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Did you know…

Great-Barrier-Reef

At over 2000 kilometers long The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth.

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland.

A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. According to a study published in October 2012 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985.

The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is an important part of local groups’ cultures and spirituality. The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsunday Islands and Cairns regions. Tourism is an important economic activity for the region, generating over $3 billion per year.

In November 2014, Google launched Google Underwater Street View in 3D of the Great Barrier Reef.

Students

Kickboxing Kangaroos Take Over Street in Australia and Interesting Kangaroo Facts

Two large kangaroos were filmed brutally battling it out in the suburbs of New South Wales, in a bouncy brawl lasting more than five minutes.

The incredible clip, filmed on the Central Coast, shows the two animals throwing vicious punches and using their long tails for support as they repeatedly kick each other.

The fight begins in the street, beside a parked car, but winds onto front lawns and into home driveways.

Who won? You be the judge.

Facts About the Kangaroo

  • There are four different kangaroo species: the red kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, western grey kangaroo and antilopine kangaroo.
  • Kangaroos can’t walk backwards.
  • Kangaroos can jump very high, sometimes three times their own height.
  • Kangaroos can hop around quickly on two legs or walk around slowly on all four.
  • A group of kangaroos is called a ‘mob’, ‘troop’ or ‘court’.
  • Male kangaroos are called ‘boomers’, ‘bucks’ or ‘jacks’; females are ‘does’, ‘flyers’, or ‘jills’, and the young ones are ‘joeys’.
  • Kangaroos usually live to around six years old in the wild.
  • Their diet is mainly different grasses and can survive long periods without water.
  • Male kangaroos usually fight over female kangaroos.
  • Kangaroos are intensely territorial. There can be only one alpha male (boss) in a mob, and younger bucks will certainly fight for their chance to rise to the top of the mob. Male kangaroos will also fight newcomers to the mob.
  • They fight by standing on their rear legs and attacking with their front legs. A kangaroo can also balance its body on its powerful tail and strike out with its strong rear legs, the claws of which are deadly sharp.