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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An unlikely friendship in the wild
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Pasadena Chalk Festival supports local arts education
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Glacial rivers in Iceland
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International Day for Biosphere Reserves
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Opt outside today
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Methoni Castle, Messenia, Greece
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Squirrel Appreciation Day
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Autumn comes to Old Town
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The birthplace of Cinco de Mayo
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Engineering an artificial harbor in Normandy
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Let s get lost
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Life carries on, rising from a ship s skeleton
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Festivus
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Gray days ahead in Monterey
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Wildebeests in Maasai Mara, Kenya
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A Christmas market with a long history
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National Take a Hike Day
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White Sands National Park turns 90
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Maldives
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Happy New Years Eve!
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Castle on a hill
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A species no longer at risk
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Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
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Freshwater plants in Aquário Natural, Brazil
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A misty morning in Brazil
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Aýna, Albacete, Spain
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Castle Square, Old Town, Warsaw, Poland
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Groovy!
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Morocco in bloom
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Sweet! It’s maple syrup season