The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.

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In a wide shallow display case on the Museum's floor are many colourful coral resting on sand.

Coral reef life box

Coral communities

Corals are amazing marine animals. Their skeletons are made of calcium carbonate extracted from sea water. They can form huge reef structures, which are home to a variety of marine life.

Which reef residents can you find?

Since 1998, Woodside has partnered with the Museum to understand the marine biodiversity of the Damper Archipelago and Kimberley regions in the north-west of Western Australia. Since then, the Museum has undertaken 20 field surveys along 13,000 kilometres of coast documenting over 55,000 different marine species to date.

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Deep Dives

A brown turtle resting on rocks just under the water's surface.

Climate Change and WA Marine Life

Ningaloo Reef - a giant air filter

Article

Many pale branches of coral reach up toward the surface in shallow water.

Animal or Vegetable? - WA's Corals

Corals and the environment

Article

A small coral with very bright pink tips.

Hard Corals – Reef Architects

Video

A strange creature that looks like a bundle of feathers makes a dark shadow in front of a Museum diver's hands.

Welcome explorers

Video

A person standing on a boat with a fishing rod has caught something, the rod is sharply bent downward.

Fishing for DNA

Video

A yellow measuring tape extends across the width of the photo. Swimming just above it is a turtle. The sea bed is covered in coral.

Curiosity and the Turtle

Video

A very pretty, colourful fish swims above coral.

Damselfish – Citizens of the Reef

Video

A large dark speckled sting ray swims above rocks. A diver's flippers are visible in the distance.

Stingrays – The Electric Hunters

Video

Two striped fish with yellow fins swim over coral. Their faces have large black patches.

Which Fish am I?

Video

From behind a large pink coral the green head of an eel pokes around. It feels like it's looking straight at the camera.

The Moray Eel – Reef Predator

Video

In a wide shallow display case on the Museum's floor are many colourful coral resting on sand.

Coral reef life box.
Credit: WA Museum

The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.