Coral reefs has always been a popular destination with tourists due to their unique and colorful attributes, but there are a number of strange facts about coral reefs that remain unknown to the masses. Unless an individual is either a science geek or a career scientist, many of the strange facts about coral reefs and their diversity will remain hidden until personal curiosity gets the better of a person intending to visit. Many of the strange facts about coral reefs would be considered bizarre, freaky and weird, but however one may feel the beauty of these coral reef areas cannot be denied.
Here are a few unique and strange facts about coral reefs:
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia was discovered by Aborigines, and a strange fact is that it is the only natural structure that can be viewed from outer space.
A herpes virus infection can kill a coral reef, and a most strange fact is that 95 percent of humans carry some type of the herpes virus. This means that theoretically a human can give herpes to a coral reef while scuba diving.
Among the strange facts about coral reefs is that 10 million bacteria live on one square centimeter of coral.
It is a commonly known strange fact about coral reefs that adult coral will feed on young coral.
It is a disturbing and strange fact that global warming, pollution and overfishing are the most common killers of coral reefs.
One of the strangest facts about coral reefs is that algae is the natural glue that holds them together to maintain their shape.
Another of the strange facts about coral reefs is that the Great Barrier Reef was formed 15 to 20 million years ago, and is still thriving.
Perhaps one of the most strange facts about coral reefs is that if a human cuts themselves on coral and the wound is not cleaned properly, the coral can continue to grow inside of the cut.
Oddly enough, one of the strange facts about coral reefs is that they help to maintain 25 percent of marine life while occupying only about 1 percent of the ocean floor.
The damage done by humans by their mere presence is a strange fact about coral reefs indeed. It would seem a matter of basic common sense that a natural resource that is so amazingly beautiful would be guarded closely to preserve it for future generations. The strange fact is that we collectively as a species need to do a much better job of it.
