This section contains information, facts, and worksheets on the thousands of Marine Life species which live in the oceans covering 70% of the earth's surface.
Read more...
Our planet is also known as the blue planet. With 70% of its surface covered by oceans, it’s a seemingly limitless ecosystem that plays host to thousands of amazing species of vertebrates and invertebrates that we may find cute, awe-inspiring or even cause for fear.
The oceans are one of the least explored regions on the planet, meaning new creatures are waiting to be found, whether they’re just beneath our feet on the shore, or miles underwater. But for each new and remarkable species that will be discovered, there are scores that we know of already, some of which are firm favorites, including whales, dolphins, sharks, fish, seals, walrus, turtles, penguins, seagulls, starfish, octopus, crabs, mollusks and coral, to name just some.
The more we know about the ocean and the life within it, the better we’re able to protect them and undo the damage we’ve done already. Apex predators, like sharks, are under threat because of fear, misunderstanding and getting tangled in fishing nets. Dolphins and whales, while popular and protected species are finding it harder to find food because of overfishing. And because people love to eat fish as a healthy form of protein, fish stocks are being diminished to the point that, without proper management and intervention, their numbers could collapse.
The ocean in general, though vast beyond comprehension, is also a sensitive ecosystem and feels the impact of our activities. With global temperatures rising as a result of climate change, coral reefs are struggling to survive, with coral bleaching affecting reefs all over the world. A big threat to one of our favorite creatures, the turtle, is the growing problem of ocean plastics – a plastic bag looks just like a jellyfish to a turtle, and so they eat it.
The fate of the ocean and all its creatures lies in our hands, and though it may seem daunting because of the sheer scale of the problems, it’s easy to make small changes that will have a huge impact on this vast body of water. Simple things like not using plastic straws, using paper bags instead of plastic, eliminating the use of single-use plastics and recycling are easy things that you can do at home, starting today. You can then expand your activism to your school, community, surrounding businesses, and restaurants, all the way up to government.
Browse this section to learn about amazing sea creatures that deserve your protection and start thinking about how you can affect change to save marine life.
We pride ourselves on being a safe website for both teachers and students. KidsKonnect uses a secure SSL connection to encrypt your data and we only work with trusted payment processors Stripe and PayPal.