Explorers Find Hundreds of Undescribed Corals, Other Species on Familiar Australian Reefs

Hundreds of new kinds of animal species surprised international researchers systematically exploring waters off two islands on the Great Barrier Reef and a reef off northwestern Australia -- waters long familiar to divers. The expeditions, affiliated with the global Census of Marine Life, help mark the International Year of the Reef and included the systematic scientific inventory of spectacular soft corals, named octocorals for the eight tentacles that fringe each polyp. The explorers today released some initial results and stunning images from their landmark four-year effort to record the diversity of life in and around Australia's renowned reefs.

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Keywords: CORAL REEFS, CENSUS OF MARINE LIFE, BIODIVERSITY, THREATS

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Related Topics: Coral Reefs

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