Acropora derawaensis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acropora derawaensis |
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Acropora derawanensis is a special type of coral that lives in the ocean. It's part of a group called acroporid corals. You can find it in parts of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. This coral faces some big challenges, like coral bleaching, diseases, and being eaten by crown-of-thorns starfish.
What Does This Coral Look Like?
Acropora derawanensis can grow to be about a meter (or three feet) wide. It often forms colonies that look like tangled bushes with many slender branches. These branches usually grow upwards, but sometimes they can spread out flat.
- Axial corallites: These are the main, longer tubes at the tips of the branches.
- Radial corallites: These are smaller tubes that stick out from the sides of the branches. They can be shaped like pockets and have sharp edges.
This coral is usually a reddish-brown color. Its main axial corallites often stand out because they are white or bluish.
Where Does This Coral Live?
Acropora derawanensis is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western central Pacific Ocean. Its home stretches from countries like Malaysia and Indonesia all the way to the Philippines, northern Australia, and Papua New Guinea.
It lives in different parts of coral reefs. However, it's most commonly found on sheltered reef slopes. These are areas where the ocean floor slopes downwards, and the water is calm. You can usually spot this coral at depths between 10 and 25 m (30 and 80 ft) (about 33 to 82 feet) below the surface.
Why Is This Coral in Danger?
The coral reefs where Acropora derawanensis lives are facing many threats. These include:
- Global warming: Rising ocean temperatures can cause coral bleaching. This is when corals get stressed and lose their color and food source.
- Ocean acidification: The ocean is becoming more acidic. This makes it harder for corals to build their hard skeletons.
- Reef destruction: Human activities can damage reefs.
Acropora derawanensis is not a very common coral. It is also very sensitive to bleaching and coral diseases. Because of these threats, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this coral as "vulnerable". This means it's at a high risk of becoming extinct in the wild. Scientists believe that about 39% of these coral colonies might be lost in the next thirty years.
