Coral Reef 3D: Magic of the Indo Pacific (2013) Movie Script
[epic music playing]
[narrator] Surrounded by some of the most
beautiful islands of the world,
the coral triangle is located
in the Pacific Ocean.
Between the Philippines,
New Guinea, and Indonesia,
a wondrously and fantastic
undersea world does exist.
In the bright water,
the many different colours of the fish
and corals
illuminate with their collective power.
Along the shore and in the flat water,
a huge landscape spreads out,
built up by tiny creatures,
piece by piece, over millions of years.
Awe-inspiring.
These ancient formations extend
to the seabed.
Every cubic metre
of these coral reefs is home
to countless species, animals, and plants.
Here, evolution found a unique place
in which big, small, dangerous,
and bizarre creatures
could exist today.
They are prevalent
not only in the coral triangle
but also in many other parts of the world.
In almost no other part of the world
you can discover what you marvel at here.
All species live in perfect accordance
with the others.
What used to be paltry, sandy ground,
today, is a symbol for variety
and natural plenty.
So come with us
and let's visit the universe
of the corals.
The magic world of the corals
is put together by hundreds
and thousands of creatures.
Such diversified games of nature
are only found in a few parts
of the world.
The Great Barrier Reef
off the Australian coast
is probably the most famous coral reef.
But in the waters between Indonesia,
the Philippines, and New Guinea,
a coral triangle spreads,
which has the biggest marine diversity.
Five point seven million square kilometres
are covered
by this marine dripping point.
This region is the home
of three quarters of all coral species.
In contrast, the Caribbean is the home
of not even 10 percent of all corals.
This nameless variety makes
the coral triangle
a fantastic and amazing landscape
under water.
The waters offshore are not only edged
by the whopping coral formations,
they are also occupied
by thousands of marine creatures.
The warm water bodies of the Indo-Pacific
are the perfect environment
for small, big, predacious,
and peaceful fish.
Even more marine creatures found a home
between the coral canyons
in countless caves
and the cantilevered seaweed meadows.
Although most of those species
are not known by people,
the reefs' variety would be much poorer.
More than 2,000 types
of different coral fish can be found
in the colourful reefs of the triangle.
Hawaii, also known as a natural paradise,
and praised for its variety in species,
does not even have 500 types.
The unique conditions of the Pacific Sea
did not only attract
countless common fish,
they also launched complete new species.
These have a scientific name
of an endemic species
and glamorise the reef
and make it one of a kind.
It was a long and windy road
until the reef turned out to be
what it is today.
The beginnings of this picturesque
undersea world
are hidden deeply
in the history of geology.
The coral triangle borders on the world's
most active volcanic region,
the Pacific Ring of Fire.
This huge chain of volcanoes
with its chimneys and volcano funnels
spreads out from South America to Alaska
and from Alaska to Japan and New Zealand.
But only a few of these volcanoes
are located on terra firma.
Most of them are on the seabed.
It is here where tectonic plates
are pushed one below the other
and finally are fused
at the mantle of the Earth.
The constant eruptions
and ejection of minerals
and other materials over millions of years
led to the thousands of islands
along the Ring of Fire.
Close to the coral triangle,
countless islands were formed
after eruptions
and the following slow stacking
of volcanic rock.
Those islands surrounded by shallow water
made it possible for corals
with their amazing beauty
and variety of fish
to take up residence in that area.
The beauty of the coral triangle
is beyond controversy,
but it is also due
to the perfect conditions of living
for marine animals of all types.
The basis of food
for about 120 million people
who make their living from fishing
and other reef resources
on the bordering islands.
One of the best known residents
of the coral reef is the anemone fish.
The anemone fish are a specious species
but only two of the 29 species
are called clownfish.
In spite of everything,
the exponents of the anemone fish
are known as clownfish
to almost everybody,
not least caused by the adventures
of a small, animated clownfish father
searching for his son.
He spends his life almost solely
in and around an anemone.
The tentacles of the sea anemone provide
this little fellow a welcome protection
from predacious animals and hunters.
As a recompense,
this brave fish banishes other dodges
such as butterfly fish or filefish
who like the taste of the sea anemone.
You might think sea anemones are plants,
but they are animals.
They are even able to change
their place of location.
However, this act
is very stressful for the animal,
which is normally deep-seated
in the ground
to fish food out of the water
with its tentacles.
Most of the time,
the colonies of the anemone fish
are located right in the middle
of the picturesque variety
of the coral reefs.
In terms of strong undersea drifts,
the countless jetties, drains,
and reformations
offer a natural protection
from the forces of nature.
As he is a bad swimmer,
this safeness is highly appreciated
by the anemone fish.
The next resident weaving through
the hillsides and gardens of the corals
is not as peculiar
as the shy anemone fish.
To linger almost his entire life
in an anemone
would never cross the mind of an anthias.
The anthias form some
of the biggest shoals
in the coral reefs worldwide.
Hundreds, up to thousands
of these animals build groups
to hunt oceanic plankton,
which is the nourishment
of most small fish.
These gigantic shoals add immediately
an orange-red colour to the reef
and include lots of smaller unions.
Although the few males lead
the unions of shoals,
the majority are the females.
This is caused by the fact
that all anthias are born female.
There are a lot of differences in size
and marking in between the genders.
Scientists call that a gender dimorphism,
but as our eyes only can see
the orange-red colour
of the young females in such a big shoal,
these dimorphisms
are not really recognised.
The females stay in their harems
until the male dies.
Then, the strongest female turns
into a male within only a few days
and assumes the leadership of the harem.
This sex change is not unusual
for coral regions
and helped a lot of species
to survive years of evolution.
Nearly indefatigable,
the shoals cleave through
the different features of the reef.
The monumental formations
seem to watch over the sea
through the ages.
Like a part of the ocean bed,
the reef appears as a component
of the Earth since its formation.
But as every animal,
the coral started once very small.
The cornerstone of the huge coral reefs
is one single polyp,
a small Cnidaria.
Together, with also small alga,
they form a symbiotic collective.
While the polyps guarantee the alga,
called Symbiodinium, a safe place,
the alga supply the polyps with energy
using the aid of photosynthesis.
When the alga starts the photosynthesis,
a bond of carbon dioxide to sugar
takes place.
The result is usable energy,
which is the basis for the reefs.
But especially at night,
the corals transfer
to other food supplies.
The microscopial plankton is being caught
from the corals' short tentacles
and is also used by the polyps
as an energy provider.
But of course the ability of the corals
to get lime out of the marine water
is much more important for the build-up
of such a gigantic reef
than catching plankton.
This aragonite is dropped out
at the bottom of the corals
and expands the skeleton
of the corals little by little.
[upbeat electronic music]
The stonefish highly appreciates
the now-emerging possibilities to couch.
Stonefish are quite a small subspecies
of the ray-finned fish.
The head is dominated
by a wide and big-planed mouth.
Their skin is irregular
and interspersed by various colours.
At the hillsides of the reef,
those hunters brace themselves
and scan the environment
for potential food.
When it comes to swimming,
they are in an inferior position
to their prey animal,
and so they use their surroundings
and assimilate to their environment.
As you may suggest by their name,
stonefish look a lot like rocks
and boulders,
and they love to masquerade like rocks.
Due to the raw ground-levelled structures
of the reef,
stonefish find
quite a few possibilities to hide.
These fish can become dangerous
for people as well.
Their spines are filled
with a very painful poison.
But as those hunters
are very poor in swimming,
accidents don't happen very often.
[upbeat electronic music continues]
Other than his clumsy relatives,
this firefish is moving gracefully
through the coral world.
His light, fan-shaped pectoral fins
make him look elegant and threatening
at the same time.
The many stripes and rays of the firefish
are not only just for beauty.
They also blur his contours
and give him some kind
of camouflage battle dress.
He is one of the most
dangerous hunters in the reef.
Like the stonefish,
the firefish is known for its poison.
The fins evenly spread all over
the firefish's body,
and they contain the poison.
It is extremely painful
but, at least for people, not deadly.
However, the firefish does not use
his poison for hunting.
He saves his poison just in case
other predators such as the moray
might attack him.
If the firefish has to defend himself,
he points out his poisoned fins
to his enemy.
In most cases,
he is able to drive back his rival.
His delicate fins
are not just nice to look at.
They are essential for his survival.
Not all exponents of the firefish
possess the same fine fins
or the same elegant dorsal fin.
The wide fins of the Pacific lionfish
look like waving flags
while he is moving
through the reefs and landscapes.
He is inactive most of the day
and keeps away from the other inhabitants
of the coral sea.
His body is not designed
to keep the speed high.
He uses the shelter of the darkness
to come closer to his prey animals.
But there are more exotic animals
living in the darkness
and winding chasms of the coral reef.
The frogfish is not really one
of the most elegant or beautiful coevals.
In front of the green, muddy setting,
he seems to disappear
just like an overweight version
of a land-based chameleon.
But there are other creatures
preferring lighter colours.
Frogfish don't visit the reef very often.
Usually they prefer the seabed
in a depth of a few hundred metres.
But if they are in the reef,
they act in a similar fashion
to dragonheads and firefish.
They couch and they camouflage.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Of course,
dark specimens have an advantage
when it comes to a camouflage.
But what is making them feel
more confident
could also be
their highly-effective poison.
If you don't have to fear predators,
you don't need that much protection
while hunting.
And now,
what is this whizzing onto the screen?
A mantis shrimp.
For all intents and purposes,
the mantis shrimp is one of the most
amazing creatures of the sea.
Being not even half a metre long,
their capabilities make some
of the biggest bandits go green with envy.
Their constantly moving big telescope eyes
might be the most eye-catching feature
of the mantis shrimp.
Their almost complete panoramic view
is enhanced
by one of the biggest colour perceptions
in the animal world.
Unlike people, who can only distinguish
three primary colours
and their minds then make up the colours
from those three,
the mantis shrimp is able to see
16 primary colours.
Hunting is his daily work.
And with his colour sensitivity,
the shrimp has an extra advantage.
In hunting down his prey,
he is one of the most creative exponents
of the predators.
His pincers make killing weapons.
Once his prey has been spotted,
he strains his pincers to the back
and lets them clap against each other
within a split second.
The result is a blast wave
that shocks every prey
and makes them unconscious immediately.
But the real danger
hits the victim afterwards.
The concentrated energy of the pincers
forms little cavities
in the surrounding water
which implode shortly
and put the prey over the edge.
The mantis shrimp is a good example
of an animal
that looks quite harmless at first sight
but is actually one of the most
deadly creatures of the sea depths.
Facing those hunters,
it is good advice for sweepers to hide
in this old wreck.
There are a lot of ships and aircraft here
from years of war in the coral sea.
Just a few metres away,
things are more brighter.
Fish and corals with flamboyant colours
silhouette against the remaining blue
of the wide ocean.
Like a bunch of flowers,
these corals stick out of their fundament.
But those reefs don't just look amazing,
they are the base of off-shore life.
Built over centuries,
those iron structures are the guarantee
for the reef residents' survival.
By countless corals,
chasms, alcoves, and walls,
the biotope is protected
from storms, tides, and other elements.
At some spots,
the reef looks like a big underwater city.
Different fish, bigger and smaller ones,
are busy with their activities.
It's as if they have
their own road system.
The different kinds and species swim
in their own lanes.
Some seek a place to rest in the caves,
others speed straight through
the landscape while searching for food.
Smaller fish try to find some food
in the protection of the chasms,
bigger fellows prefer
the outer reef cliffs
for their search for food.
Looking at this stony coral,
it is no wonder at all
that most of the time
corals are considered as stone or plants
rather than as animals.
Indeed it's difficult to appreciate
that the coral is alive.
Only when you look at hundreds of polyps
open and close themselves rhythmically
the real character
of these flower animals is revealed.
For a long time, this pulsation
of the polyps mystified scientists.
Today, we know it supports
the reallocation of the water
and the photosynthesis.
For sea stars,
the reef is a perfect spot to settle down.
Unlike other residents of the reef,
the sea stars don't have to hunt that much
as the food of many sea stars
is the reef itself.
And over the last few years,
that becomes more and more fatal
for the coral reefs.
The eating activities of the sea stars
threaten many regions in the coral sea.
Within a short term,
millions of them attack a reef
and demolish huge areas
of those sea gardens.
Short, fast, and striped,
that is the eel-tailed catfish.
He is one of the few catfish
living in the open sea.
In shoals of a few hundred fish,
the puppies can band together.
They are easily recognised
by the big contrast
of their light and dark stripes.
As all catfish,
they have eight baleen at their mouth
looking quite similar to insect feelers.
For the eel catfish, they are very useful
as organs of smell and touch.
As their preferred prey,
animals like to hide in the sand
especially the sense of smell
leads the shoal on the right track.
Looking for food,
the shoal literally overruns the seabed.
The animals at the bottom scour the sand
for small crustaceans or fish.
Their groping baleen help them
to discover their prey.
Simultaneously, their conspecific
overtake them at the top.
Like an inextricable roll,
the shoal blazes its trail
through the hunting grounds of the reef.
Being part of a shoal
does help the eel catfish
aside their daily rambles for food.
The massive animals,
the flowing movements,
and the contrast of the stripes
fool potential predators.
They think the shoal
is one single huge fish.
Besides this delusion,
catfish rely only on poison on their back.
The poison is located in sharp quills
and causes strong pain,
even for people.
But, at the time
when the catfish uses his poison,
it's already way too late for him.
This is the reason why the protection
of the shoal is so important for him.
It makes a lot of sense to coordinate
to form a shoal.
The mirror neurons are the key.
The flashy colours of the feather star
are very impressive.
But there are also less flamboyant species
such as the soldier and squirrelfish,
not really known for their beauty,
but they have a share
in the uniqueness of this place.
Right in the middle
of a kind of living art
is the home of the soldier
and squirrelfish.
No matter which coral, form,
or colour was here first,
today, a nearly overwhelming variety
with most different colours
grows over the seabed.
Organic and round
or with geometric precision,
the mass of the corals spread
a carpet of beauty over the reef.
Just like flowers in a new-made bed,
countless young corals tiller
out of the stones at the side of the reef
to catch enough sunlight for their growth.
Especially the sprouts at the bottom
will turn upside in the near future.
However, it is really hard
to protect coral reefs.
The hazards have never been
as big as today,
although a lot of organisations fight
for the reefs.
In the future,
the biggest danger for the reefs
will be the global warming of the sea.
No other factor contributes
to the demolition of the corals
as much as global warming.
If temperatures exceed
30 degrees Celsius constantly,
the coral polyps don't follow
their Symbiodinium anymore,
then the photosynthesis stops,
and with it, the reef building.
This dreaded process,
known as "coral bleaching,"
does appear more and more
in areas of the coral sea.
It is believed that almost half
of the Great Barrier Reef died
because of storms,
creatures eating corals,
and the higher temperatures
within the last 30 years.
When it comes to climate change,
a rethinking will not be easy,
and it has to begin
especially in the minds of local people.
Otherwise, a healthy coral base
will be a rare sight in the future.
[calm music playing]
It appears that this snake making
an excursion on the beach got lost.
That's what it seems to be
at first sight.
In fact, also,
reptiles like this sea snake,
loop through the reefs.
As her ancestors were living on land,
a lot of their characteristics
can be found by sea snakes.
For example, they still have lungs
and must therefore come to the upper water
frequently to breathe.
Similarly to snakes on land,
the sea snakes have a dangerous poison.
Sea snake poison is one of the most
effective snake poisons ever.
As usual, for those kinds of poisons,
it paralyses the arms and legs,
and finally, the lungs.
The bite of a sea snake
does hurt comparatively less,
and as they have very small teeth,
it is often not even felt,
but they are really malicious.
But don't panic,
there are almost no critical injuries
as the snake uses her poison
only in emergencies.
Most of the time, sea snakes hunt
more smaller sea animals,
and therefore, the dose of their poison
is quite low
and does not cause the same effects
on people as on her typical prey animal.
Divers don't have to be afraid of them
as the reptiles tend to escape
before it comes to a confrontation.
The snappers are a specious species
in the corals' cosmos.
More than 100 species cavort
in the Earth's reefs.
And of course, all kinds of colours
and shapes are found in this family.
In the Indo-Pacific,
the strong yellow prevails
and enriches the environment's
world of colours.
Usually, the snappers swim close
to the water's surface
and resort to the deeper areas
very rarely.
To defy other fish, they affiliate
to little shoals during the day.
Only at the end of the day, they disband
their formations to hunch themselves.
What is not seen at first sight
are the big fangs and many smaller teeth
inside the sharp mouth
of these coloured sea animals.
The grunts use the yellow section
of the chart of colour as well,
but not as much as the snappers.
Typical for all grunts are the many spots
covering the whole body
except the underside.
In some way,
he looks like the maritime leopard,
but, of course, he is more peaceful.
Small invertebrates are the only animals
you have to beware
from the presence of grunts.
Apart from that, he acts like snappers
and forms groups swimming
through the reefs.
The most dignified creature of the sea
is floating above this coral base.
Their aplomb and calmness is fascinating,
but ocean turtles are still determined.
Today, these saurians
are one of the oldest reptiles on Earth.
Over a hundred million years ago,
they split from their relatives on land.
And ever since then,
they have been living in the world's seas.
Over this immense period of time,
they saw the rise and fall
of the dinosaurs,
witnessed the continents moving
to their positions today,
and survived some of the biggest
catastrophes hitting the planet.
Animals and plants on land and in the sea
changed over these years,
but the turtles' DNA
was hardly transformed or defined.
Every year, ocean turtles move thousands
of kilometres through the oceans.
For years, they swim the seas,
they visit countless islands, reefs,
and sand banks,
and yet, still return to their place
of birth for their egg deposition.
Until today, science does not know
why the ocean saurians
are so attracted by their place of birth.
However, there are guesses
that the turtles
use the salt content of the water
and the magnetic fields
to orient themselves on their long journey
back to their homeland.
Once there,
they swim through a well-known scenery
and prepare themselves to give birth
to a new generation of gentle giants.
But at the happy event
of the time of birth,
that involves the highest risk
for the turtles to leave Earth
before their time has come.
Once the little and weak turtle babies
are hatched on the beaches,
they have to reach the water
by their own power.
Usually, they find their way
by orientating the moon and the sun.
But streets and settlements close
to the breeding beaches
lead them off into the wrong direction,
and so they die on the beaches.
But even when they survive
the first metres and the first years,
these maritime saurians
are surrounded by other dangers
day by day.
Pollution destroys their nesting sites,
and fishermen capture turtles
for their leather, tortoise shell,
or they are caught by accident.
Until today, the ocean turtles
are extremely decimated
and have become a threatened species.
Protective actions for turtles
have to increase,
and if they don't,
turtles face a difficult future.
But let's turn to some more
enjoyable sea stories.
There are lots of inhabitants in the reef
who turn their home
into an extraordinary place
using nature's gifts.
For example, the bannerfish here
battening on the corals.
He was named
after his high fin at the back.
It's absolutely impossible to miss
the oceanic bird of paradise.
The bannerfish does need his wide banner
mostly during the pairing season.
He hardens the long antenna to be able
to have a hard fight with his rivals.
After a fight, the winner stands tall
and will try to win the female's favour.
Once two bannerfish found each other,
they stick together faithfully
and give the world, year after year,
new blood.
For the graceful fish,
the reef is paradise on Earth.
The copious fissures and cracks
in between the corals
are a perfect place to hide
for the bannerfish.
But they are not the only ones
to use these hideouts.
There are many world and agile fish
appreciating those hideouts
like the bannerfish in the reef.
For example, these two
blue-cheeked butterflyfish
looking for food
at the tongue of the reef.
The colourful fellows are doing this
in a quite unhurried fashion.
There is no wonder for this
as there are no predators around.
If there was, they would not choose
these tiny fish for lunch anyway
since the reef offers
more than enough possibilities.
The blue-cheeked butterflyfish
even despised the stony corals today.
Especially the young polyps of the stony
and soft corals,
is very delicate food
for the colourful fish.
Apart from that,
they subsist alga, plankton, and krill.
The bannerfish
and the blue-cheeked butterflyfish
have one rare thing in common:
they are faithful their entire life.
That's why we see these gorgeous fish
almost every time as a couple.
A little bit further underneath
this whispering-sweet-nothing,
blue-cheeked butterflyfish couple,
two bannerfish linger
through the coral scenery.
As bannerfish
have quite small, vertical fins,
they are not really able
to move any faster.
But in case of danger, they can be
in full cry and shake off the opponents.
[calm music playing]
A few metres away, a giant clam roosts
between a few corals.
Wrongly, they are quite often called
"killer clams."
This misbelief is caused in the idea
that the clams grab a diver's hands
and keep them underwater until they die.
In fact, those shutting movements of clams
are simply there to surprise any diver.
Unless he is looking
for the clams' treasure, of course.
In this case, one or the other pearl diver
might have not mentioned
the clam shutting its mouth.
Indeed,
the blowfish does look a bit funny.
As he doesn't look like the images
from movies or pictures remotely,
he is not recognised
for what he actually is.
This is because the typical expanding
is quite rare.
He sucks a lot of water into his stomach
and therefore can reach
a multiple of his size.
However, the blowfishes'
day-to-day routine
is controlled by other things.
For example, this blackspotted puffer
is being cleaned duly
from a cleanerfish who came around.
Especially the cleaning of the gills
and the vertical fins is vital
as at these parts, infections
and illnesses can have the most impact.
Compared to others,
blowfish have only small fins.
The fins at the back do only provide
a stabilisation of the swimming lane
and not an extra push.
This is why blowfish
are slower reef inhabitants in general.
But on the other hand,
they are one of the most agile.
They can move in the narrow reef's
tract of veins without hindrance,
and other than most of the fish,
are able to swim backward.
While on foraging,
their beaked mouth is a big help.
Instead of single teeth,
there are whole plates of teeth,
which are perfect to take parts of corals
or smaller animals of prey
apart to pieces.
In fact, the jaw and plates
of bigger species
can become strong enough
to break even human bones.
Besides, the blowfish does not have
to fear to scuff his teeth.
They grow again continuously.
But better known and more dangerous
is the blowfishes' poison.
It is one of the most toxic substances
a fish can own.
The poison does not directly
kill the victim
but paralyses it completely.
The triggerfish does in fact
not really look more gracious
but at least more colourful
than his poisonous relative.
Opposite to the blowfish,
he is much easier to hunt for his enemies.
To escape the mauls
of the hungry predators,
he uses his dorsal fins to stick
into the tightest corners of the reef.
Also, while searching for food,
the triggerfish can compensate
the lack of poison.
He uses his strong mouth
to turn around stones
and salvages the delicate food underneath.
Of course, he does not succeed every time.
But once finding dedicated food
does remunerate his efforts.
In the complex tract of veins,
the most different
and diverse terms of life collide,
and people can only wonder
at the unhidden acts and creatures
within the reef.
What kind of new wonders are still hiding
behind the grand gate of the coral sea
when it's still in the dark?
It looks like the next resident
of the coral reef
fell into a giant paint pot
a long time ago.
But although looking happy and harmless,
he is a feared coeval.
The grouper. It may not look obvious,
but he is one of the most successful
predators in the coral reef.
Some species can even become
more than two metres long,
their danger is the element of surprise,
in particular, the mouth of groupers,
which is much bigger
than the mouth of other fish,
and that's very important.
Like the stonefish, which we met earlier,
they rip their mouth very fast
and suck in their prey within seconds.
As the coral reef is a nursery ground
for name of species,
there are always possibilities
for the grouper to appease his hunger.
Groupers rely a lot
on their hunting grounds.
As time goes on,
the males dominate more and more
and make their demands on larger areas.
The groupers consist
of many different species.
They may look very different,
but all species use their territories
to maintain real harems of females.
The offspring of groupers is always female
and just like anthias,
who also have female young blood,
the females do not remain subordinates
of one single male.
In opposite to these schooling fish,
the male does not have to die
to provoke the sex change.
Instead of that,
the females turn into males,
seven to ten years
after their first egg deposition
and after they have found
their own territory.
This guarantees the preservation
of the species.
[epic music playing]
What seems to be a sea snake
at first sight is, in truth, a moray.
The ribbon moray eel, as we see it now,
is the most eye-catching species
of morays.
During their lifetime, they abandon
the black and white colouring
and change finally to females.
Morays start their extensive foraging
out of caves
where they spend most of the day.
On one side, the chasms
are great spots for an ambush,
and on the other one,
they are places to adjourn.
Some species even spend their entire life
in the countless caves of the coral reef
and never reach the open water bodies.
That is why they are dark horses
for scientists.
Characteristic for all subspecies
is the pulsating opening
and closing of the mouth.
But that is not a threat.
It is just their way to breathe,
in opposite to that most refreshing breath
as they let water flow
through their gills.
But therefore, their mouth
must be opened all the time.
It is these contrasts
that make a beautiful part of Earth
to a centre of biological variety.
In the evening, most species go
for long forays through the reef
on their search of food.
As their sense of seeing is quite poor,
morays cannot rely on their eyes.
Instead, they have
an extraordinary sense of smell
and are able to smell
that potential prey from a distance.
But this is not the only present
Mother Nature gave the morays.
In addition to their normal set of teeth,
they own a second jaw behind the teeth
to make it possible for them
to swallow up the prey even faster.
Rightly, those predators are feared
by other fish in their hunting grounds.
Have you heard of the expression,
"as flat as a pancake"?
Well, that is a very good description
for our next guest.
A blue spotted ribbontail
ray does strove the underground
at the sandy foot
of the coral reef for food.
This is how the ray spends
most of the day on the seabed.
Although eating smaller animals
most of the time,
he waylays a bigger morsel of food
from time to time.
Once leaving his spot of lookout,
he floats with elegant pounding
of the waves
through the magical underwater scenery.
It looks like a family reunion is looming.
A giant shoal of mackerel
is visiting the reef.
Usually, they live in the open sea,
but they keep the coral reef,
with its countless possibilities
to overindulge,
always in mind.
The mackerel also use the mirror neurons
to coordinate those impressive shoals.
Some species do not have an air bladder
and are constantly on the verge
to sink down.
The resultant constant swimming
is relieved by the shadows
of the drift they give each other.
Another advantage of a shoal
is that it makes it harder for predators
to concentrate on single fish.
In fact, it can happen
that shoals attack the hunters.
If a mackerel shoal is impressive,
wait till you see a shoal of barracudas.
Barracudas are the silver arrows
of the sea.
Their natural form,
muscular and streamlined bodies,
seem to be made just for powerful sprints.
Once spotted their prey,
they can reach speeds
up to 50 kilometres per hour.
But their most dangerous weapon
is hidden in their long mouth.
Inside, there are sharp teeth
just waiting for potential prey.
Especially in a big shoal like this one,
barracudas are one of the most
threatening predators of the sea.
However, barracudas only stay in such
big groups in their adolescent phase.
Once grown up,
they separate and hunt on their own.
You simply have to admire
that silver reflecting mass of fish
in perfect coordination,
although they are basically nothing else
than an allegory for a merciless hunter.
Just like the barracudas,
there are two sides of every story.
Day by day, hunters and hunted
are living only a few metres apart
in the reef.
Surrounded by nothing
but the endless blue of the sea,
current regeneration is the centre point
of this colourful world.
But what is hidden behind the first sight
is more than the regeneration of the reef.
It is the constant creation of new animals
fascinating the Earth with their beauty,
dangerousness, and uniqueness.
[closing music playing]
[narrator] Surrounded by some of the most
beautiful islands of the world,
the coral triangle is located
in the Pacific Ocean.
Between the Philippines,
New Guinea, and Indonesia,
a wondrously and fantastic
undersea world does exist.
In the bright water,
the many different colours of the fish
and corals
illuminate with their collective power.
Along the shore and in the flat water,
a huge landscape spreads out,
built up by tiny creatures,
piece by piece, over millions of years.
Awe-inspiring.
These ancient formations extend
to the seabed.
Every cubic metre
of these coral reefs is home
to countless species, animals, and plants.
Here, evolution found a unique place
in which big, small, dangerous,
and bizarre creatures
could exist today.
They are prevalent
not only in the coral triangle
but also in many other parts of the world.
In almost no other part of the world
you can discover what you marvel at here.
All species live in perfect accordance
with the others.
What used to be paltry, sandy ground,
today, is a symbol for variety
and natural plenty.
So come with us
and let's visit the universe
of the corals.
The magic world of the corals
is put together by hundreds
and thousands of creatures.
Such diversified games of nature
are only found in a few parts
of the world.
The Great Barrier Reef
off the Australian coast
is probably the most famous coral reef.
But in the waters between Indonesia,
the Philippines, and New Guinea,
a coral triangle spreads,
which has the biggest marine diversity.
Five point seven million square kilometres
are covered
by this marine dripping point.
This region is the home
of three quarters of all coral species.
In contrast, the Caribbean is the home
of not even 10 percent of all corals.
This nameless variety makes
the coral triangle
a fantastic and amazing landscape
under water.
The waters offshore are not only edged
by the whopping coral formations,
they are also occupied
by thousands of marine creatures.
The warm water bodies of the Indo-Pacific
are the perfect environment
for small, big, predacious,
and peaceful fish.
Even more marine creatures found a home
between the coral canyons
in countless caves
and the cantilevered seaweed meadows.
Although most of those species
are not known by people,
the reefs' variety would be much poorer.
More than 2,000 types
of different coral fish can be found
in the colourful reefs of the triangle.
Hawaii, also known as a natural paradise,
and praised for its variety in species,
does not even have 500 types.
The unique conditions of the Pacific Sea
did not only attract
countless common fish,
they also launched complete new species.
These have a scientific name
of an endemic species
and glamorise the reef
and make it one of a kind.
It was a long and windy road
until the reef turned out to be
what it is today.
The beginnings of this picturesque
undersea world
are hidden deeply
in the history of geology.
The coral triangle borders on the world's
most active volcanic region,
the Pacific Ring of Fire.
This huge chain of volcanoes
with its chimneys and volcano funnels
spreads out from South America to Alaska
and from Alaska to Japan and New Zealand.
But only a few of these volcanoes
are located on terra firma.
Most of them are on the seabed.
It is here where tectonic plates
are pushed one below the other
and finally are fused
at the mantle of the Earth.
The constant eruptions
and ejection of minerals
and other materials over millions of years
led to the thousands of islands
along the Ring of Fire.
Close to the coral triangle,
countless islands were formed
after eruptions
and the following slow stacking
of volcanic rock.
Those islands surrounded by shallow water
made it possible for corals
with their amazing beauty
and variety of fish
to take up residence in that area.
The beauty of the coral triangle
is beyond controversy,
but it is also due
to the perfect conditions of living
for marine animals of all types.
The basis of food
for about 120 million people
who make their living from fishing
and other reef resources
on the bordering islands.
One of the best known residents
of the coral reef is the anemone fish.
The anemone fish are a specious species
but only two of the 29 species
are called clownfish.
In spite of everything,
the exponents of the anemone fish
are known as clownfish
to almost everybody,
not least caused by the adventures
of a small, animated clownfish father
searching for his son.
He spends his life almost solely
in and around an anemone.
The tentacles of the sea anemone provide
this little fellow a welcome protection
from predacious animals and hunters.
As a recompense,
this brave fish banishes other dodges
such as butterfly fish or filefish
who like the taste of the sea anemone.
You might think sea anemones are plants,
but they are animals.
They are even able to change
their place of location.
However, this act
is very stressful for the animal,
which is normally deep-seated
in the ground
to fish food out of the water
with its tentacles.
Most of the time,
the colonies of the anemone fish
are located right in the middle
of the picturesque variety
of the coral reefs.
In terms of strong undersea drifts,
the countless jetties, drains,
and reformations
offer a natural protection
from the forces of nature.
As he is a bad swimmer,
this safeness is highly appreciated
by the anemone fish.
The next resident weaving through
the hillsides and gardens of the corals
is not as peculiar
as the shy anemone fish.
To linger almost his entire life
in an anemone
would never cross the mind of an anthias.
The anthias form some
of the biggest shoals
in the coral reefs worldwide.
Hundreds, up to thousands
of these animals build groups
to hunt oceanic plankton,
which is the nourishment
of most small fish.
These gigantic shoals add immediately
an orange-red colour to the reef
and include lots of smaller unions.
Although the few males lead
the unions of shoals,
the majority are the females.
This is caused by the fact
that all anthias are born female.
There are a lot of differences in size
and marking in between the genders.
Scientists call that a gender dimorphism,
but as our eyes only can see
the orange-red colour
of the young females in such a big shoal,
these dimorphisms
are not really recognised.
The females stay in their harems
until the male dies.
Then, the strongest female turns
into a male within only a few days
and assumes the leadership of the harem.
This sex change is not unusual
for coral regions
and helped a lot of species
to survive years of evolution.
Nearly indefatigable,
the shoals cleave through
the different features of the reef.
The monumental formations
seem to watch over the sea
through the ages.
Like a part of the ocean bed,
the reef appears as a component
of the Earth since its formation.
But as every animal,
the coral started once very small.
The cornerstone of the huge coral reefs
is one single polyp,
a small Cnidaria.
Together, with also small alga,
they form a symbiotic collective.
While the polyps guarantee the alga,
called Symbiodinium, a safe place,
the alga supply the polyps with energy
using the aid of photosynthesis.
When the alga starts the photosynthesis,
a bond of carbon dioxide to sugar
takes place.
The result is usable energy,
which is the basis for the reefs.
But especially at night,
the corals transfer
to other food supplies.
The microscopial plankton is being caught
from the corals' short tentacles
and is also used by the polyps
as an energy provider.
But of course the ability of the corals
to get lime out of the marine water
is much more important for the build-up
of such a gigantic reef
than catching plankton.
This aragonite is dropped out
at the bottom of the corals
and expands the skeleton
of the corals little by little.
[upbeat electronic music]
The stonefish highly appreciates
the now-emerging possibilities to couch.
Stonefish are quite a small subspecies
of the ray-finned fish.
The head is dominated
by a wide and big-planed mouth.
Their skin is irregular
and interspersed by various colours.
At the hillsides of the reef,
those hunters brace themselves
and scan the environment
for potential food.
When it comes to swimming,
they are in an inferior position
to their prey animal,
and so they use their surroundings
and assimilate to their environment.
As you may suggest by their name,
stonefish look a lot like rocks
and boulders,
and they love to masquerade like rocks.
Due to the raw ground-levelled structures
of the reef,
stonefish find
quite a few possibilities to hide.
These fish can become dangerous
for people as well.
Their spines are filled
with a very painful poison.
But as those hunters
are very poor in swimming,
accidents don't happen very often.
[upbeat electronic music continues]
Other than his clumsy relatives,
this firefish is moving gracefully
through the coral world.
His light, fan-shaped pectoral fins
make him look elegant and threatening
at the same time.
The many stripes and rays of the firefish
are not only just for beauty.
They also blur his contours
and give him some kind
of camouflage battle dress.
He is one of the most
dangerous hunters in the reef.
Like the stonefish,
the firefish is known for its poison.
The fins evenly spread all over
the firefish's body,
and they contain the poison.
It is extremely painful
but, at least for people, not deadly.
However, the firefish does not use
his poison for hunting.
He saves his poison just in case
other predators such as the moray
might attack him.
If the firefish has to defend himself,
he points out his poisoned fins
to his enemy.
In most cases,
he is able to drive back his rival.
His delicate fins
are not just nice to look at.
They are essential for his survival.
Not all exponents of the firefish
possess the same fine fins
or the same elegant dorsal fin.
The wide fins of the Pacific lionfish
look like waving flags
while he is moving
through the reefs and landscapes.
He is inactive most of the day
and keeps away from the other inhabitants
of the coral sea.
His body is not designed
to keep the speed high.
He uses the shelter of the darkness
to come closer to his prey animals.
But there are more exotic animals
living in the darkness
and winding chasms of the coral reef.
The frogfish is not really one
of the most elegant or beautiful coevals.
In front of the green, muddy setting,
he seems to disappear
just like an overweight version
of a land-based chameleon.
But there are other creatures
preferring lighter colours.
Frogfish don't visit the reef very often.
Usually they prefer the seabed
in a depth of a few hundred metres.
But if they are in the reef,
they act in a similar fashion
to dragonheads and firefish.
They couch and they camouflage.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Of course,
dark specimens have an advantage
when it comes to a camouflage.
But what is making them feel
more confident
could also be
their highly-effective poison.
If you don't have to fear predators,
you don't need that much protection
while hunting.
And now,
what is this whizzing onto the screen?
A mantis shrimp.
For all intents and purposes,
the mantis shrimp is one of the most
amazing creatures of the sea.
Being not even half a metre long,
their capabilities make some
of the biggest bandits go green with envy.
Their constantly moving big telescope eyes
might be the most eye-catching feature
of the mantis shrimp.
Their almost complete panoramic view
is enhanced
by one of the biggest colour perceptions
in the animal world.
Unlike people, who can only distinguish
three primary colours
and their minds then make up the colours
from those three,
the mantis shrimp is able to see
16 primary colours.
Hunting is his daily work.
And with his colour sensitivity,
the shrimp has an extra advantage.
In hunting down his prey,
he is one of the most creative exponents
of the predators.
His pincers make killing weapons.
Once his prey has been spotted,
he strains his pincers to the back
and lets them clap against each other
within a split second.
The result is a blast wave
that shocks every prey
and makes them unconscious immediately.
But the real danger
hits the victim afterwards.
The concentrated energy of the pincers
forms little cavities
in the surrounding water
which implode shortly
and put the prey over the edge.
The mantis shrimp is a good example
of an animal
that looks quite harmless at first sight
but is actually one of the most
deadly creatures of the sea depths.
Facing those hunters,
it is good advice for sweepers to hide
in this old wreck.
There are a lot of ships and aircraft here
from years of war in the coral sea.
Just a few metres away,
things are more brighter.
Fish and corals with flamboyant colours
silhouette against the remaining blue
of the wide ocean.
Like a bunch of flowers,
these corals stick out of their fundament.
But those reefs don't just look amazing,
they are the base of off-shore life.
Built over centuries,
those iron structures are the guarantee
for the reef residents' survival.
By countless corals,
chasms, alcoves, and walls,
the biotope is protected
from storms, tides, and other elements.
At some spots,
the reef looks like a big underwater city.
Different fish, bigger and smaller ones,
are busy with their activities.
It's as if they have
their own road system.
The different kinds and species swim
in their own lanes.
Some seek a place to rest in the caves,
others speed straight through
the landscape while searching for food.
Smaller fish try to find some food
in the protection of the chasms,
bigger fellows prefer
the outer reef cliffs
for their search for food.
Looking at this stony coral,
it is no wonder at all
that most of the time
corals are considered as stone or plants
rather than as animals.
Indeed it's difficult to appreciate
that the coral is alive.
Only when you look at hundreds of polyps
open and close themselves rhythmically
the real character
of these flower animals is revealed.
For a long time, this pulsation
of the polyps mystified scientists.
Today, we know it supports
the reallocation of the water
and the photosynthesis.
For sea stars,
the reef is a perfect spot to settle down.
Unlike other residents of the reef,
the sea stars don't have to hunt that much
as the food of many sea stars
is the reef itself.
And over the last few years,
that becomes more and more fatal
for the coral reefs.
The eating activities of the sea stars
threaten many regions in the coral sea.
Within a short term,
millions of them attack a reef
and demolish huge areas
of those sea gardens.
Short, fast, and striped,
that is the eel-tailed catfish.
He is one of the few catfish
living in the open sea.
In shoals of a few hundred fish,
the puppies can band together.
They are easily recognised
by the big contrast
of their light and dark stripes.
As all catfish,
they have eight baleen at their mouth
looking quite similar to insect feelers.
For the eel catfish, they are very useful
as organs of smell and touch.
As their preferred prey,
animals like to hide in the sand
especially the sense of smell
leads the shoal on the right track.
Looking for food,
the shoal literally overruns the seabed.
The animals at the bottom scour the sand
for small crustaceans or fish.
Their groping baleen help them
to discover their prey.
Simultaneously, their conspecific
overtake them at the top.
Like an inextricable roll,
the shoal blazes its trail
through the hunting grounds of the reef.
Being part of a shoal
does help the eel catfish
aside their daily rambles for food.
The massive animals,
the flowing movements,
and the contrast of the stripes
fool potential predators.
They think the shoal
is one single huge fish.
Besides this delusion,
catfish rely only on poison on their back.
The poison is located in sharp quills
and causes strong pain,
even for people.
But, at the time
when the catfish uses his poison,
it's already way too late for him.
This is the reason why the protection
of the shoal is so important for him.
It makes a lot of sense to coordinate
to form a shoal.
The mirror neurons are the key.
The flashy colours of the feather star
are very impressive.
But there are also less flamboyant species
such as the soldier and squirrelfish,
not really known for their beauty,
but they have a share
in the uniqueness of this place.
Right in the middle
of a kind of living art
is the home of the soldier
and squirrelfish.
No matter which coral, form,
or colour was here first,
today, a nearly overwhelming variety
with most different colours
grows over the seabed.
Organic and round
or with geometric precision,
the mass of the corals spread
a carpet of beauty over the reef.
Just like flowers in a new-made bed,
countless young corals tiller
out of the stones at the side of the reef
to catch enough sunlight for their growth.
Especially the sprouts at the bottom
will turn upside in the near future.
However, it is really hard
to protect coral reefs.
The hazards have never been
as big as today,
although a lot of organisations fight
for the reefs.
In the future,
the biggest danger for the reefs
will be the global warming of the sea.
No other factor contributes
to the demolition of the corals
as much as global warming.
If temperatures exceed
30 degrees Celsius constantly,
the coral polyps don't follow
their Symbiodinium anymore,
then the photosynthesis stops,
and with it, the reef building.
This dreaded process,
known as "coral bleaching,"
does appear more and more
in areas of the coral sea.
It is believed that almost half
of the Great Barrier Reef died
because of storms,
creatures eating corals,
and the higher temperatures
within the last 30 years.
When it comes to climate change,
a rethinking will not be easy,
and it has to begin
especially in the minds of local people.
Otherwise, a healthy coral base
will be a rare sight in the future.
[calm music playing]
It appears that this snake making
an excursion on the beach got lost.
That's what it seems to be
at first sight.
In fact, also,
reptiles like this sea snake,
loop through the reefs.
As her ancestors were living on land,
a lot of their characteristics
can be found by sea snakes.
For example, they still have lungs
and must therefore come to the upper water
frequently to breathe.
Similarly to snakes on land,
the sea snakes have a dangerous poison.
Sea snake poison is one of the most
effective snake poisons ever.
As usual, for those kinds of poisons,
it paralyses the arms and legs,
and finally, the lungs.
The bite of a sea snake
does hurt comparatively less,
and as they have very small teeth,
it is often not even felt,
but they are really malicious.
But don't panic,
there are almost no critical injuries
as the snake uses her poison
only in emergencies.
Most of the time, sea snakes hunt
more smaller sea animals,
and therefore, the dose of their poison
is quite low
and does not cause the same effects
on people as on her typical prey animal.
Divers don't have to be afraid of them
as the reptiles tend to escape
before it comes to a confrontation.
The snappers are a specious species
in the corals' cosmos.
More than 100 species cavort
in the Earth's reefs.
And of course, all kinds of colours
and shapes are found in this family.
In the Indo-Pacific,
the strong yellow prevails
and enriches the environment's
world of colours.
Usually, the snappers swim close
to the water's surface
and resort to the deeper areas
very rarely.
To defy other fish, they affiliate
to little shoals during the day.
Only at the end of the day, they disband
their formations to hunch themselves.
What is not seen at first sight
are the big fangs and many smaller teeth
inside the sharp mouth
of these coloured sea animals.
The grunts use the yellow section
of the chart of colour as well,
but not as much as the snappers.
Typical for all grunts are the many spots
covering the whole body
except the underside.
In some way,
he looks like the maritime leopard,
but, of course, he is more peaceful.
Small invertebrates are the only animals
you have to beware
from the presence of grunts.
Apart from that, he acts like snappers
and forms groups swimming
through the reefs.
The most dignified creature of the sea
is floating above this coral base.
Their aplomb and calmness is fascinating,
but ocean turtles are still determined.
Today, these saurians
are one of the oldest reptiles on Earth.
Over a hundred million years ago,
they split from their relatives on land.
And ever since then,
they have been living in the world's seas.
Over this immense period of time,
they saw the rise and fall
of the dinosaurs,
witnessed the continents moving
to their positions today,
and survived some of the biggest
catastrophes hitting the planet.
Animals and plants on land and in the sea
changed over these years,
but the turtles' DNA
was hardly transformed or defined.
Every year, ocean turtles move thousands
of kilometres through the oceans.
For years, they swim the seas,
they visit countless islands, reefs,
and sand banks,
and yet, still return to their place
of birth for their egg deposition.
Until today, science does not know
why the ocean saurians
are so attracted by their place of birth.
However, there are guesses
that the turtles
use the salt content of the water
and the magnetic fields
to orient themselves on their long journey
back to their homeland.
Once there,
they swim through a well-known scenery
and prepare themselves to give birth
to a new generation of gentle giants.
But at the happy event
of the time of birth,
that involves the highest risk
for the turtles to leave Earth
before their time has come.
Once the little and weak turtle babies
are hatched on the beaches,
they have to reach the water
by their own power.
Usually, they find their way
by orientating the moon and the sun.
But streets and settlements close
to the breeding beaches
lead them off into the wrong direction,
and so they die on the beaches.
But even when they survive
the first metres and the first years,
these maritime saurians
are surrounded by other dangers
day by day.
Pollution destroys their nesting sites,
and fishermen capture turtles
for their leather, tortoise shell,
or they are caught by accident.
Until today, the ocean turtles
are extremely decimated
and have become a threatened species.
Protective actions for turtles
have to increase,
and if they don't,
turtles face a difficult future.
But let's turn to some more
enjoyable sea stories.
There are lots of inhabitants in the reef
who turn their home
into an extraordinary place
using nature's gifts.
For example, the bannerfish here
battening on the corals.
He was named
after his high fin at the back.
It's absolutely impossible to miss
the oceanic bird of paradise.
The bannerfish does need his wide banner
mostly during the pairing season.
He hardens the long antenna to be able
to have a hard fight with his rivals.
After a fight, the winner stands tall
and will try to win the female's favour.
Once two bannerfish found each other,
they stick together faithfully
and give the world, year after year,
new blood.
For the graceful fish,
the reef is paradise on Earth.
The copious fissures and cracks
in between the corals
are a perfect place to hide
for the bannerfish.
But they are not the only ones
to use these hideouts.
There are many world and agile fish
appreciating those hideouts
like the bannerfish in the reef.
For example, these two
blue-cheeked butterflyfish
looking for food
at the tongue of the reef.
The colourful fellows are doing this
in a quite unhurried fashion.
There is no wonder for this
as there are no predators around.
If there was, they would not choose
these tiny fish for lunch anyway
since the reef offers
more than enough possibilities.
The blue-cheeked butterflyfish
even despised the stony corals today.
Especially the young polyps of the stony
and soft corals,
is very delicate food
for the colourful fish.
Apart from that,
they subsist alga, plankton, and krill.
The bannerfish
and the blue-cheeked butterflyfish
have one rare thing in common:
they are faithful their entire life.
That's why we see these gorgeous fish
almost every time as a couple.
A little bit further underneath
this whispering-sweet-nothing,
blue-cheeked butterflyfish couple,
two bannerfish linger
through the coral scenery.
As bannerfish
have quite small, vertical fins,
they are not really able
to move any faster.
But in case of danger, they can be
in full cry and shake off the opponents.
[calm music playing]
A few metres away, a giant clam roosts
between a few corals.
Wrongly, they are quite often called
"killer clams."
This misbelief is caused in the idea
that the clams grab a diver's hands
and keep them underwater until they die.
In fact, those shutting movements of clams
are simply there to surprise any diver.
Unless he is looking
for the clams' treasure, of course.
In this case, one or the other pearl diver
might have not mentioned
the clam shutting its mouth.
Indeed,
the blowfish does look a bit funny.
As he doesn't look like the images
from movies or pictures remotely,
he is not recognised
for what he actually is.
This is because the typical expanding
is quite rare.
He sucks a lot of water into his stomach
and therefore can reach
a multiple of his size.
However, the blowfishes'
day-to-day routine
is controlled by other things.
For example, this blackspotted puffer
is being cleaned duly
from a cleanerfish who came around.
Especially the cleaning of the gills
and the vertical fins is vital
as at these parts, infections
and illnesses can have the most impact.
Compared to others,
blowfish have only small fins.
The fins at the back do only provide
a stabilisation of the swimming lane
and not an extra push.
This is why blowfish
are slower reef inhabitants in general.
But on the other hand,
they are one of the most agile.
They can move in the narrow reef's
tract of veins without hindrance,
and other than most of the fish,
are able to swim backward.
While on foraging,
their beaked mouth is a big help.
Instead of single teeth,
there are whole plates of teeth,
which are perfect to take parts of corals
or smaller animals of prey
apart to pieces.
In fact, the jaw and plates
of bigger species
can become strong enough
to break even human bones.
Besides, the blowfish does not have
to fear to scuff his teeth.
They grow again continuously.
But better known and more dangerous
is the blowfishes' poison.
It is one of the most toxic substances
a fish can own.
The poison does not directly
kill the victim
but paralyses it completely.
The triggerfish does in fact
not really look more gracious
but at least more colourful
than his poisonous relative.
Opposite to the blowfish,
he is much easier to hunt for his enemies.
To escape the mauls
of the hungry predators,
he uses his dorsal fins to stick
into the tightest corners of the reef.
Also, while searching for food,
the triggerfish can compensate
the lack of poison.
He uses his strong mouth
to turn around stones
and salvages the delicate food underneath.
Of course, he does not succeed every time.
But once finding dedicated food
does remunerate his efforts.
In the complex tract of veins,
the most different
and diverse terms of life collide,
and people can only wonder
at the unhidden acts and creatures
within the reef.
What kind of new wonders are still hiding
behind the grand gate of the coral sea
when it's still in the dark?
It looks like the next resident
of the coral reef
fell into a giant paint pot
a long time ago.
But although looking happy and harmless,
he is a feared coeval.
The grouper. It may not look obvious,
but he is one of the most successful
predators in the coral reef.
Some species can even become
more than two metres long,
their danger is the element of surprise,
in particular, the mouth of groupers,
which is much bigger
than the mouth of other fish,
and that's very important.
Like the stonefish, which we met earlier,
they rip their mouth very fast
and suck in their prey within seconds.
As the coral reef is a nursery ground
for name of species,
there are always possibilities
for the grouper to appease his hunger.
Groupers rely a lot
on their hunting grounds.
As time goes on,
the males dominate more and more
and make their demands on larger areas.
The groupers consist
of many different species.
They may look very different,
but all species use their territories
to maintain real harems of females.
The offspring of groupers is always female
and just like anthias,
who also have female young blood,
the females do not remain subordinates
of one single male.
In opposite to these schooling fish,
the male does not have to die
to provoke the sex change.
Instead of that,
the females turn into males,
seven to ten years
after their first egg deposition
and after they have found
their own territory.
This guarantees the preservation
of the species.
[epic music playing]
What seems to be a sea snake
at first sight is, in truth, a moray.
The ribbon moray eel, as we see it now,
is the most eye-catching species
of morays.
During their lifetime, they abandon
the black and white colouring
and change finally to females.
Morays start their extensive foraging
out of caves
where they spend most of the day.
On one side, the chasms
are great spots for an ambush,
and on the other one,
they are places to adjourn.
Some species even spend their entire life
in the countless caves of the coral reef
and never reach the open water bodies.
That is why they are dark horses
for scientists.
Characteristic for all subspecies
is the pulsating opening
and closing of the mouth.
But that is not a threat.
It is just their way to breathe,
in opposite to that most refreshing breath
as they let water flow
through their gills.
But therefore, their mouth
must be opened all the time.
It is these contrasts
that make a beautiful part of Earth
to a centre of biological variety.
In the evening, most species go
for long forays through the reef
on their search of food.
As their sense of seeing is quite poor,
morays cannot rely on their eyes.
Instead, they have
an extraordinary sense of smell
and are able to smell
that potential prey from a distance.
But this is not the only present
Mother Nature gave the morays.
In addition to their normal set of teeth,
they own a second jaw behind the teeth
to make it possible for them
to swallow up the prey even faster.
Rightly, those predators are feared
by other fish in their hunting grounds.
Have you heard of the expression,
"as flat as a pancake"?
Well, that is a very good description
for our next guest.
A blue spotted ribbontail
ray does strove the underground
at the sandy foot
of the coral reef for food.
This is how the ray spends
most of the day on the seabed.
Although eating smaller animals
most of the time,
he waylays a bigger morsel of food
from time to time.
Once leaving his spot of lookout,
he floats with elegant pounding
of the waves
through the magical underwater scenery.
It looks like a family reunion is looming.
A giant shoal of mackerel
is visiting the reef.
Usually, they live in the open sea,
but they keep the coral reef,
with its countless possibilities
to overindulge,
always in mind.
The mackerel also use the mirror neurons
to coordinate those impressive shoals.
Some species do not have an air bladder
and are constantly on the verge
to sink down.
The resultant constant swimming
is relieved by the shadows
of the drift they give each other.
Another advantage of a shoal
is that it makes it harder for predators
to concentrate on single fish.
In fact, it can happen
that shoals attack the hunters.
If a mackerel shoal is impressive,
wait till you see a shoal of barracudas.
Barracudas are the silver arrows
of the sea.
Their natural form,
muscular and streamlined bodies,
seem to be made just for powerful sprints.
Once spotted their prey,
they can reach speeds
up to 50 kilometres per hour.
But their most dangerous weapon
is hidden in their long mouth.
Inside, there are sharp teeth
just waiting for potential prey.
Especially in a big shoal like this one,
barracudas are one of the most
threatening predators of the sea.
However, barracudas only stay in such
big groups in their adolescent phase.
Once grown up,
they separate and hunt on their own.
You simply have to admire
that silver reflecting mass of fish
in perfect coordination,
although they are basically nothing else
than an allegory for a merciless hunter.
Just like the barracudas,
there are two sides of every story.
Day by day, hunters and hunted
are living only a few metres apart
in the reef.
Surrounded by nothing
but the endless blue of the sea,
current regeneration is the centre point
of this colourful world.
But what is hidden behind the first sight
is more than the regeneration of the reef.
It is the constant creation of new animals
fascinating the Earth with their beauty,
dangerousness, and uniqueness.
[closing music playing]