Classroom lesson · Wildlife · 🇰🇲 Comoros

Mohéli Marine Park

A protected underwater world full of coral, turtles, and dolphins

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Mohéli Marine Park is an area of ocean around the smallest island of Comoros that has been set aside to protect the sea creatures that live there. The clear warm water is home to coral reefs, green sea turtles, dolphins, and hundreds of types of fish. It is one of the most important places in the whole Indian Ocean for wildlife.

Tell me more

Mohéli (say: moh-AY-lee) is a quiet, peaceful island with very few roads. The sea around it is so clean and clear that you can see coral and fish through the water from a boat. The marine park was created so that these amazing sea creatures will always have a safe home.

Green sea turtles love the beaches of Mohéli. At night, female turtles drag themselves up onto the sand to lay their eggs. When the baby turtles hatch, they scramble across the beach and into the ocean. Villagers on Mohéli help watch over the turtle nesting beaches to make sure the eggs are safe.

The coral reef is like an underwater city — a giant living structure made by tiny animals called coral polyps. Bright fish dart in and out of the coral, and dolphins often swim alongside boats. Scientists come from around the world to study the coral reefs of Mohéli because they are in such good condition.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Why is it important to protect areas of ocean like a marine park?
  2. 02How do you think local villagers feel about the turtles that nest on their beaches?
  3. 03What rules might visitors to a marine park need to follow to keep the sea creatures safe?
Try this

Classroom activity

Create an 'ocean zone' poster for Mohéli Marine Park. Draw the beach at the top, then the shallow reef below the water, then the deep ocean at the bottom. Add at least five different animals in their correct zone and label each one.