BBC The Blue Planet Disc 3: Coral Seas (2002) | Index |
Corals are protected by a hard, limestone skeleton, but bumphead parrot fish bite straight through rock and coral with their powerful jaws. These fish erode the coral and the material they swallow comes out the other end as fine sand. On a single reef they can produce tonnes of sand every year. This soft sand forms beautiful tropical white beaches and eventually creates tropical islands!
A sinister crown of thorns starfish slides on to a coral, spreads its stomach over the polyps and digests them whole. The only protection a coral can hope for is a small crab which takes up residence in the coral's branches and uses its pincers to nip the starfish to see it off.
Night on the reef is a tough time. Moray eels slither around the corals hunting by smell. Whitetip sharks use their electrical sense to trace any movement in the sleeping fish. Feeding frenzies disturb the otherwise eerie calm of the reef.
An entire reef can be destroyed by one big storm: hundreds of years of growth wiped out in a few hours. But out at sea, new life continues to develop and, in time, coral larvae return to colonise the rubble and a new reef grows on the wasteland.
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1:50 | Coral larva spawns and grows into colony | 3:30 | Christmas Tree Worm lives within the coral | 4:10 | Grouper? and Hawksbill Turtle? cleaned by Cleaner Wrasse |
4:55 | Whale Sharks feed on plankton | 5:30 | Coral polyp structure: limestone skeleton | 6:55 | Inside corals are Algae ("plants"), amount of sunlight regulated by pigments seen in UV light |
9:00 | Butterflyfish eat coral | 9:15 | Coral polyps emerge at night by extending tentacles to feed | 10:10 | Coral polyps fight by digesting rivals |
11:40 | Crown-of-Thorns Starfish attacks corals, defended by Sangogani Crab? , which eats mucous from the coral | 13:25 | Humphead Parrotfish eat coral, excrete sand to form beaches | 15:25 | Sooty Tern?s nest on island |
16:40 | Jacks prey on shoals of Silversides | 17:55 | Snapping Shrimp? queen in a colony (like bees) hiding in sponge | 19:00 | Polychete Worm attacks Snapping Shrimp |
20:40 | Red-mouthed Grouper? preys on Dartfish | 21:15 | Red-mouthed Grouper fights Lionfish for territory | 22:25 | Harlequin Shrimp attack Seastar by flipping it on its back |
23:45 | Powder Blue Tang feed on Green Algae, and try to chase sway Convict Tangs | 26:15 | Basket Star crawls out at night to feed | 27:40 | Mottled Ray uses electroreceptors to hunt in the sand at night |
28:50 | Oceanic Whitetip Shark also hunt by electroreceptors | 31:40 | Brown Surgeon Fish mating ritual in the Red Sea | 33:10 | Fusiliers feed on eggs |
32:55 | Banded Pipefish courtship dance | 36:45 | Flamboyant Cuttlefish mating | 38:00 | Humpback Whale males sing to attract females |
40:00 | Coral spawning by temperature and tide | 43:20 | Atlantic Lobster?s migrate to deeper water during stormy season (Caribbeans) | 45:05 | Reef destruction from storm |
1:50 Coral |
3:30 Christmas Tree Worm |
4:10 Grouper? |
4:10 Hawksbill Turtle? |
4:10 Cleaner Wrasse |
4:55 Whale Sharks |
6:55 pigments seen in UV light |
9:00 Butterflyfish |
9:15 Coral polyps emerge at night |
10:10 Coral polyps fight |
11:40 Crown-of-Thorns Starfish |
11:40 Sangogani Crab? |
13:25 Humphead Parrotfish |
15:25 Sooty Tern?s |
16:40 Jacks |
16:40 Silversides |
17:55 Snapping Shrimp? queen |
19:00 Polychete Worm |
20:40 Red-mouthed Grouper? |
20:40 Dartfish |
21:15 Lionfish |
22:25 Harlequin Shrimp |
22:25 Seastar |
23:45 Powder Blue Tang |
23:45 Convict Tangs |
26:15 Basket Star |
27:40 Mottled Ray |
28:50 Oceanic Whitetip Shark |
31:40 Brown Surgeon Fish |
33:10 Fusiliers |
32:55 Banded Pipefish |
32:55 courtship dance |
36:45 Flamboyant Cuttlefish |
38:00 Humpback Whale |
40:00 Coral spawning |
43:20 Atlantic Lobster?s |
45:05 Reef destruction from storm |
Index | Dec 25, 2005 | Peter Chen |