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Coming up next on Jonathan Bird's Blue World, Jonathan explores the world of coral reefs from the Caribbean to Australia!
接下来是乔纳森·伯德的蓝色世界 ，乔纳森将探索从加勒比海到澳大利亚的珊瑚礁世界。
Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!
大家好，我是乔纳森·伯德，欢迎来到我的世界!
Coral reefs are one of the most important inhabitants of shallow tropical oceans.
珊瑚礁是热带浅海最重要的生物之一。
A coral reef may look like a bunch of colorful rocks, or perhaps some unusual-looking plants, but it's actually a strange primitive animal.
珊瑚礁可能看起来像一堆五颜六色的岩石，或者看起来不寻常的植物，实际上，它是一种奇怪的原始动物。
Each coral animal, called a polyp, is only about the size of a pearl.
每只珊瑚动物，称为珊瑚虫，只有珍珠大小。
It's little more than a mouth with some tentacles around it.
它只不过是周围有触角，比一张嘴大不了多少的动物。
The tentacles are used to catch plankton to eat.
触须用来捕捉浮游生物。
Coral is closely related to another tentacle-equipped animal: the jelly.
珊瑚与另一种触须动物——水母——关系密切。
If you can imagine a small jelly stuck to the bottom that can't swim, that's a coral polyp.
如果你能想象底部粘着一个不会游泳的小水母，那就是珊瑚虫。
But unlike jellies, coral polyps grow together in colonies called a coral head.
但与水母不同的是，珊瑚虫聚集在一起，形成珊瑚头。
This coral head has several hundred polyps.
这个珊瑚头有几百只珊瑚虫。
A bigger one has thousands!
更大的珊瑚头有上千只珊瑚虫！
Beneath the living skin of the coral is a skeleton made of calcium carbonate.
珊瑚的表皮下面是由碳酸钙构成的骨架。
A dead piece of coral is heavy like a rock, because the calcium carbonate is limestone—a type of rock.
一块死珊瑚像石头一样重，因为碳酸钙是石灰石——一种岩石。
This heavy limestone base anchors the colony so waves and storms can't move coral reefs.
这个沉重的石灰岩在底部支撑着珊瑚群，因此海浪和风暴无法移动珊瑚礁。
The creation of limestone is slow.
石灰石的形成是缓慢的。
It takes hundreds of years for a coral head to reach the size of this brain coral.
一个珊瑚头要几百年才能达到脑珊瑚的大小。
And in spite of the fact that it looks like a brain, coral has no brain. Or eyes.
尽管珊瑚看起来像大脑，但珊瑚没有大脑。也没有眼睛。
Some corals are not hard as a rock.
有些珊瑚不像岩石那么硬。
There are many species of soft corals.
软珊瑚种类繁多。
Some look like bushes or fans.
有些形状看起来像灌木或扇子。
These are often called gorgonians, sea whips or sea fans.
它们通常被称为蛇发女怪、海鞭或海扇。
Others look like pastel works of art.
其他的看起来像彩色的艺术品。
Soft corals grow anchored to the bottom and look to most people like plants.
软珊瑚生长在海底，大多数人觉得像植物。
But up close, you can see the coral polyps.
但是近距离观察，你可以看到珊瑚虫。
Instead of a hard skeleton, these soft corals have tiny splinters of calcium carbonate inside called spicules.
这些软珊瑚没有坚硬的骨骼，有的是被称为针状体的碳酸钙碎片。
They allow the coral to bend and flex with the waves.
它们使得珊瑚随波飘摇。
When many coral colonies grow together, the result is a reef.
当许多珊瑚群落一起生长时，就形成了珊瑚礁。
It's a living, growing structure that provides nooks and crannies for everything from invertebrates to fish.
珊瑚礁是一种活的、不断生长的结构，为从无脊椎动物到鱼类的一切生物提供了角落和缝隙。
A reef is like the buildings in a city, providing housing and protection for thousands of animals.
珊瑚礁就像城市里的建筑物，为成千上万的动物提供住所和保护。
When a reef forms, it creates new habitat for other animals.
珊瑚礁的形成为其他动物提供了新的栖息地。
Maybe it starts out as just a small coral head with only space for a few fish.
也许一开始它只是一个很小的珊瑚头，只有几条鱼的空间。
But as it grows over many years, more and more marine life flocks to the reef until it is a thriving metropolis.
但随着生长，越来越多的海洋生物聚集到珊瑚礁，直至长成一个繁茂的大都市。
Of course, all those small fish living around the reef attract larger fish like jacks, barracudas and even sharks looking for a meal.
当然，所有这些生活在珊瑚礁周围的小鱼都会吸引更大的鱼，比如千条鱼、梭鱼，甚至是寻找食物的鲨鱼。
The reef provides a foothold for algae and sponges.
珊瑚礁为藻类和海绵动物提供了立足之地。
And that in turn attracts sea turtles to eat the sponges.
反过来又吸引海龟以海绵动物为食。
