Discover a range of iconic, peculiar, and commonly found marine animals on the Great Barrier Reef. Learn how to group these animals using the similarities and differences in their external features and gain an understanding of how features such as scales, shells and gills help animals to survive in the marine environment. Find out how different animals in the same group have specialised adaptations for communication, feeding and defence. For example, in some species of crustaceans, the first pairs of walking legs have evolved to become nippers, while in other species the legs have become clubs or spears!

Booking Options:  There are two options for the Reef HQ suite of programs:

• 1. Fixed STEMLinc dates/times for booking this event will appear each term in the table below.
• 2. Schools with a minimum of 3 classes wishing to book alternate dates should contact Reef HQ directly (education@gbrmpa.gov.au) to negotiate a suitable date and time.  Ecolinc will cover the costs for a limited number of alternate date bookings each term.

The Great Barrier Reef is home to many types of life, including fish, sea turtles, giant clams, seahorses, sea snakes, nudibranch, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more. More than 1500 different species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef, including Clownfish, Grouper, Cod, and Tigerfish.

Year Level: Year F-2

Duration: 1 hour

No, however the following teacher resources are available for pre-lesson and post-learning purposes (Download PDF’s from the links):

• Animal Scrabble

• Animal Unravelling

• Food glorious food

• Is it Living Challenge Activity

• Leggy Crustaceans

• Reef Mates

• What Doesnt Belong

No prior knowledge is required.

In this video conference students will:

• Examine the external features of a variety of marine animals
• Learn how these features are used to help the animals survive

In this video conference students will:

• Interact with presenters from Reef HQ and be able ask individual questions
• Have access to supporting materials for pre- and/or post-event study

Science – Science Understanding

• Plants and animals have observable features that can be used to group them in different ways (VC2S2U01)
• Plants and animals have external features that perform different functions to enable their survival; in plants these features include roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, bulbs, trunks and branches while different features in animals enable them to move, breathe, eat and respond to their environment (VC2S2U03)
• Plants and animals have basic needs, including air, water, food and shelter; the places where they live meet those needs (VC2S2U02)