Happy Hearts Day!

In celebration of Valentine's Day, here are a few romance-inspired treasures in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

1. Heart Reef, in the Whitsunday Islands (how romantic!)

2. Clownfish-- all clownfish are born as males, but when their female breeding partner dies, the males change into females. Crazy stuff.

3. Red Throat Emperor (if you look closely, the tail fin looks like a red heart... )

4. Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef... perfect location for a honeymoon or romantic getaway-- and the site of the Best Job in the World!

5. Ah, back to the dugong. This 5,000-year-old cave drawing depicts a dugong. When seen from above, the dugong supposedly bears a striking resemblance to a human woman, except with a tail instead of legs. Ancient sefarers' observations of the dugong could have been the "origin of the mermaid myth"(Wikipedia).
First of all, if the idea of mermaids isn't romantic, I don't know what is. Secondly, dugongs are, on average, 9 feet long and 550-660 pounds. That is one large woman.

The brainy seahorse

So for all of you not so into creepy crawly things, I thought I'd better balance out the day's entries with a post on a cute creature. They may not be cuddly, but I think seahorses are downright precious, with their long snouts, curly tails, and ability to turn bright colors in "social moments" (what exactly does that mean, Wikipedia?). The Great Barrier Reef is home to nine species of seahorse. Male seahorses stick close to home (within 1 square meter of their habitat) while females roam up to 100 times that distance (no wonder I like this fish so much!). The male seahorse is the one who gives birth: anywhere from 1 to 2,000 babies ("fry") at a time. Another interesting fact about the seahorse: it is a genus of fish officially called the Hippocampus, which coincidentally is the name for a part of the human brain involved in short term memory. Ooh, and this is kinda cool: their eyes can move independently of each other. The more I learn about these bony fish, the more I want to know!

Here, Snakey, Snakey...

If you're like me, when you think of poisonous snakes, you picture a large viper or cobra in a jungle somewhere. Conversely, when I hear "sea snake", I imagine a small, harmless, wiggly creature about 6 inches long. Think again. The Great Barrier Reef is home to 17 species of sea snake, and while most live on the ocean floor, their lack of gills means that they need to come to the surface for air... which means there is a pretty good chance you could run into one while snorkeling. And try not to let it bite you: sea snakes can have some of the most potent venom of all snakes. (The good news is most will bite only when provoked.) Oh yeah, and those in the Great Barrier Reef can reach lengths of 4-5 feet.

Happy snorkeling!

Bigger than a goby, smaller than a whale shark

Lately I've been researching the Great Barrier Reef, and I have decided that no matter what happens with the "Best Job in the World", I definitely need to visit the reef someday. The world's largest coral reef system, it was named one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World by CNN. And to quote Wikipedia, it is "the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms." The reef's date of origin is a bit vague, but we know this: it was a bloody long time ago (in the ballpark of 600,000 years). If that isn't enough to get you on a plane to Australia, consider this: more than 1,500 species of fish live on the reef, sharing their home with 17 species of sea snakes, 215 species of birds, 30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and 6 species of sea turtles. Not to mention the dugong (aka "lady of the sea" or the less flattering "sea cow").(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugong)

I began this post with the intention of giving you an overview of the Great Barrier Reef's attractions... but got so distracted by the dugong that I am devoting an entire post to this marine mammal. Here are the top 5 things I think everyone should know about a dugong:

5. It has a fusiform body. (note: Fusiform would be a sweet Scrabble word)

4. Its habitat encompasses the waters of at least 37 countries, though most live off of Australia.

3. It's the last survivor of the Dugongidae family. (Maybe I will change my last name to Dugongidae so it doesn't feel so lonely...)

2. Other nicknames for this creature include "sea camel" and "sea pig".

1. A 5,000-year-old wall painting of a dugong was found in a cave in Malaysia in 1959.