00:03In many parts of the world, our planet's coral reefs are in trouble, which is why this is a sight
00:08for sore eyes.
00:09This video was captured in the waters surrounding the island of Okinawa in Japan.
00:13And what you're seeing floating around isn't some independent organism.
00:16Experts say those little white specks are actually tiny coral eggs and coral sperm.
00:21The little bits are called gametes, and they're released at the same time,
00:24hopefully allowing for the reproduction of more coral.
00:26Reuters reports that this particular coral type only spawns once a year and for only a short period of time,
00:32usually only a couple of days, with some corals only doing so for as little as 10 to 30 minutes
00:37a year.
00:38Meaning catching it on film is not an easy task.
00:41The whole process is called broadcast spawning,
00:43where both sexual reproduction gametes are released into the waters immediately surrounding the coral.
00:48Experts also say that many corals synchronize their spawning periods as well.
00:51Releasing all of their gametes together is seen here, where they can then meet and produce offspring.
00:57Offering!
01:01Ending
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