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
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Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
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Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii
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Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
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Arromanches-les-Bains for the 81st anniversary of D-Day
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Merry and bright
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An octagonal architectural treasure
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World Octopus Day
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Hang Sơn Đoòng Cave, Vietnam
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Hawai i Volcanoes National Park at 106
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Agüero, Huesca province, Spain
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Light show in the forest
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Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy
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Why does this panda cub look so happy?
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Illuminating Annecy
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Big Bend National Parks birthday
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Welcome to the drainpipe of the Pacific
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Wildebeest on the move
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Four Sisters, thousands of trees
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Baltic Sea, Estonia
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Formal garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
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These laurels are hardy
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Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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Giving Tuesday
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Sequoia National Parks 134th anniversary
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Traveling warblers
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A ‘Superior’ paddle
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All eyes on sustainability
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Old Town Quito