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Monday - The coral is spawning
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date: 17/11/2008
Author:Laura Smith
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Beautiful! Clear and sunny | Air Temp: 29°C | Wind: SE/E 10/15 knots | Water Temp: 26°C | Water Visibility: ~ 30 m + | Sea State: Perfectly calm!
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
THE CORAL IS SPAWNING! Once a year, nearly all the corals spawn simultaneously over several nights, producing a spectacular display. Broadcast eggs and sperm amazingly find each other in the vastness of the ocean, resulting in the production of a coral larva (planula). The little planula will drift in the sea for some days, even months, before settling down onto a reef to found a brand new coral colony. The special thing about Lady Elliot Island is that here there is no need for boat travel to witness this once-yearly event. The coral reef is literally on our doorstep; in fact, newly arriving guests were ankle-deep in water just minutes after being shown to their rooms, peering through the clear surface with wonder as multiple colonies of brain coral released their egg bundles simultaneously. What perfect timing! The show isn’t over yet – we’re expecting the most impressive spawning displays to occur in the next couple of nights. Our Goniopora corals are indicative of this – egg bundles can be seen right near the surface of the polyps, ready for release.
On last night’s Night Stalk the stars were brilliant! Exciting wildlife, including mutton birds, hermit crabs and green tree frogs were easy to find. And, on the western beach – turtle tracks! A green turtle’s trail led straight into the undercover beach hut and back down again.
In other news, the very first loggerhead of the season has been seen attempting to nest! She was first sighted early this morning. Unfortunately, this turtle had actually released 12 of her eggs on the sand near the water’s edge. Eggs must be buried above the high tide mark to survive. We suspect that this turtle was disturbed just as she was ready to lay, so aborted her nesting attempt and released some of her eggs on the journey back down the beach. On the upside, however, the same turtle (identifiable by the position of barnacles on its shell) came up the beach later that morning, right outside our beachfront café, attempting to lay the rest of her precious cargo! It certainly was a treat to witness this huge animal coming ashore in broad daylight!
While the mainland is experiencing severe weather, Lady Elliot continues to lap up sunrays! Guests arriving from drizzly Coolangatta were pleasantly surprised by the contrasting weather here at Lady Elliot, with barely a cloud in the beautiful blue sky!
Special Events / Activities:
Corals have started to spawn! (see above)
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Coral Spawning - Laura Smith
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