Plants and Animals:

The iconic colourful coral of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef is just the beginning of the amazing plant and animal world that can be found off the coast of Queensland. This Marine Park is what many creatures consider home and what many people consider their lifestyle. This Marine world is home to the world's most diverse range of fauna including sharks, whales, turtles, dugongs, fish and stingers.

There are 1500 species of fish ranging from baby anemone fish - now synonymous with the reef thanks to a fish called Nemo - plus 50-year-old giant red bass, five of the world's seven species of coral trout, slow-moving seahorses and the giant whale shark.
Sharks are the undisputed kings of the sea. Commonly found are black and white-tipped reef sharks, named for the colouring of its pectoral fin tip, the tawny nurse shark often found at the base of corals, the epaulette shark with distinctive yellow spots below its pectoral fins and the mottled bottom-dwelling fringed-mouth wobbegongs.

Those species to be most wary of are the grey reef shark recognized by the black edging on its caudal fin, the eponymous hammerhead shark and the tiger shark which can be recognized by its large mouth, blunt snout and tiger stripes in juvenile animals.The bottom-dwelling rays come from the same cartilaginous fish family as sharks, but feared only for the sting present in the whip-like tail of some species. The most spectacular of the seven species present is the manta ray, known for its majestic glide and powerful surface breaches.

Above :Box jellyfish and Blue ringed octopus

Smaller than sharks but as equally dangerous are the reef's marine stingers. The blue-ringed octopus, box jellyfish and fingernail-sized Irukandji jellyfish can pack a lethal blow. Fortunately the jellyfish are generally limited to coastal waters during the summer months.

No less than 30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises live on the reef. It is home to Dwarf minke whales, baleen whales with the Whitsundays being the calving and breeding grounds of the humpback whale. Also look for bottle-nosed, Irrawaddy and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.

Six of the world's seven sea turtle species breed on the reef. The green, hawksbill and loggerhead are either vulnerable or endangered. Others found are leatherback, flat back and olive ridley.

The plants of the marine park can be as small as microscopic algae and seaweeds (500 species) or as large as forests of soft corals and seagrass meadows that are feeding grounds to vulnerable dugongs and endangered turtles. The reef is home to a quarter of all known sea-grass species. While less is known about these habitats, their contribution to the preservation and biodiversity of the reef is without question.