Coral reefs are the largest natural structures on our planet and their beauty is hard to beat. They are among the most species-rich ecosystems, but are under massive threat. The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) has therefore proclaimed 2018 the “International Year of the Reef”. The Senckenberg Nature Museum Frankfurt is taking part in the initiative and is opening the special exhibition “Coral Reefs – Endangered Treasures of the Oceans” today.
The exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the world of coral reefs and learn more about the unique and complex ecology, the immense economic importance, the increasing threat to reefs and the current state of science with the help of original exhibits, models and films.
Although warm and cold-water reefs only cover around 0.15 percent of the ocean floor, they are vital for a third of all marine life. They serve as egg-laying grounds, retreats and feeding grounds for a large number of animal species and are regarded as nurseries for 25 percent of all deep-sea fish. Sea turtles also regularly head for the coral reefs to feed or to be freed of parasites by cleaning fish. In the new special exhibition at the Senckenberg Nature Museum Frankfurt, visitors can view around 50 original exhibits, 5 casts of fish and 13 models of reef inhabitants up close: from a real hawksbill turtle and a model of two blacktip reef sharks to alcohol specimens of a cleaner wrasse or a longnose surgeonfish.