Types of Underwater Animals.
Our ocean habitats cover an impressive two-thirds of the earth’s surface and contain up to 226,000 species of underwater animals. The world’s oceans can be divided into five sections – the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Each one is home to thousands of unique and colorful species of fish, mammals, and other wildlife. Let’s look at just a few of these incredible marine creatures!
Pacific Ocean Animals.
Sea Lions: Using their fore flippers to swim and back flippers to steer, these hefty mammals can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour! The species is found along the coast of Japan and Korea, western North America from southern Canada to mid-Mexico, and the Galápagos Islands.
Killer Whales: As part of the dolphin family, killer whales are classed as mammals, despite being commonly mistaken for fish. Killer whales get their name from their success at hunting – they feed off various fish, seals, and even whales.
Nudibranch: These are colorful, soft-bodied mollusks that shed their shells after releasing larvae. More commonly known as “sea slugs,” they get their nameNudibranchfrom “naked gill,” referring to the breathing apparatus outside their bodies.
Atlantic Ocean Animals.
Sea Horses: Technically fish, these beautiful creatures are known to swim in pairs with their tails linked. Luckily for them, very few other animals eat the sea horse because they are just too boney (except for crabs). They’ve cleverly adapted to look like sea plants to avoid them, though. Fun fact: the male seahorses get pregnant and give birth to the young!
Green Sea Turtle: These beautiful animals can weigh up to 160kg when fully grown. When they’re still growing, they eat jellyfish and sponges. In adult life, they’re herbivores, meaning they maintain a plant-based diet, sustaining themselves on sea grasses and algae.
Salmon: Our planet’s salmon population has massively suffered due to overfishing. Often, fish aren’t caught for food sustainably, meaning that their numbers deplete and sometimes go extinct. However, they can grow up to a meter long and feed off a range of other life, such as plankton and insects in their youth and Capelin in adulthood.
Indian Ocean Animals.
Butterfly fish: Recognizable due to their beautifully colored scales, these tropical fish can also be found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They’re named due to their stunning coloring, which ranges from yellow to silver, red, orange, and black. They sometimes even have eye-like patterns on their bodies.
Oceanic dolphins: There are 36 species of dolphins that can be found in every ocean. The majority of dolphins live in the sea or brackish waters along coastlines. Dolphins are small, toot cetaceans with curved mouths, making it look like they are constantly smiling!
Whale sharks: These mighty creatures are the largest fish in the ocean. The largest one on record was over 20m long and weighed 42 tonnes! Grey-blue in color, these giants display an exciting pattern of pale spots on their bodies. The design is unique to each individual, just as human fingerprints are.
Antarctic and Arctic Ocean Animals.
Seals are brilliantly adapted to their environment, with a thick layer of blubber (fat) to keep them warm. In addition, their long whiskers help them to detect prey when hunting underwater.
Antarctic Krill: They’re small crustaceans that live in large swarms, with a whopping 10,000 to 30,000 individuals per square meter! Most people will know these creatures to be a favorite delicacy amongst whales.
Beluga Whale: Easily recognizable due to their bright white coloring, these large-headed creatures are known as the canaries of the sea, being the most vocal of all the whales.
