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CORE - Coral reef picture galleries
Here you find pictures of organisms living in coral reefs around the world. Click on the locations on the map to navigate to the respective picture gallery. Species identifications should be regarded as c.f..
Coral reef animals on video
Below you find a video clip collection assembled from films shot during research cruises to Indonesia, the center of marine biodiversity. The provided clips only show a small fraction of the enormous variety of animals living in and around Indonesian coral reef ecosystems. Most of the films were made in marine protected areas of North Sulawesi and Komodo (Indonesia), but some also in areas under extreme human impact, as the Spermonde archipelago of South Sulawesi.
The intention of presenting this collection is to open yet another window to a view on tropical coral reefs, to educate and thereby raise public awareness of these natural ocean treasures. "One picture speaks louder than 1000 words" and just imaging 1 second of film has about 25 pictures - meaning video can really help to effectively bring the message across.
All clips are in WMV-format and MOV-format. PC users simply left-click the picture for instant play, or right-click "WMV-format" and select "save target as...". Mac-users follow the "MOV-format" download link.
| Corals | Fish | Molluscs | Worms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reptiles | Mammals | Reef sites |
|---|
| Hard and soft corals | |
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Massive Acropora coral thicket 1 Species: Hard coral - Acropora (Acroporidae) Location: Lehage Island, North Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (15.4 MB), MOV-format (19.5 MB) |
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Massive Acropora coral thicket 2 Species: Hard coral - Acropora (Acroporidae) Location: Lehage Island, North Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (14.0 MB), MOV-format (17.1 MB) |
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Heliofungia mushroom coral Species: Hard coral - Heliofungia actiniformis (Fungiidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.2 MB), MOV-format (5.7 MB) |
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Acropora table Species: Hard coral - Acropora (Acroporidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (10.8 MB), MOV-format (10.9 MB) |
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Turbinaria zoom in Species: Hard coral - Turbinaria Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (6.2 MB), MOV-format (5.9 MB) |
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Dendronephthya soft coral Species: Soft coral - Dendronephthya (c.f.) (Nephtheidae) Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (4.5 MB), MOV-format (5.0 MB) |
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Pumping xeniids Species: Soft coral - Cespitularia (c.f.) (Xeniidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.0 MB), MOV-format (1.7 MB) |
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White Dendronephthya Species: Soft coral -Dendronephthya (c.f.) (Nephtheidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.1 MB), MOV-format (3.1 MB) |
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Xeniid polyps in action Species: Soft coral -Cespitularia (c.f.) (Xeniidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.9 MB), MOV-format (2.5 MB) |
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Sarcophyton soft coral Species: Soft coral - Sarcophyton (Alcyoniidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.7 MB), MOV-format (3.4 MB) |
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Swinging polyps Species: Hard coral - Goniopora (c.f.) (Poritidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.2 MB), MOV-format (3.2 MB) |
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Bubble coral macro Species: Hard coral - Plerogyra sinuosa (Caryophylliidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.2 MB), MOV-format (5.2 MB) |
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Coral spawning Species: Hard coral - Acropora - releases eggs Location: Heron Island - Great Barrier Reef-Australia Download: WMV-format (3.4 MB), MOV-format (6.2 MB) |
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Coral mucus drifting Object: Coral mucus flocs (floats) on water surface Location: Heron Island - Great Barrier Reef-Australia Download: WMV-format (1.5 MB), MOV-format (1.4 MB) |
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Coral eggs drifting Object: Coral eggs drift on water surface after spawning Location: Heron Island - Great Barrier Reef-Australia Download: WMV-format (4.6 MB), MOV-format (5.2 MB) |
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Star coral macro Species: Hard coral - Diploastrea (c.f.) (Faviidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.2 MB), MOV-format (3.5 MB) |
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Clow fish with anemone Species: Clown fish - Amphiprion spp. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (6.2 MB), MOV-format (5.3 MB) |
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Batfish swarm Species: Juvenile longfin batfish - Platax teira Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (7.2 MB), MOV-format (7.8 MB) |
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Black axil chromis in Acropora colony Species: Black axil chromis - Chromis atripectoralis Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.8 MB), MOV-format (5.1 MB) |
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Manta ray Species: Manta ray - Manta birostris (Myliobatiformes) Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (16.9 MB), MOV-format (13.3 MB) |
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Giant moray eel in reef crevice Species: Giant moray eel - Gymnothorax javanicus Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.4 MB), MOV-format (3.8 MB) |
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Napolean wrasse on reef slope Species: Napoleon wrasse - Cheilinus undulatus Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.5 MB), MOV-format (4.1 MB) |
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Lion fish Species: Spotfin lionfish - Pterois antennata Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.6 MB), MOV-format (5.0 MB) |
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False clown anemonefish Species: False clown anemonefish - Amphiprion ocellaris Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (8.2 MB), MOV-format (6.1 MB) |
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Whitetip reef shark Species: Whitetip reef shark - Triaenodon obesus (Selachii) Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.5 MB), MOV-format (5.5 MB) |
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Spinecheek anemonefish - pair Species: Spinecheek anemonefish - Premnas biaculeatus Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (8.2 MB), MOV-format (7.8 MB) |
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Where all the fish went... Object: Tons of fish Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.3 MB), MOV-format (2.4 MB) |
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Pink anemonefish with anemone Species: Pink anemonefish - Amphiprion perideraion Magnificent sea anemone - Heteractis magnifica Location: Lehage Island, North Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.2 MB), MOV-format (5.5 MB) |
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Pufferfish swimming Species: Arothron c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (4.4 MB), MOV-format (4.3 MB) |
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Pufferfish resting Species: Giant pufferfish - Arothron stellatus c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (6.4 MB), MOV-format (6.4 MB) |
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Yellow trumpetfish Species: Yellow trumpetfish - Aulostomus chinensis (Aulostomidae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.2 MB), MOV-format (3.3 MB) |
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Damselfish Species: Reticulated dascyllus - Dascyllus reticulatus Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.2 MB), MOV-format (3.1 MB) |
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Triggerfish Species: Black triggerfish - Odonus niger c.f. Location: Lehage Island, North Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (6.3 MB), MOV-format (11.8 MB) |
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Sweetlips Species: Lined sweetlips - Plectorhinchus lineatus c.f. Location: Lehage Island, North Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (6.2 MB), MOV-format (12.3 MB) |
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Whale shark close-up Species: Whale shark- Rhincodon typus Location: North of Isla Contoy (Mexico) Download: WMV-format (2.3 MB), MOV-format (3.9 MB) |
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Ray resting Species: Kuhl’s stingray - Dasyatis kuhlii c.f. Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.9 MB), MOV-format (4.2 MB) |
| Molluscs | |
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Cuttlefish Species: Broadclub cuttlefish - Sepia latimanus c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (10.5 MB), MOV-format (12.7 MB) |
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Giant clam Species: Giant clam- Tridacna squamosa Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (0.8 MB), MOV-format (0.9 MB) |
| Polychaetes and flatworms | |
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Fan worm Species: Fan worm - Sabellastarte spp. c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.7 MB), MOV-format (3.4 MB) |
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Fan worm Species: Fan worm - Sabellastarte spp. c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.8 MB), MOV-format (2.7 MB) |
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Flatworm Species: Pseudocerotidae c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.9 MB), MOV-format (4.1 MB) |
| Echinoderms | |
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Cushion starfish Species: Cushion starfish - Culcita spp. c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.0 MB), MOV-format (2.0 MB) |
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Crown of thorns starfish Species: Crown of thorns starfish - Acanthaster spp. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (4.4 MB), MOV-format (4.7 MB) |
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Starfish Species: Granular starfish - Choriaster granulatus c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.4 MB), MOV-format (2.7 MB) |
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Sea- cucumber foraging Species: Giant bêche-de-mer - Thelenota anax c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (9.4 MB), MOV-format (9.5 MB) |
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Sea- cucumber feeding Species: Striated sea-cucumber - Bohadschia graeffei c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (3.3 MB), MOV-format (5.1 MB) |
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Blue sea-star Species: Blue sea-star- Linckia laevigata c.f. Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.8 MB), MOV-format (2.4 MB) |
| Sponges | |
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Sponges and marine snow Species: Sponges, phytoplankton, marine snow aggregates Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (10 MB), MOV-format (11 MB) |
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Sponge Zoom IN Species: Barrel sponge Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.6 MB), MOV-format (4.1 MB) |
| Crustaceans | |
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Shrimps competing Species: Spotted cleaner shrimp - Periclimenes yucatanicus Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.4 MB), MOV-format (5.8 MB) |
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Lobster on coral Species: Painted Rock Lobster - Panulirus versicolor Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (4.0 MB), MOV-format (3.9 MB) |
| Ascidians | |
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Singing ascidian Species: Singing ascidian- Clavelina robusta (Laticaudinae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (2.7 MB), MOV-format (2.8 MB) |
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Golden sea squirt Species: Golden sea squirt - Polycarpa aurata (Laticaudinae) Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (5.3 MB), MOV-format (4.5 MB) |
| Mammals | |
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Dolphins racing the boat Species: Dolphins Location: Heron Island - Great Barrier Reef ( Australia) Download: WMV-format (1.7 MB), MOV-format (4.1 MB)
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| Reptiles | |
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Banded seasnake - foraging Species: Banded seasnake- Laticauda compressicauda (Laticaudinae) Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (6.1 MB), MOV-format (6.2 MB) |
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Loggerhead turtle climbing the beach Species: Loggerhead turtle - Caretta caretta Location: Heron Island - Great Barrier Reef ( Australia) Download: WMV-format (2.3 MB), MOV-format (4.2 MB) |
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Turtle feeding on coral rubble Species: Hawksbill turtle - Eretmochelys imbricata (Dermochelyoidea) Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (13.8 MB), MOV-format (13.8 MB) |
| Reef sites | |
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Batu Bolong sea mount Species: Jewel fairy basslets - Pseudathias squamipinnis, Ambon chromis - Chromis amboinensis, diverse reef surface Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (17.1 MB), MOV-format (17.4 MB) |
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Reef flat in Spermonde 1 Species: Various species of hard- and soft corals Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (18.2 MB), MOV-format (18.6 MB) |
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Reef flat in Spermonde 2 Species: Hard- and soft corals - dominant: Turbinaria, Porites, Acropora, Sarcophyton Location: Spermonde, South Sulawesi (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (9.2 MB), MOV-format (9.4 MB) |
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Strong currents around Komodo Species: Some of the strongest oceanic currents wordwide Location: Batu Bolong, Komodo (Indonesia) Download: WMV-format (7.2 MB), MOV-format (6.8 MB) |
Usage and credits
All video clips presented above are free for educational and scientific use with credit to the respective author. Films shot in Spermonde (South Sulawesi) by Dr. Claudio Richter (ZMT-Bremen), North Sulawesi and Komodo by Malik Naumann (CORE Munich), Australia and Mexico by Dr. Christian Wild (CORE Munich).
For commercial use please contact the authors for permission. Usage of resources from this site requires linking back to www.palmuc.de/core. Please avoid cumulative downloads!