Animals

There are many animals in the ocean.

(click on the animal for pictures)

(Do not use the pictures that we provided as examples for actual creatures. They are only cartoons.)

Whales are mammals that live in the ocean. Like other mammals, they need to come up to breath. The whales swim in groups called herds, pods, or schools. The sperm whale can hold it's breath for up to 2 hours. Whales can get up to 100 feet long and weigh up to 150 tons. All whales are warm-blooded and have small, thin strands of hair on their heads. The Killer whale along with the Pilot whale are actually dolphins. Whales are like you and me, before they ar born they get carried by their mother from 10-12 months, instead of 9 months, except the sperm whale carries her baby for 15 months. As soon as it is born the mother takes it up to the surface to get air,with their blowhole or nostril. It looks like a cloud called a spout. The newborn whale begins swimming right after birth.

Baleen whales have no teeth, they have about 200 plates called Baleen. Baleen whales have two blowholes, unlike toothed whales which only have one. Baleen whales include the Blue, Gray, Sei, Black Right, Fin, Bowhead, Minke and Humpback whales. The whales that have teeth are the Sperm, Killer, Baird's Beaked, Pilot, Narwhal, and the Beluga whales.

The Killer, Bowhead, and Sperm whales can live from 15 to 60 years or longer. Killer whales ocassionally attack other younger whales.

A seal is a sea mammal. It has 4 flippers instead of legs and flaps that cover their ears, and also have a thick layer of fat under their skin to keep them warm in cold climates. Most cow seals bear their offspring at five or six years old. Seals feed on marine animals like fish, shellfish, and squid, swallowing fish whole and biting off pieces of larger prey. Harbor seals on the other hand live on mostly fish and octopus. Seals use echolocation to get around. They live in the Hawiian, Mediterranean, Carribean , and Polar seas, and are hunted for skins, oils, and food. The seals enemies are humans, large sharks and killer whales. Polar bears also hunt seals in the polar regions. Seals try to escape an attacker and can swim up to 10 miles an hour for about five minutes. A seal's lifespan varies on different factors such as food and it's predators, but can live up to 30 years.

Dolphins are closely related to whales and porpoises.(See above.) They are mammals not fish, and need air to breath and to nurse their young. They have lungs and are warm blooded. Some of the most intelligent of animals, they are easy to train and adapt quickly. They live in fresh or slightly salty water and mostly stay near land. Some dolphins are only 4 feet long, but can range up to 30 feet long. When fully grown they can weigh as little as100 pounds . The most familiar types are the common dolphin and the bottle-nosed dolphin. But the bottle-nosed dolphin is the most commonly known. It has a short beak and can measure up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 600 pounds! Temperate or tropical waters is where they are most commonly found and are easily adaptable.

Sharks are a type of fish. They range from 2 feet to 50 feet. Sharks are different from other fish in many ways. Sharks have a boneless skeleton made of cartilage, a tough elastic-like substance. Sharks have a rounded body. It is almost shaped like a torpedo. Sharks can have up to 60 young at a time, but most have a lot less.

Many people don't like to swim very far out in the ocean because they are afraid of the White Shark, or the "Great White Shark." It eats almost anything, even humans. Not only that, but the White Shark can swim fast, too. Even though the fish are large, they can still swim very fast, especially when they're excited. The fastest sharks have a crescent shaped tail which provides the power. Sharks have a large liver filled with oil. The oil is lighter than water and helps stop sharks from sinking, even with this help, sharks are constantly swimming so they don't sink.

Turtles are a very strange creature. As we all know, a turtle has a shell that they hide in when they are scared, but a sea turtle cannot withdraw into their shells. A turtle is the only reptile with a shell. They are hatched by the warmth of the sun on shore and then they have to travel a short distance to the ocean. They grow up in the ocean and don't come out until the female turtles have to lay their eggs, then the process begins again. Turtles grow from 4 to 8 feet in diameter. They can also swim as fast as 20 miles per hour. With a very long life span, some turtles can live up to 100 years! Turtles eat both animals and plants. Soft-shelled turtles eat mainly animals.

Octopus are sea animals with pouch-shaped bodies, large eyes, and eight muscular arms with many suction cups. This animal can eat crabs, clams, and snails by killing them with with their suction cups. Some lay up to 100,000 eggs. They range from 2 inches to 30 feet. The smallest octopus ever found weighs only 1 ounce, although weight varies up to 110 pounds. Most have short lives. Many live only 1 year or less. The largest of the species can live up to 3 years. They can change colors from pink to brown and eject ink from a small sac for protection. They look like they have a large head but actually their skull is very small.

Fish are vertebrates. They are aquatic animals with fins and gills. Fish get oxygen out of the water with their gills, for breathing. Fins are very muscular and help fish swim fast. The largest fish is more than twice as big as an African elephant. That wouldn't even fit in some lakes! The smallest fish is a Trimmatom nanus, which is less than 1 centimeter long when fully grown. that would fit on a baby's fingernail. (There are too many types of fish to name or write about them here, so we are just going to leave it at that. For more information on fish or any other animals that live in the ocean, check out our links.)

Starfish are a strange looking creatures. The starfish is a crustacean and its also an invertibrae. Starfish live in shallow ocean waters, throughout the world. Usually starfish are orange or yellow but sometimes can be brightly colored. Starfish range in size from under 1/2 an inch to over 3 feet.They have five or more arms coming from the center of their body. Starfish have a rough surface on top but on the bottom it is rather smooth, and rubbery.

Crabs are also crustaceans with a large cephalothorax covered by a broad, flat shell. Extending from the cephalothorax are five pairs of legs, all jointed, with the first pair bearing claws. Crabs have a pair of eyes on mobile stocks and many mouth parts. Usually crabs move sideways, but they are able to move in all directions. Some are found in shallow water, and some deep ocean floors. They range in size from 1/12'' to 12 feet long. Some can weigh up to 12 pounds.

(For more information check out our links page under glossary. The hard words are in there, too!)

The World of Oceans ~ Ocean Importance ~ Ocean Exploration ~ Animals ~ Plants
Problems Of The Ocean ~ How The Ocean Moves ~ Game ~ Glossary