WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.117 Hey aloha everyone! 00:00:01.117 --> 00:00:02.717 Are you guys ready for an adventure? 00:00:02.717 --> 00:00:05.906 Today we're gonna go explore a coral reef ecosystem. Let's go. 00:00:05.906 --> 00:00:28.197 [Slack key guitar music] 00:00:28.373 --> 00:00:33.556 Hi, I'm Michael, aquarist and teacher  at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center located here in Hilo. 00:00:34.066 --> 00:00:37.374 I grew up in these waters swimming, fishing, and diving, 00:00:37.374 --> 00:00:40.835 and today I'd like to take you on an adventure to go explore a Hawaiian coral reef. 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:44.160 Before we jump in, let's take a look at this map of the Hawaiian islands. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.720 We're here in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island. 00:00:48.720 --> 00:00:54.640 About 70 percent of all coral reefs in the United  States are here in the Hawaiian Archipelago.   00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:58.864 As we zoom out, you can see the other main Hawaiian Islands.   00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.400 But Hawaiʻi is much bigger than most of us know.   00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.600 Most coral reefs are located in the older Northwestern Hawaiian Islands   00:01:08.240 --> 00:01:12.612 protected as Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument 00:01:12.612 --> 00:01:15.021 and World Heritage Site. 00:01:15.287 --> 00:01:19.111 That's the area in the light blue boundary. 00:01:19.621 --> 00:01:25.840 We'll talk more about Papahānaumokuākea later, for now let's get going. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:30.225 Corals create rich ecosystems. 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:39.840 The reefs provide both habitat and feeding  grounds that attract many different species. 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:48.000 A healthy reef is full of life, often hidden at the first glance.    00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.195 Help me find some of the animals that make their home here. 00:01:52.195 --> 00:01:57.097 As we find things, I'll let you know the Hawaiian name followed by the English name. 00:01:57.097 --> 00:02:01.869 Some small marine organisms don't have known Hawaiian names. 00:02:02.880 --> 00:02:09.715 Here is a school of māʻiʻiʻi or brown surgeonfish  feeding on limu or algae growing around the coral. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:16.833 Look! We just surprised a Hawaiian white spotted  toby, a type of small puffer fish.    00:02:16.833 --> 00:02:19.857 There isn't a known Hawaiian name for this endemic fish. 00:02:19.857 --> 00:02:24.000 Endemic means this species is only found in Hawaiʻi 00:02:26.160 --> 00:02:31.216 There are some lauhau or four-spotted butterflyfish. 00:02:31.216 --> 00:02:36.483 Butterflyfish  actually are corallivores... or coral eaters 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:41.687 Not a bad day at the office don't you think? 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:49.773 Oh! I just got buzzed by an ʻāloʻiloʻi or Hawaiian dascyllus, 00:02:49.773 --> 00:02:51.859 another endemic fish to Hawaiʻi. 00:02:51.859 --> 00:02:56.320 They feed on plankton in the water column and shelter in branching corals. 00:02:57.840 --> 00:02:59.040 Come over here. 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:04.482 Can you spot the loli or sea cucumber trying to camouflage in the sand? 00:03:07.200 --> 00:03:10.975 That was a trick question. There are actually two loli. 00:03:10.975 --> 00:03:12.936 Do you see the second one? 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.701 Loli are important ocean cleaners. 00:03:17.255 --> 00:03:21.834 They eat huge quantities of detritus mixed in the sandy floor. 00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:27.531 Oh here's another easy one to miss. 00:03:27.974 --> 00:03:32.072 Check out this ‘ina kea, a rock boring sea urchin. 00:03:32.715 --> 00:03:36.292 They use their spines to scrape limu off the rocks for food, 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:40.252 and can actually dig channels and holes in the rock. 00:03:40.673 --> 00:03:43.796 They are important bio-eroders. 00:03:44.640 --> 00:03:48.000 And here are some wana - a blue black urchin.   00:03:50.969 --> 00:03:54.394 The long spines are painful if they break off into your skin,   00:03:54.880 --> 00:03:59.840 but it's the secondary needle-like spines that carry the venom. 00:04:01.920 --> 00:04:06.399 And here's a great example of another wana - the banded urchin.   00:04:06.880 --> 00:04:10.368 You can see the shorter secondary spines better with this one. 00:04:12.880 --> 00:04:16.480 Look there! This is the hāwaʻe maoli or collector urchin.   00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:21.600 These urchins collect bits of algae, shells, and other material on their spines,   00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:25.934 possibly to camouflage themselves or carry some snacks for later. 00:04:33.440 --> 00:04:35.734 And finishing the urchin parade, 00:04:35.734 --> 00:04:40.044 here we have a pūnohu or the red pencil urchin. 00:04:40.044 --> 00:04:45.251 On other Hawaiian Islands it is also called the hāʻukeʻuke ʻula ʻula. 00:04:45.440 --> 00:04:50.209 All of these urchins we've seen help clean the reef by feeding on algae and debris. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:55.840 Swimming through here, you get a sense of  how complex the reef habitat really is.   00:04:57.280 --> 00:05:02.210 You have to pay attention if you want to see some of the coolest organisms on the reef. 00:05:02.210 --> 00:05:09.772 This empty sea snail shell is actually home to the unauna or hermit crab. 00:05:10.119 --> 00:05:14.599 They are important scavengers on the reef. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:21.541 Did you notice those kio or Christmas tree worms? 00:05:21.541 --> 00:05:25.222 The spiral fans you see are how they feed and breathe. 00:05:25.577 --> 00:05:29.315 The body of the worm is safe in the tube built into the coral. 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:33.918 It can instantly draw the fans into the tube and block the opening.   00:05:34.640 --> 00:05:40.560 Those grooves in the coral are actually burrows  created by a never-seen snapping shrimp   00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:45.760 called the petroglyph shrimp. The shrimp actually  farms limu in the channels they carve out. 00:05:47.760 --> 00:05:52.714 Let's check the reef edge where there's a  little more water movement from the waves. 00:05:53.719 --> 00:05:59.586 [gurgling sound of water] 00:06:01.440 --> 00:06:04.773 Here's a surprise! Can you see the little marine slug? 00:06:04.773 --> 00:06:06.630 This is an imperial nudibranch. 00:06:07.520 --> 00:06:12.680 These are predators who hunt sponges, worms, sea slugs, and more. 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:17.153 The two purple tentacles on the right are sensory rhinophores. 00:06:17.153 --> 00:06:21.251 The mass waving on the left are actually their gills. 00:06:22.640 --> 00:06:25.038 Here's one more hidden picture game for you. 00:06:25.525 --> 00:06:27.916 Can you spot the fish? 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:34.582 There’s an ‘ulae or lizardfish camouflaged in the rocks. 00:06:35.668 --> 00:06:39.166 They'll stay motionless until a fish gets too close 00:06:39.166 --> 00:06:43.108 and then they quickly strike with their needle-like teeth 00:06:43.108 --> 00:06:45.028 and swallow them whole. 00:06:47.776 --> 00:06:49.815 I thought that was the last surprise, 00:06:50.280 --> 00:06:53.964 but check out this puhi or zebra moray eel. 00:06:54.297 --> 00:06:56.010 I see the body, 00:06:56.010 --> 00:06:58.406 let's see if we can find the head. 00:07:06.080 --> 00:07:08.328 Ah, there it is! 00:07:08.328 --> 00:07:11.746 Believe it or not, the zebra morays eat crustaceans, 00:07:11.746 --> 00:07:15.840 crushing them with small blunt teeth and swallow them whole. 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.467 The small waves also carry in a lot of food. 00:07:20.733 --> 00:07:24.266 The reef edge is a great place to see bigger fishes. 00:07:24.400 --> 00:07:31.280 There’s a big school of pākuʻikuʻi or Achilles  tang and māikoiko or whitebar surgeonfish.   00:07:31.280 --> 00:07:37.197 Even though they are different species they are  all surgeonfish and often school together. 00:07:37.197 --> 00:07:40.778 Hey! Can you see that uhu or parrotfish feeding below? 00:07:41.177 --> 00:07:43.840 Its color sure helps it blend in. 00:07:44.640 --> 00:07:46.252 Hey, look over there! 00:07:47.892 --> 00:07:51.252 A school of ʻōmilu or bluefin trevally. 00:07:52.320 --> 00:07:57.840 I wonder if they are attracted to this huge  school of juvenile fish at the surface?   00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:04.171 Do you notice how the juvenile fish  blend in with the wave foam and bubbles? 00:08:08.049 --> 00:08:11.331 Wow! It's a honu or green sea turtle. 00:08:12.218 --> 00:08:15.335 It's important to stay at least 15 feet away from honu 00:08:15.335 --> 00:08:20.057 so they can help take care of the reef by  feeding on algae that can overgrow the coral. 00:08:29.200 --> 00:08:31.580 We've seen some of the animals that make their home here, 00:08:31.580 --> 00:08:35.054 but did you know that coral itself is alive? 00:08:42.488 --> 00:08:46.931 Come and look more closely at this pōhaku puna or mound coral. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:57.351 Coral reefs are actually a colony of tiny animals called coral polyps living side by side. 00:08:57.550 --> 00:09:02.039 In most cases the polyps are so small we can barely see them. 00:09:03.280 --> 00:09:06.272 Do you see the small roundish bumps? 00:09:06.538 --> 00:09:09.066 Each of those is home to an individual polyp. 00:09:10.560 --> 00:09:15.568 There are thousands of polyps just in this  one section of coral reef we're looking at.   00:09:16.626 --> 00:09:21.316 Corals in Hawaiʻi grow an average of one to two centimeters per year. 00:09:22.026 --> 00:09:25.418 As the coral colonies grow they can build huge reefs, 00:09:25.418 --> 00:09:28.485 some forming over millions of years. 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.318 Now that we know corals are living animals, 00:09:32.318 --> 00:09:35.840 I'm going to show you something really cool. Follow me. 00:09:38.400 --> 00:09:41.555 Do you see how colorful the different coral species are? 00:09:41.887 --> 00:09:46.860 These colors are actually created by microscopic algae called zooxanthellae. 00:09:47.148 --> 00:09:50.368 They live within the tissues of the coral polyp animal. 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:57.447 The zooxanthellae take energy from the sun and  turn it into food that they share with the polyps.   00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:03.923 The coral polyps provide protection  and some special nutrients to the zooxanthellae. 00:10:03.923 --> 00:10:07.047 We call this a symbiotic relationship. 00:10:08.400 --> 00:10:10.632 We humans depend on coral reefs as well. 00:10:10.632 --> 00:10:14.931 NOAA estimates 500 million people depend on coral reefs worldwide. 00:10:15.108 --> 00:10:18.657 Here in Hawaiʻi, reefs have provided us with food for thousands of years. 00:10:19.280 --> 00:10:21.780 They help protect our shorelines from storms 00:10:21.780 --> 00:10:25.382 and some are even used in anti-cancer and anti-viral medicines. 00:10:25.892 --> 00:10:27.636 This is a coral skeleton. 00:10:27.636 --> 00:10:32.910 If we look closely we can see the spaces or calyces where the coral polyps once lived. 00:10:38.800 --> 00:10:41.774 The skeleton is made from the same calcium carbonate material 00:10:41.774 --> 00:10:44.160 that other marine that animals use to make their shells. 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:46.880 You know the coral reefs are important,   00:10:46.880 --> 00:10:49.760 now let's go look at ways that you can help protect them. Let's go! 00:10:49.760 --> 00:10:54.876 [sound of wind blowing] 00:10:56.400 --> 00:11:00.480 Coral polyps can get stressed or injured  from too-warm ocean temperatures,   00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:04.545 pollution, or when people touch or step on the reef. 00:11:06.096 --> 00:11:11.094 When they are stressed, the polyps can expel the zooxanthellae from their bodies. 00:11:11.094 --> 00:11:13.871 Without the algae to give their tissue color, 00:11:13.871 --> 00:11:18.344 all we see are white calcium carbonate skeletons of the coral polyp. 00:11:18.898 --> 00:11:21.194 We call this coral bleaching. 00:11:23.760 --> 00:11:27.109 Here we can see some severely bleached rice coral. 00:11:28.106 --> 00:11:35.026 At this point the coral polyps are still alive but much weaker and open to diseases and other problems. 00:11:35.425 --> 00:11:41.840 If conditions improve, the coral can pull more zooxanthellae into its body and potentially recover. 00:11:42.880 --> 00:11:44.400 Look at this cauliflower coral.   00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:50.337 Notice that the left half is alive? 00:11:52.043 --> 00:11:53.731 There is a bleached section, 00:11:53.731 --> 00:11:57.372 and then the right half is bleached and covered with algae. 00:11:57.793 --> 00:12:02.545 At this point all we are seeing is the skeleton of dead coral. 00:12:05.040 --> 00:12:10.480 As the skeleton breaks down it helps to form  sandy ocean floor and white sandy beaches.   00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:14.960 All this time you've been relaxing on tiny pieces of dead coral   00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:18.800 shells and other ocean life that contains calcium carbonate. 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:23.291 I'm headed back to shore. 00:12:23.291 --> 00:12:25.200 Use what you've learned as we swim back. 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:29.087 How do you think the reef is doing? 00:12:37.040 --> 00:12:41.040 Some coral reefs are so important they are given special protections.   00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:45.040 Remember those older Northwestern Hawaiian Islands we saw on the map?   00:12:45.680 --> 00:12:52.800 Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument  protects 3.5 million acres of coral reef.   00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:57.914 That's almost the same area as all the Hawaiian islands put together! 00:13:01.489 --> 00:13:03.782 All of us can make a difference. 00:13:03.893 --> 00:13:08.135 Be careful not to step on or touch living coral when you are swimming or fishing. 00:13:08.135 --> 00:13:12.513 We can also reduce our carbon footprint to slow climate change 00:13:12.513 --> 00:13:17.713 and the increasing ocean temperatures that are damaging coral reefs worldwide. 00:13:25.520 --> 00:13:28.407 Research has shown that chemicals in some sunscreens 00:13:28.407 --> 00:13:31.320 have harmful effects on the coral reef and other marine animals, 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:33.840 so be sure to cover up or use reef safe sunscreen. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:38.133 I had fun learning and exploring with you today. 00:13:38.554 --> 00:13:41.326 Please visit our website where we've put together activities 00:13:41.326 --> 00:13:45.460 that will let you virtually explore reefs all across Papahānaumokuākea. 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:49.360 I hope you will join me in taking care of these special places. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:51.580 Aloha. 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:56.982 [sound of waves hitting the shoreline] 00:13:56.982 --> 00:15:01.597 [slack key guitar music]