Florida's Coral Reefs
Beyond the Seven Mile Bridge, painting by Christopher Still
Coral reefs teem with a wide variety of plants, fish, and other sea creatures. A reef develops from a single young coral called a larva, which attaches itself to the sea floor. As the coral grows, it releases calcium to make a hard shell in which it lives. Eventually, the coral reproduces and spreads to form the reef, but this takes thousands of years.
Corals work with zooxanthellae (zo-zan-thel-ee), a tiny algae, or type of plant. These little plants give oxygen and nutrients to the corals, and the corals provide the fuel to help their partners convert sunlight into food.
Florida has its own coral reef called the Florida Reef Tract. This reef system extends from the clear waters west of the Florida Keys up the southeast Florida coast. The Florida Reef Tract forms the largest living coral reef system in North America. Coral reefs exist only in warmer waters. They are rare and fragile ecosystems.
1. Find and circle the lobster in this image.
2. What other kinds of sea life do you recognize in the image above?
3. What other kinds of underwater life do you see here?
4. Go to christopherstill.com/fl-house-of-reps and click on the picture that matches the painting above.
5. Click on "Go to link" to learn more about Florida sea life.
