Australia's Great Barrier Reef Hit By Record Bleaching

An AFP team saw bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef during a recent visit (Credit: AFP)

Australia's spectacular Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its worst bleaching event on record, the country's reef authority reported on Wednesday.

Often dubbed the world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) long expanse, home to a stunning array of biodiversity including more than 600 types of coral and 1,625 fish species.