How much do you know about corals?
As ONE°15 Marina’s coral garden continues to grow and thrive, we’d like to share some fun facts about our wondrous backyard friends.
Some are thought to resemble deer antlers, trees, giant fans, brains, and honeycomb.
Known as “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean but are home to almost 25% of all known marine species!
Because they do not make their own food, like how plants do.
See updates of our corals here.
Corals were around at the time of the dinosaurs – that’s about 500 million years ago! Some of the corals we see today have taken as much as 50 million years to form. This is one of the reasons we should worry when corals die, their population will not be recreated within a human lifetime.
There are often more types of fish living in a two-acre area of healthy coral reef than there are species of birds in all of North America!
If you see a coral reef that appears white, it is a process known as coral bleaching. When there are drastic changes in temperature, light and nutrients, algae don’t find their coral home that comfortable anymore and leaves. As such, corals lose their colour and the free food given by the algae, therefore turning very pale! If the situation does not improve quickly, the coral will eventually die from disease or lack of food.
Marine scientists are working diligently to fight climate change and protect the coral reefs. Here in Singapore, ONE°15 Marina is playing its part in coral restoration too. Check out our coral project and read on for some eco-friendly tips on how you can do your part in your daily life to help protect the ocean and corals.
