Clown fish

Clown fish have a special relationship with the anemones that they call home, clown fish are not stung by the anemone's tentacles and this helps to protect them from predators. In return the clown fish helps keep the anemone clean.

Sea turtle

Sea turtles are magnificent creatures that live in the ocean and breathe air. Females only leave the sea to dig their nest, laying around 150 -200 eggs in a deep sandy hole then covering them up to incubate before returning to the sea. When the hatchlings emerge they must dig their way out and get to the ocean as fast as they can, it's a dangerous time and many young turtles don't make it. If you're out at the reef keep your eye out for turtles taking a breath of air or swimming just under the surface of the water.

Whales, dugongs and dolphins

Humpback and Dwarf Minke whales visit the warm waters of the Coral Sea during the winter months to breed and have their babies before returning to the Southern Oceans for the summer months to feed on krill and small fish.

Dolphins are often seen in the warm tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef, these playful animals eat fish and travel in family groups known as pods.

Dugongs are large, slow moving, marine mammals that feed on the sea grasses in the shallows.

Jellyfish

There are several species of jellyfish found on the Great Barrier Reef the two most prominent ones are the 'Box' jellyfish and the 'Irukandji'. The Box jellyfish is one of the most highly venomous creatures in the world. Both of these jellyfish are transparent and use their long poisonous tentacles to catch fish. If stung by a jellyfish it is important to treat the sting with vinegar as soon as possible and seek medical attention urgently.

Coral

Corals look like plants but they are actually animals. What we see as branches actually are whole colonies of coral animals. Each animal, called a polyp, has a hard skeleton and a soft body. What we sometimes see as flowers actually are the tentacles with which they capture food from the water.

The corals of the Great Barrier Reef come in many different shapes, sizes and colours, some are hard and some are soft, some are smooth and others are rough. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest single structure made by living things.

Starfish

Starfish sometimes known as 'seastars' have a hard body and two stomachs! Some starfish eat coral, like the 'crown-of-thorns' starfish, while others find their food in the sand eating dead fish and small shell animals. They come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and move slowly across the ocean floor or are washed along with the waves.