Triumph & Tragedy on the Greatest Reef

Grainger's World - Triumph & Tragedy on the Greatest Reef

The spectacular Great Barrier Reef of Australia and its diverse marine life are facing a myriad of challenges. This documentary succeeds in showing both the brilliance of the Reef and its creatures and modern threats such as invasions by colonies of Crown of Thorns starfish, cyclones and human development.

Highlights include:

- The magnificent synchronised mass spawning of coral, the marine world turning on its own equivalent of a fireworks display.
- The mysterious nautilus, a prehistoric wonder of nature, their buoyancy controlled by alternating the level of internal gases.
- Like creatures from another planet, the very rare stomatopod, a viscous killer.
- The master predators, sharks, charging at any creature that invades their territory and using brute power and agility to overwhelm their victims and staggering jaw strength to crush them.
- Powerful moray eels hunting, and venomous sea snakes.
- Like spring blooms, Christmas Tree worms bursting open, bountiful forests of coral filled with neon-coloured fish, and the photographer's prize bounty, tiny nudibranchs.
- Lizard fish, delicate leaf fish, to sea slugs, sea cucumbers, and filter feeders in all shapes and sizes, the trumpet fish swimming vertically.
- Massive Manta Ray shadowed by two sharks.
- The king of camouflage, the octopus, displaying its full repertoire of disguises.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:06 Mass Spawning
00:13:15 Crown Of Thorns
00:19:49 Baby Turtles
00:31:14 Coral Islands
00:34:45 Protection