French Reef is a
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
Co ...
located within the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has ex ...
. It lies 11 km southeast of
Key Largo, within the Key Largo Existing Management Area, which is immediately to the east of
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. French Reef is northeast of
Molasses Reef. Part of the reef lies within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA), which is 37 ha in area. A number of caves and arches in a spur and groove formation are included in the SPA.
Gallery
File:Christmas tree worm party.jpg, Christmas tree worm
''Spirobranchus giganteus'', commonly known as the Christmas tree worm, is a tube-building polychaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae.
Anatomy and morphology
Both its common and Latin names refer to the two chromatically hued spiral s ...
s on a bleached coral head, 2014
File:Glassy Sweeper Fish inside cave on French Reef, Key Largo (15461169962).jpg, Glassy sweepers inside cave
File:Stingray on French Reef, Key Largo (15458361111).jpg, Stingray
Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...
on French Reef
File:Sergeant Major Fish over French Reef, Key Largo (15274791130).jpg, Sergeant major fish over French Reef
External links
*
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Maps, Florida Keys EastNOAA Navigational Chart 11464
{{Recreational dive sites, reesit
Coral reefs of the Florida Keys
Underwater diving sites in the United States