Marine Vertebrates

Whale shark / Rhincodon typus / Family - Rhincodontidae

Only five per cent of the millions of species of animals so far known to science have backbones.

The vertebrates, as they are known, include mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes.

Although vertebrates in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are out-numbered 20 to 1 by the invertebrates, they constitute some of the largest and most spectacular animals on Earth.

The Park is home to about 30 species of whales and dolphins, tens of thousands of seabirds, six of the world's seven marine turtle species, and about 1500 fish species.

One of the world' s largest populations of dugong also lives in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The many islands of the Park also support a diverse range of animals and birds.