At 132,974 square miles, the Great Barrier Reef is about half the size of Texas, a statistic that becomes even more amazing when you learn the reef was created by teeny, tiny marine invertebrates. Coral reefs are formed when colonies of coral polyps secrete hard exoskeletons made of calcium carbonate, slowly building an underwater home that supports marine life of all shapes and sizes. That’s a feat worth protecting.
A Great view from above
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
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The parenting of a piping plover
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Racing toward history
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Back to the nest
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Don t forget—it’s World Elephant Day
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The ‘Night of Nights’
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Big Bend National Parks birthday
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Keep watching the skies
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Native American Heritage Month
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Happy Thanksgiving
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Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
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Hello, harbinger of spring
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World Honey Bee Day
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New Year s Eve
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Waiting for the perfect shot
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Cheers! It’s National Wine Day
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The dry days of winter in Etosha
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Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
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Winnie-the-Pooh Day
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Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
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Celebrating Mexico in a Cultural Capital
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National Bison Month
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A willowy welcome to spring
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Misool Island, Indonesia
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Spring equinox
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It s Tolkien Reading Day
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Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia
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Reflecting on Black History Month
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National Public Lands Day
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Satellite image of sand and seaweed in the Bahamas