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The waves of these azure seas hide an abundant treasure. Below the waves, coral reefs provide a habitat for teeming life, a life with a kaleidoscope of color. In oceans around the world, clear and well-circulating waters encourage corals to anchor and grow. Despite their plant or stone like appearance, corals are actually animals. They come in many colorful forms and textures. Starting as tiny cylindrical polyps just a couple of millimeters in diameter, they grow about half an inch a year and can become several feet in diameter.
這片蔚藍的海下掩藏著無盡的寶藏。波濤之下生長著珊瑚礁，為無數生命提供了棲息環境，讓它們的生活五彩繽紛。無論是世界上的哪片海洋，只要海水清澈并循環良好，珊瑚就會落地生根、茁壯生長。雖然珊瑚外表看起來像植物又像石頭，但其實它們是動物。珊瑚可以多種顏色呈現，質地也五花八門。珊瑚小時候是圓柱形的小珊瑚蟲，直徑只有幾毫米。然后每年可以長半英寸，最后直徑可長到幾英尺。
Corals form reefs as successive generations build on the skeletal remains of older generations. Reefs can be hundreds of feet wide and stretch for miles. The greatest collection of reefs is located off the northeast coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef. This collection of reefs encompasses 135,000 square miles. Thousands of species of reef fish, mollusks, sea stars and other creatures inhabit coral reefs. The reef system's spiny grottos offer refuge and feeding grounds for a variety of aquatic life.
珊瑚可以形成群礁，因為后代會在前輩的殘骸上繼續生長。珊瑚礁可達數百英尺寬，綿延數英里長。最大的珊瑚礁群位于澳大利亞海岸東北部——大堡礁。大堡礁面積達13.5萬平方英里。珊瑚礁里可有無數巖礁魚類、海星等生物生存。珊瑚礁自帶細小的孔眼，可以提供為許多水族提供庇護和食物。
In spring, this Caribbean reef plays host to the fanatic mating of fish. A male yellow head garfish is left alone to tender fertilized eggs he carries in his mouth. He spits them out from time to time in order to aerate them over the 5-day gestation period. In this aquatic community, unusual relationships develop. A cleaning station thrives around this coral head, often patronized by the tiger grouper. Tiny gobies fearlessly enter the tiger's mouth to feed on dead tissue and parasites. But just as the reef fosters life, it can harbor danger.
春天的時候，這個加勒比珊瑚礁是魚類交配的絕好地點。一只黃頭雀鱔只能靠自己來照料嘴里的蛋。他要時不時地將蛋吐出來，讓他們置于空氣中，才能熬過5天的妊娠期。在水族之中，也會發展出不正常的關系。這個珊瑚岬附近出現了清潔站，這里是老虎斑經常出沒的地方。小小的鰕虎魚毫不畏懼地游入老虎斑口中，用死去的組織和寄生蟲裹腹。不過，珊瑚礁不只能滋養生命，也會暗藏危險。
Lurking on the fringes of this Caribbean reef, the barracuda is a fierce predator equipped with razor-sharp teeth. Although they do hunt in groups, sometimes adults branch off and prowl for food on their own. This small ballyhoo fish is a mere snack for this hungry barracuda. Coral reefs have been evolving for about 500 million years, but these days they are under threat. Global warming, pollution and overfishing have contributed to their decline. Earnest efforts are under way to protect the world's reefs and restore them. Artificial reefs created from sunken ships and other man-made objects have shown some short-term promise. But man's impact on the environment continues to make the future of coral reefs uncertain.
潛伏在這個加勒比珊瑚礁邊緣的梭魚是兇猛的捕食者，自帶鋒利的牙齒。雖然梭魚也會成群結隊進行狩獵，但一些成年梭魚會單干，自己尋找食物。這只小鱵只是這只饑餓梭魚用來塞牙縫的。珊瑚礁已有近5億年的進化史，但近來卻遭受著威脅：全球變暖、污染以及漁撈過渡都使珊瑚礁數量日漸減少。人們也在努力保護世界各地的珊瑚礁，并試圖恢復他們的生長。從沉船等人造物體生發出來的人工珊瑚礁在短期內很有前景。但人類對環境的影響依然讓珊瑚礁未來一片渺茫。
