The World's Biggest Breeding Event

[Mark Kelly]

Every year the corals on the world's largest reef synchronise their spawning, releasing literally trillions of gametes each night for three or four days. The prediction is that it will happen this weekend, so the ABC is doing a live broadcast.

This may well redefine slow TV but it might interest some. I am assuming the online version will be available outside Oz.

[Paul Jacobs]

Thank you, it interests me.

There is a taster here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p006ffc0

[Too Tall]

Every year the corals on the world's largest reef synchronise their spawning, releasing literally trillions of gametes each night for three or four days. The prediction is that it will happen this weekend, so the ABC is doing a live broadcast.

This may well redefine slow TV but it might interest some. I am assuming the online version will be available outside Oz.

FANTASTIC. Thanks for this. Much better than watching cable news.

[Dmoeny]

Hmmm. Seems that it might not be available in the us without location trickery. I’m getting an iview is not available in your region error. Damn.

[claritycycler]

Never even considered coral breeding. This is from the teaser mentioned above, but you really need to see it, amazing:

Coral Spawning
Corals reproduce sexually, but are at a disadvantage as they are fixed to the sea bed. So the use the rising water temperatures of spring and the phases of the moon as a cue to synchronise their reproductive activity to maximise the chance of success. Species that have separate sexes must release eggs and sperm at similar times for them to be fertilised. Some species of coral are both male and female, and they release eggs already prepackaged in sperm. Bundles of eggs and sperm float to the surface to mix with others along the reef. Each kind of coral times its release to a certain hour on a certain night, maximising the chance of cross-fertilisation. The fertilised eggs drift away from the reef.

[SlowPokePete]

Sheesh...takes all the fun out of it.

SPP

[9tubes]

Did anyone else read the thread title and wonder: "do ya mean Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale?"