A coral nursery on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has “given birth” for the first time since corals were planted there four years ago.
The coral spawning event, which sees thousands of tiny pink bundles of eggs and sperm erupt from branching acropora corals, occurred on Saturday night at Fitzroy Island off Cairns.
Coral spawning on the famous reef only happens once a year, and has to coincide with the right water temperatures and a full moon. The phenomenon is the biggest reproduction event on the planet, but always has an air of mystery around it as no scientist can predict exactly when it will occur. The rest of the outer reef is expected to reproduce next month after the full moon.
The corals which spawned over the weekend…
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