91 The Great Barrier Reef Trivia Questions with Answers
91 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Which 1770 expedition first charted a substantial section of the Great Barrier Reef for European navigation?
Answer
James Cook’s expedition
Which naturalist wrote the landmark book The Great Barrier Reef, published in 1893?
Answer
William Saville-Kent
Which animal is the Great Barrier Reef’s largest bony fish?
Answer
Queensland grouper
What is the name of the government authority abbreviated as GBRMPA?
Answer
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
What is the scientific name of the Great Barrier Reef’s giant clam species?
Answer
Tridacna gigas
Which sea turtle nests on islands of the Great Barrier Reef and is named for its hooked bill?
Answer
Hawksbill sea turtle
Which shark species is the largest fish found in Great Barrier Reef waters?
Answer
Whale shark
Which ocean current carries warm tropical water southward along the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
East Australian Current
What is the sheltered body of water between Queensland’s coast and the Great Barrier Reef called?
Answer
The Great Barrier Reef lagoon
About how many species of hard coral live on the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
About 400 species
Approximately how long is the Great Barrier Reef along Australia’s northeastern coast?
Answer
2,300 kilometres
What is the Great Barrier Reef recognized as the world's largest example of?
Answer
Coral reef system
Which island group forms the Great Barrier Reef’s southernmost reef islands near Bundaberg?
Answer
Capricorn and Bunker Islands
What is the main body structure that reef-building corals secrete to form Great Barrier Reef habitats?
Answer
Calcium carbonate skeleton
Which large predatory snail can attack crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
Giant triton snail
How many individual reefs are commonly counted within the Great Barrier Reef system?
Answer
More than 2,900
What is the main cause of mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
Abnormally warm seawater
Which coral-eating starfish is responsible for periodic outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
Crown-of-thorns starfish
Which cyclone caused major damage to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 2011?
Answer
Cyclone Yasi
Which national park protects much of Hinchinbrook Island beside the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
Hinchinbrook Island National Park
Which fish, also called the Maori wrasse, is a notable Great Barrier Reef species?
Answer
Humphead wrasse
On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, what fish is also called the Queensland grouper?
Answer
Giant grouper
How large is the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, in square kilometres?
Answer
344,400 square kilometres
Which Great Barrier Reef island group lies between Mackay and Gladstone in Queensland?
Answer
Capricorn and Bunker groups
Which sea lies east of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef?
Answer
Coral Sea