It was the perfect day for a glass-bottom boat ride. We drove 45 minutes to a state park where they give tours of a coral ecosystem. We were scheduled for the 12:15 tour, so we decided to explore the Visitor’s Center. Inside are several aquariums, including a 32,000 gallon tank containing the larger fish. Inside this tank were nurse sharks, red grouper, blue grouper, and several other types of large fish. In some of the smaller aquariums were spiny lobsters, gobies, wrasses, shrimp, and a very interesting little fish called a yellow jaw head. This fish only grows to be about 5-7 inches long and builds small tunnels in which to hide from predators. They rarely leave their burrows, and when they do, they don’t go very far.
After we were finished in the Visitor’s Center, we went back to the car for lunch. After that, we headed down to the dock to board our boat. We got a good seat by the window, and we had a direct view down onto the glass panels. Once we got past the 45 minute ride to the reef, we began to see all of the creatures who live and make up the reef. We saw brain coral (one of which was 750 years old), tube coral, and many sea anemones. These and more types of coral create the habitat for over 500 different species of marine animals.
On our boat ride, we saw not only fish, but two nurse sharks and two barracudas. We also saw a Queen Angelfish, several Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors (black and white striped fish), Blue Tangs (Dory!), Red Grouper, and a very large school of Grunts. They get their name from the sound that they make when caught. It startles some children so much that they actually drop their fishing rods or nets in the water.
The only bad thing is the reefs are disappearing rapidly. Through pollution, boat collisions, acid rain, and global warming, the reefs and their inhabitants are dying at an ever-increasing rate. In less than 40-50 years, all of the reefs could be gone. That is why the boat rides today are so valuable, to let people see these wonders before they disappear forever.
After we were finished in the Visitor’s Center, we went back to the car for lunch. After that, we headed down to the dock to board our boat. We got a good seat by the window, and we had a direct view down onto the glass panels. Once we got past the 45 minute ride to the reef, we began to see all of the creatures who live and make up the reef. We saw brain coral (one of which was 750 years old), tube coral, and many sea anemones. These and more types of coral create the habitat for over 500 different species of marine animals.
On our boat ride, we saw not only fish, but two nurse sharks and two barracudas. We also saw a Queen Angelfish, several Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors (black and white striped fish), Blue Tangs (Dory!), Red Grouper, and a very large school of Grunts. They get their name from the sound that they make when caught. It startles some children so much that they actually drop their fishing rods or nets in the water.
The only bad thing is the reefs are disappearing rapidly. Through pollution, boat collisions, acid rain, and global warming, the reefs and their inhabitants are dying at an ever-increasing rate. In less than 40-50 years, all of the reefs could be gone. That is why the boat rides today are so valuable, to let people see these wonders before they disappear forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment