Coral+Reef+Fiction

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 * It’s a beautiful day in the coral reef. Bright clear waters, many sea inhabitants swimming and crawling about, lets see what kinds of thing we can find happening in this wondrous biome. Me? Well I’m just an old sea turtle. I haven’t been out and about for quite some time now, so it feels good for me to tell you this story, because I get to see everything happening myself. ** ** Quick, look, it’s a small Marble Shrimp. Poor little guy, because he’s in the presence of a Shortspined Cowfish. You can hear his cries, “ please, don’t eat me!” **** “But I’m hungry,” the Shortspined Cowfish replies. There goes that Cowfish, darting after the shrimp. **** “Help,” the shrimp squeals. What happened? I blinked; the Marbled Shrimp was killed! Sad thing, the death of an innocent shrimp. They are truly very pretty creatures. Not to mention living things that don’t deserve to be eaten. ** ** “That was a tasty meal,” proclaims the cowfish. ** ** Why don’t we swim closer to the Sea Anemone. Maybe we’ll see a clownfish. There’s one! That Blackfinned Clownfish lives in the anemone and receives protection from it, and in return, the clownfish cleans the anemone. Both organisms benefit from this relation, and they work together to survive. **** Let’s trek out into some deeper parts of this biome. Wow, look at those Manta rays! One has a Remora on it. It’s ok, though, that’s not a bad thing, it doesn’t affect the Manta Ray at all, but the Remora gets to hitch a ride on this ray’s back, without slowing him down. **** Hello little Blue Tang, what’s that wrapped around you? **** “It’s a parasite,” cries the little Blue Tang. Poor guy, he’s dying because it’s absorbing all the nutrients in your body. Those parasites are not good company to keep. **** “Good bye,” the little Blue Tang says weakly, but peacefully. I guess he’ll go somewhat contented. He didn’t sound too bummed by being eating from his insides out. **** Well, those are all the types of relations in the Coral Reef. Now hurry and get out of here before a shark smells you. ** ======

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