each other out.
What is symbiosis?
This is the 11-letter "R" word for the process of fixing something that has been broken or damaged.
What is restoration?
The algae that provide reef-building corals with up to 90% of the energy they need to survive.
What are zooxanthellae?
This type of scientist studies marine life to find ways to keep it healthy.
What is a Marine Biologist?
These "spooky traps" are left behind by fishing boats and can accidentally catch turtles while they swim.
What are ghost nets?
This reef resident lives safely inside a stinging anemone and "pays rent" by cleaning it and chasing away predators.
What is a clownfish?
Using a special diamond saw, scientists cut coral into tiny pieces; this "M" word makes them grow 40 times faster!
What is microfragmentation?
This coral reef is over 350 miles long, stretching from the east coast of Florida to the Dry Tortugas.
What is the Florida Reef Tract?
This problem happens when humans take too many fish out of the sea, leaving none left to help the reef.
What is overfishing?
Most sharks don't have bones! Instead, their skeletons are made of this bendy stuff, just like your ears and nose.
What is cartilage?
If sharks disappear, there will be too many of these animals, which can throw the whole ocean out of balance.
What is prey?
This is the process of "planting" a healthy coral back onto a damaged reef using underwater glue or cement.
What is outplanting?
Coral reefs protect our homes from these extreme weather events.
What are hurricanes?
This "invisible gas" comes from cars and factories and traps heat around the Earth like a heavy blanket.
What is carbon dioxide?
Scientists often attach this electronic device to a turtle's shell to send location signals to space.
What is a satellite tag?
Because they are at the top of the food chain, sharks are known by this "A" name that means they are the "bosses" of the reef
What are apex predators?
These underwater structures, often shaped like trees, are made of PVC pipes and hold hanging corals.
What are coral trees?