In his new documentary, Ocean with David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough shares some of the magical coral reef creatures that are vital to the health of the ocean: from turtles, sharks and barracuda to crabs, shrimp, urchins and clams.
“A greater variety of life may seem hard to imagine, yet we keep finding more and more,” he says in the film which is now out in cinemas.
One of the fascinating animals he spotlights is a pom pom crab (Lybia tessellata), also called a boxer crab. “These little boxer crabs have been found to wear clumps of venomous anemones as gloves with which to defend themselves.”
Waving their little anemone ‘gloves’ in front of them like pom poms also helps them gather small particles that drift past in the water column so they can enjoy a little snack.
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Scientists are learning more about the ocean all the time. “2,000 marine species are being discovered every year,” Attenborough says.
As well as finding new species, we’re discovering how important every single species is to the health of the ocean and why the individual relationships within marine habitats are all vital.
Even sharks, which often have a bad reputation because of unfair negative stereotypes, play an important part in keeping the ecosystem balanced. “We once believed that if you removed the sharks, there would be more fish,” says Attenborough. “Now we are learning how wrong we were.”
In the film, Attenborough stresses how important the ocean is for all life on Earth and why we must protect each and every species on the reef, saying: “If just one is removed, everything and everyone that relies on this coral community could be in trouble.”
Credit: Ocean with David Attenborough is in cinemas across the UK, Ireland and the globe now. Visit oceanfilm.net to find your local cinema and buy tickets.
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