Home Sweet Home Barney's Barrier Reef

Australia, home of the possum, cool surfer dudes, strange lingo...

No worries, mate, fair dinkum.

..Lots of sunshine and the bonza Barrier Reef.

It's the biggest, most spectacular coral reef in the world.

What's more, every creature is linked to another.

Imagine one huge family tree dating back 18 million years...

from the miniscule to the mammoth to the miraculous.

They're all connected in Barney's Barrier Reef.

Come on, I've got something to show you.

I don't want it, I'm chilling in my hut.

-In YOUR hut?

-Yes, look.

Everybody knows that we all need our own space, Barney.

See this line here? Your space.

Over here, my space.

In fact...

Home is where the heart is.

You know what, the reef community is no different to this either.

The reef is like its own very special country

with each ocean creature competing for their own space.

From mobile homes to caravans to their own unique rental agreements,

the reef has every type of accommodation.

That's yours...

It's time to dive deep and discover why there's no place like home.

Yeah, I agree.

Hah! There we go. Home sweet home.

Corals are the biggest colonies of living animals in the reef.

It might look like a plant but there's a lot more to it than that.

Corals dominate the areas they live in.

When they set up home, they cover 80% of the reef.

They're like the big reef landlords

and provide comfy homes for many creatures.

So I see. Crabs, shrimps, yellow feathery things, you name it.

From the colourful to the spiky, cute, funny and...

ugly.

Hey, who are you calling ugly?

Sorry, big guy. No offence.

Corals are the cities of the reef, like London, New York or Sydney.

There are high-rises, basement flats and modern deluxe penthouses.

And they're called loads of different things -

branching, boulder and brain coral.

I can see why it's called that.

Are you sure that didn't belong to a person?

If coral is a kind of housing estate, what about the tenants?

Let me introduce our first home-lover, the zooxanthellae.

The whatathelly?

Zooxanthellae. They're tiny plants that kind of pay rent to the corals

by gathering energy from the sun and then passing this on as food

to their coral landlord.

In return, the corals provide shelter, protection and food,

mainly in the form of waste.

-What kind of waste?

-Well, all the stuff the coral doesn't need.

Their garbage, basically.

That's not my idea of a good deal.

So, the Zoothe-thingy is connected to our coral

by being a coral-dweller, like a kind of tenant.

Yup, the zooxanthellae is a tenant in the mighty

coral housing estate and they're connected by their rental agreement.

Who else lives in our coral housing estate?

Next connection, please.

More coral? Hang on, what's that blue toilet-brush?

It's called a Christmas tree worm and it also lives in the coral

which creates a soft and safe home for the worm.

Christmas tree worm, cos it's shaped like a Christmas tree. Clever.

That's not a worm though!

I've got loads in my garden that don't look like that.

although I'd be quite happy if they did.

Well, worms are everywhere and the ocean's no different.

When they're little, the Christmas tree worm swims around till it finds

a bare patch to live on live coral, like where a fish has had a chomp.

It settles onto this patch and waits for the coral to grow around it as it heals.

They're playing hide and seek.

Cute! They're very sensitive to disturbances and vibrations

-and so quickly retract. They're quite shy.

-Bless 'em!

When they think the danger's over,

they'll reappear and test the water before fully extending.

Pretty yet clever worms. Now that's a first.

Poor old coral, it's got heaps of stuff living in it.

The Zoo-thingies lived in the coral too, didn't they?

Zooxanthellae, that's right.

The Christmas tree worms are linked to the zooxan-diddlybum

because they both make homes in the coral. OK, who's our next contender?

Hang on, we've had corals. They're the and cities of the ocean,

towering over everything, blah blah blah...

That's when they're providing a home for everything else.

When they need to find their own space, it's different.

That's when they get really competitive.

But how can corals be competitive?

They're just there. It's not like they can run away or anything.

That's where you're wrong. Once fully-grown,

-it's every coral for itself.

-Yeah but why?

Cos I mean the seabed's big enough for loads of corals, surely?

But like anyone looking for a home,

they want the best spot which in their case

is the sunniest part away from the force of breaking waves.

Some corals will simply try to compete with their neighbours

by growing faster, higher or wider.

Or, if another coral is moving too close,

they can send out stinging tentacles to try and fight it off.

'Alien vessel approaching.'

Is there anything in this reef that doesn't sting?

Yeah, most animals, really. But coral certainly can.

Its other weapon is to push its stomach

on the outside of their mouth and digest the other coral.

'Alien vessel approaching.'

OK, nope. That, I wouldn't do. Even for the sunniest house in Britain.

-Hang on a minute, though. The sun in Oz is pretty deadly, right?

-Yes.

-So why don't they dry out?

-I'm glad you asked that question, Barney.

They produce their own sun block.

Cool! Coral sun block. Now that's something I'd like to try.

Probably not. It comes in the form of a sticky, smelly mucus.

Ah, that's gross. I like it, though.

It is pretty amazing. No, no... that's the middle bit, there.

My side, your side. Very good.

It is pretty amazing that corals fight each other for space.

It's a bit like the Christmas tree worm

cos they fight coral too, for a bit of their turf.

Now that's my side just there.

That's it... that's mine, that's yours.

Competitive corals are linked to our Christmas tree worm

as they both survive by damaging coral.

Oh, wow, moving rocks!

Oh, no, wait... turtles.

Why do they stick their necks out? It can't be comfortable.

-Are they stuck?

-They're not like tortoises.

They can't pull their heads back into their shells.

They're really quite amazing. Do you know they can grow to over 160kg?

That's like the equivalent of 40 cats.

Imagine trying to pick up 40 cats or one very big one!

It's no wonder they can't move very fast.

Why are they throwing sand everywhere? Are they having fun?

Well, she is. That is a nesting female digging a hole for her eggs.

She's not getting very far. She's just flinging sand everywhere.

I know it looks chaotic but she'll get there in the end

and end up covered in sand.

Oops!

So what's she doing now?

She's laying her eggs into the chamber at the bottom of the pit.

She's gathering sand using one flipper at a time,

a bit like us using a cupped hand,

and throwing the sand away from the chamber

so it's ready for laying her eggs.

Whoa! It's like a pinball machine.

I know what you mean! She's made a safe home for her eggs.

Now she starts to get paranoid.

Like any mother, she wants to do the best for her kids.

No matter what movement or disturbances happen,

like passing humans, she just carries on finishing the nest.

Or flinging sand about.

-Yeah, they do go a bit wild.

-It's a bit crowded on that beach.

Yeah, there's about 20,000 turtles nesting.

Hang on a minute, hold the film...

that's 20,000 turtles on an island

the size of about 32 football pitches? That's mad.

Yup, about 625 turtles per football pitch all trying

to find space for their babies, so no wonder they're competitive.

-Now that is a cute baby turtle!

-I know!

After two months, the babies dig their way out at night and then race

down to the sea to avoid being eaten by predators and then they're off!

They're pretty independent.

They move much quicker in the water. That's almost fast for a turtle.

I know, clumsy on land, graceful in water.

So, the connection here, I'm guessing, is competition?

The corals were competing for a prime spot on the reef

and the mother turtles competing for the best home for their eggs.

Absolutely.

Isn't it lovely how all these ocean creatures

have their own special place?

So, Barney, remind me,

how did we get from the corals to the turtles again?

We started off with the corals...

our ultimate housing estate and home provider.

They're landlords to the zooxanthellae

and pretty Christmas tree worms who also link to competitive coral,

who are obsessed with owning the sunniest spot in the reef.

Nearly as competitive as our mummy turtles whose wild flinging

of sand is a ploy to put their eggs in the safest housing,

no matter who else got there first.

Enter our next contender, looking for a home sweet home.

So, who connects to our proud mum, the turtle?

Our friend the shark. Wowsers, those are some pretty big teeth.

Actually, these are grey nurse sharks.

They might look scary with their snagging teeth

but they're pretty placid, really.

Those teeth are good for holding fish but they're not flesh-rippers

like other sharks.

Oh, a friendly shark?

-That's a new one.

-Well, most are pretty harmless to be honest.

Not convinced just yet.

Surely they don't have problems looking for a home?

They're big and look scary.

No, they don't have problems finding a home to chill in

but for their babies, it's different.

-This is the worst case of sibling rivalry you'll ever hear about.

-Uh-oh.

-Brace yourself.

So, nurse shark eggs hatch inside the mother shark.

Yeah, not shocked yet.

When the pups are born, they're only about the size of a small sausage.

Pups? Like puppies, OK.

Yup, small but certainly not shy.

These tiny baby sharks do the unimaginable.

They start to eat each other.

Whoa, hang on!

What, they start to eat their own brothers and sisters?

They must be hungry!

No, it's not about their hunger,

This is an example of sibling rivalry to the extreme.

Again, it's all about them competing for space in their mum's belly

because they're a metre long when they're actually born.

-A metre? That is a big baby.

-That's the thing -

their mum is just over two metres herself,

so it's like giving birth to something half her size.

They fight to the death

because they're basically securing their place in their first home.

It's survival of the fittest and out of about 80 eggs, only two are born.

Respect to the sharks. Those are some big babies.

So, the mother turtle competes fiercely for a home for her eggs

and the grey nurse pups compete fiercely for their own space

inside their mum.

So grey nurse sharks are connected to our turtles

by what else but competition.

Step up, our next contender, the hermit crab.

Ah, I've heard of this guy.

He carries his shell on his back, like a portable home. Next!

-As ever, it's not quite as simple as that, Barney.

-Of course not.

As you said, this crab is famous

for nicking abandoned shells for its home.

I always thought that was weird.

-It's like wearing someone else's pants.

-I agree.

They'll go to any extreme.

Sometimes, when there aren't shells available,

they have to make do with what they can find.

Hermit crabs have been found wearing bottle-tops

or even bits of pipe like this one.

If he keeps this pipe as his home, he'll end up growing pipe-shaped.

He'll have a pipe-shaped bottom! I bet the other crabs laugh at him.

Possibly. Unless they're the ones wearing the bottle tops!

-Do they stay in the same shell, or bottle top, forever?

-No.

As they grow, they need bigger houses, a bit like us.

You wouldn't want to stay in your Wendy house forever.

I'll have you know I've never stayed in a Wendy house.

Although I did have a friend called Wendy and I stayed with her once.

You know what I mean.

Anyway, this is when it gets really competitive.

Good homes are not always available

and the crabs really go to war when they need one.

-Crab wars, great!

-Like these two.

Haw-ya!

Hai! Hai!

Firstly, he tries to drown him in sand

and then go in for the comedy chase option.

Their life depends on it. A hermit crab without a shell

or a home of some kind is not going to survive very long in the ocean.

So, as ever, it's one crab for itself.

Crabs fight to the death to find new homes.

I can sense a running theme here.

You're right, the link is competition again,

for a decent home to survive.

Both the grey nurse sharks and hermit crabs

make sure they do survive, whatever it takes.

Next, the anemone.

Ah, one of my favourites.

# Anemone Ba ba ba da-da... #

But I've never seen an anemone move like that!

That's because he's hitching a ride with a hermit crab.

What a complete freeloader. These anemones get everywhere.

They encourage the anemone because they know that anemones

can sting and scare away predators that might want to eat them.

OK, but what does the sea anemone get out of this?

A free home for a start.

A mobile home as well.

And they're in a good position to gobble up the crab's food.

Another I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine-relationship.

Except this one is,

"I'll hitch a ride on your back and gobble up your crumbs."

And sting your enemies, so it works well.

So the anemone is connected to the hermit crab

which steals other animal's shells to live in

because they both have mobile homes.

Correct. Enter our next entrant in our home-sweet-home category.

What's so special about this geezer?

Apart from the fact that he's got a leopard-skin top and domino bottom.

Let me introduce Mr Triggerfish.

Wow, he's got a big mouth.

Hello!

He's got rat-like sharp teeth and a spiny dorsal fin.

The first spine is very long and then they go down in size.

When the fish is in his home, the first of his spines

is locked upright by the second

and drops only when the second is pressed like a trigger.

Hence the name. Clever.

They do this so they can lock themselves firmly in a mass of coral

and that will be their home for the night or till danger has passed.

So they can sleep anywhere and lock themselves in

using their spiny fin?

Yeah. They're like the hotel-dwellers of the reef

staying wherever is convenient or safe for the night.

-Don't forget to lock yourself in nice and tight.

-Righty-o.

They're a bit like the anemone that lives on the hermit crab

because they can move house whenever they fancy .

Right, triggerfish are linked to the anemones

because they can change their home. Next?

Who links to our hotel guest the triggerfish?

Our friend the parrotfish.

Ah, yes, ordinary-looking fish with a mouth of steel.

And, let's not forget, a sand-blasted bottom.

Trust you to remember they poo sand.

Yes, the parrotfish spend the day in schools, chomping algae off rocks

but at night they separate and search for somewhere to sleep.

So where do they go? Under rocks and stuff?

Yeah, in coral mainly. But, like the triggerfish,

they choose different places each night.

The difference with these guys is they make their own sleeping bag

or tent and kind of camp out for the night.

Could you run that past me again?

Let's start with the word "how"?

-It's another fascinating use of mucus.

-Snot?

Yes, they release mucus and wrap it around themselves

before they sleep.

OK, well this is an obvious question - why?

It protects them from predators that hunt by smell, like sharks.

So it's kind of a mixture of sleeping bag and armour.

Another ingenious use of bodily excretions to create a bed

-for the night.

-Hehe! A sleeping bag made out of snot. I love it.

And it snot, I mean, it's not a quick process either.

It takes half an hour to make the cocoon

and almost as long to get out.

And, they eat their way out.

What?

Ho ho! They eat their own snot.

That is gross!

It's another clever way of camping out on the reef.

So, the triggerfish and the parrotfish are both reef campers.

That's another solid creature connection.

Hang on a minute, I need a reef-cap.

So, our competitive mother turtles connected us

to the grey nurse shark pups who eat each other to make more space.

That is so gross! Competition also links us to our hermit crabs.

These guys argue over who has to have the biggest shell. Thank you.

The hermit crab's mobile home also links him

to the piggy-backing anemone

who grabs a free ride and can move house whenever he wants...

just like the roaming triggerfish.

The triggerfish and parrotfish are both expert

at camping out in the reef.

So, talking of parrotfish, who on earth are they connected to?

White-tipped reef sharks. Where do they sleep?

They're the kings of the ocean.

They don't need snot sleeping bags or to burrow themselves away.

Absolutely. The shark is a bit like your millionaire penthouse owner.

They get the best spot, the best view and very little disturbance.

I didn't think sharks needed to sleep.

They're always hunting or scaring things.

Ay! Har har!

True, some sharks don't sleep and have to keep moving to stay alive

because they breathe by passing water over their gills.

But this species of shark,

a bottom-dwelling shark, like a snooze whenever they can.

It looks like it.

This geezer has all the space he needs in his penthouse spot.

So, as ever, the shark gets what he wants with no hassle.

I suppose the parrotfish we saw just now

have got a pretty good deal too.

They can build their own rooms wherever they like.

The shark and the parrotfish are linked

because they're both lucky enough to pick their own homes for the night.

-The rock-moving wrasse.

-There's a clue in that title.

Meet the rocking wrasse, as I like to call them.

Yeah, it just looks like another fish to me.

Barney, there's no such thing in the reef as, "just another fish."

These guys are really cool.

-Yeah, cos they move rocks.

-And they do more than that.

These fish can be seen moving boulders

-much bigger than themselves.

-OK, that's pretty cool.

It's very cool. It's like you lifting a whole car on your own.

Yeah, that's a piece of cake.

-With my muscles, it's a doddle.

-Yeah, if you say so.

Why do they move rocks? It's not just for fun.

They work in pairs. They choose their space

and while one fish shifts large pieces of rock,

revealing their prey, the other grabs it and eats it.

That sounds like good teamwork. But am I missing something?

I mean, they're fish.

How do they pick rocks up?

They pull it with their mouths and push with their snouts.

That is impressive, especially if they're moving

something twice their body weight.

They must have strong mouths.

And they can continue to build new homes for themselves every night

by collecting rubble off the sea floor.

They construct themselves a mound to stay in for the night

and then move on,

just like having a new hotel room every night. How extravagant!

Yep, they're great landscapers.

They can rearrange any area to suit them,

thanks to their strong teeth and flexible frame.

So, our rock-moving wrasse pick their homes wherever

they please, just like our penthouse suite sharks...

except the wrasse works a lot harder for it.

Next, the soldier crab.

Is it me, or are crabs just quite comical?

They walk sideways but quickly.

There's loads of them running together.

That's how they get their name - the soldier crab.

-They come out at low tide and troop about.

-Why so many?

They're like ants in a way.

They come out in their thousands and dig their homes in the sand.

Is that what those squiggly bits are?

They dig in a corkscrew pattern so you can see clearly

where their homes are.

But they're quite safe.

Let me guess, they link back to the rock-moving wrasse

because they're also workmen.

The wrasse construct their homes and the crabs dig theirs.

Spot on. Another ocean digger, the soldier crab,

is linked to our rock-moving wrasse by digging.

So let's see if you can guess our next homely creature.

OK, what's going on here?

Is this another obsessively clean shrimp?

He is a bit obsessive but he's doing it for a reason.

Is it because those yellow fish are clearly just lazy?

No, this is another classic symbiotic relationship.

Yes, when creatures hook up together to help each other out.

Exactly. These fish are gobies and, unlikely though it seems,

they're all flatmates.

Ah, it's the ocean's version of Friends.

Kind of... but they're not just hanging around drinking cappuccinos.

The shrimp makes a burrow in the sand where they all live

and the gobies kind of keep watch.

In fact, the goby is sometimes nicknamed the watchman goby.

-Stay away from my shrimp friend.

-Does he ever take a tea break?

Seems to me like he gets the raw end of the deal.

Maybe. They keep in touch through the shrimp's antennae

and the goby flicking its tail when it's alarmed.

This shrimp hasn't got very good eyesight

but if he feels the goby's flick,

he's straight in that burrow followed quickly by the goby.

At night time, the shrimp will collapse the entrance

once all the flatmates are inside, for protection.

But then he'll have to start his digging all over again

to get them out.

Remind me not to come back as a shrimp!

Far too much like hard work.

I think the shrimp can be awarded the ocean's most house-proud award.

I wouldn't want to be his flatmate. He'd nag me to put away me pants.

And that's a bad thing?

He's even more neat and tidy than the soldier crab,

with his squiggly, muddy burrow.

Why are we looking at a load of swaying grass?

Let's go a little closer.

Wow, look - the grass is alive.

These are the garden eels, one of the weirdest sights in the ocean.

They live in communities of up to several hundred of them.

Is there a reason why they're dancing?

They're busting some pretty good moves, actually. Body-popping!

They're eating plankton,

although they do look like they're all swaying to the same music.

It's like they're at one of those silent discos.

They dig their burrow with their tails and then they just stay there.

-What, forever?

-No.

The big eyes they have work quite well

because when they see a predator,

they can pop down into their burrows.

They look out for each other too, like a real community should.

If one eel hasn't seen the danger approaching, they rely

on the other eels moving to tell them all about it.

Pretty handy. So they're like a neighbourhood watch scheme.

It's nice to see some animals looking out for one another.

Almost as friendly as our shrimp and goby living in the same burrow.

They're linked to our goby and shrimp

because they watch each others' backs. Next!

Whoa, spooky. Is this a shipwreck?

-I love them.

-Yep, this one is called the Yongala Wreck.

It was a passenger and cargo ship with 122 people on board

that got lost in a cyclone in 1911.

It was a mystery where it went but it was found again in 1947.

Now, it's a world-famous wreck site

which is home to loads of different animals.

Look, you can see the port-holes there.

-That's the stern and the rudder.

-It's so eerie.

Do you reckon that's the mast?

Yeah and wouldn't that be the cabins? Or the cargo holds?

Look, there's an electric fan.

And the toilets! How old is that poo?

Yep, the ocean creatures love to have a new home to play with.

A shipwreck is just one example of what is known as an artificial reef.

I bet the fish like it.

A wreck like this must be like exploring a new playground.

Some of these false reefs

give homes to a variety of different animals.

There's a manta ray, swimming alongside a school of trevally,

and the odd nosy diver.

Wrecks are like a ready-made home and there's a space for everyone.

It's a real community, all bundled into a small space,

just like our sociable garden eels.

So garden eels live in communities

and shipwrecks create communities. That's the connection.

Trees? In the reef?

These are mangroves. They're kind of small forests on the coastline

and on islands of the barrier reef.

They help hold the earth together

and stop dirt spilling into the ocean.

So they're useful but there's not much happening.

-It's very calm and peaceful.

-That's the point, my dear Gemma.

Uh-oh, why do I have the feeling you're about to go

all scientific on me?

'And now for the science.'

Mangroves, like corals, make up a living community, where all sorts

of animals choose to live together on a temporary or long-term basis.

Crabs, jellyfish, lobsters, fish, reptiles and birds.

Really, Dr Barnacles, it sounds like the reef's getting a bit full.

Is it like living on the outskirts of a big city?

Kind of. The mangrove is essentially a nursery for many reef babies.

I'm surprised it's so peaceful if it's full of babies!

Baby reef creatures tend to stick together

or keep quiet as they know there's a chance they might get eaten.

But in here, they're much safer.

So the link between wrecks and mangroves must be community.

In this case it's a special one for babies.

Well, one thing's clear about the ocean and that is

that it is home sweet home for many creatures,

but in lots of different ways.

From our coral landlords who safely housed the zooxanthellae

and Christmas tree worms,

who also fight amongst themselves for the best patch of sunlit ocean.

To our ultra-competitive contenders -

our egg-burrowing mother turtle and rather large shark pups competing

to the death inside their mum.

And the hermit crabs,

fighting for the coolest shell in the ocean.

And of course the cheeky travelling anemone.

# Da da da da-da Anemone, da da da da... #

Who links to our snotty hotel guests,

the triggerfish and parrotfish.

Nothing compared to our shark with its penchant for penthouse views.

Then there are the grafters, the rock-moving wrasse.

And the digging soldier crabs.

And the shrimp that cleans up after his goby flatmates.

You can't knock their sense of community, or the garden eels.

Or the wreck and its artificial reef gang.

And don't forget the baby day-care in the mangrove forests.

Which links us back to the coral...

the original landlord and homeowner. Much like me!

Ooh, one last thing.

That's better. Mine, all mine.

Home sweet home.

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