Sea Creatures Around the World
Sea Creatures Around the World
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
Fin Whale
The fin whale is the second largest creature on Earth after the blue whale. It has been severely affected by commercial whaling and now it is rare to see one. If you have seen one, consider yourself lucky! They can grow as long as 89 feet (27 m) in length and can weigh between 40 to 80 tons! The maximum ever recorded weighed in at 114 tons!! They can live to be over 100 years old if left alone. The fin whale’s body is built for speed and it can even go faster than the fastest ocean steamship. It’s capable of speeds of up to 37 km/h but can go short bursts of even 47 km/h, earning it the nickname “greyhound of the sea”. Fin Whales have a very unique coloring with the right underside of their jaw, right lip, and the right side of their baleen being a yellowish-white, while the left-side is gray, making them look asymmetrical. Fun fact, fin whales and blue whales make the lowest frequency sounds of any animals. When they were first recorded by submarines, scientists thought they were tectonic plates grinding. Kind of makes you wonder about what is causing other mysterious ocean sounds.
Portuguese Man of War
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
While this is often considered a jellyfish, the Portuguese man-of-war is actually not an “it” but a “they”! It is made up of a colony of organisms called polyps that work together known as a siphonophore. While the tentacles can extend 165 feet (50 m), the average is about 30 feet (9 m) long. Still nothing to scoff at!! Also known as “the floating terror”, their body is between 5 inches to a foot wide (13 cm- 130 cm). They are usually found in groups of about a thousand or more, and have no independent means of movement. They either drift on the currents or catch the wind, so even though you should be super careful of jellyfish, they aren’t ever out to get you on purpose! The tentacles on a man-of-war are extremely venomous and very painful if you get stung but they are rarely deadly. The venom is typically used to paralyze their prey, such as small fish and other smaller creatures. Also keep in mind that a man-of-war does not need to be alive in order to give off a powerful sting, even if it has washed up on shore and looks dead, it can still sting you! The Portuguese man-of-war floats around the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Indian and Pacific. So keep an eye out if you are swimming around these areas.
Giant Clam
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
The giant clam is the largest living bivalve mollusk on earth. (Bivalve mollusks include clams, oysters, and mussels). Native to the warm waters of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, giant clams are capable of growing an average of 4 feet (1 m) in length and weighing close to 500 pounds (250 kg)! However, some species of clams have been known to grow as long as 6 feet. The large majority of a giant clam’s mass is in its shell, with the soft parts accounting for only approximately 10% of the weight. Giant clams are now endangered because they apparently are also quite delicious and have been hunted for centuries for its healthy protein. The giant clam has one chance to find its perfect home because once it chooses its spot, it stays there for the rest of its life. They can live up to 100 years or more, as long as they are in the wild. Most of the giant clams you see today have been raised in captivity and are really popular in large aquariums. Giant clams achieve their enormous proportions by consuming the sugars and proteins produced by the billions of algae that live in their tissues. This symbiotic relationship protects the algae and they are responsible for the unique coloration.
Great White Shark
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
According to National Geographic, great white sharks are the largest predatory fish in the world. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 m) in length. However, there have been some who have grown to 20 feet (6 m) in length! In fact, the largest Great White Shark ever recorded in the wild was estimated to be 26 feet long, which is more than half the length of a basketball court. Combine this with a bunch of teeth, and this is why people get so scared. They are known to weigh up to 5,000 pounds (2268 kg). The heaviest Great White Shark ever recorded in the wild was estimated to weigh in at a whopping 7,328 pounds. The largest Great White Shark tooth ever found was 3.5 inches (9 cm) long, about the size of the palm of a human hand. Scientists previously thought the life expectancy of a Great White Shark was around 25 years, but a recent study shows that their life expectancy is actually around 70 years if they are not hunted down by humans. They are often found in cool, coastal waters throughout the world and while they tend stay to close to the shore in shallower waters, they have been spotted swimming in open waters at depths of up to 3,900 feet. Once they have fed, Great White Sharks can go a whole three months without having to eat another meal. In general, they are known to eat about 11 tons of food in a year.
Giant Isopod
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
Related to shrimp and crabs, the giant isopod is a deep-sea crustacean that makes its home on the ocean floor. Funny enough, it’s a pretty popular critter on the internet because people think it is either extremely creepy or kind of cute! What do you think? Let us know in the comments! It is the largest of the known isopods, which on land includes the relatively tiny woodlouse (aka the roly poly!) Can’t really compare, can you! It is also one of the strangest creatures found in the deep sea and is sometimes referred to as a giant pill bug. The giant isopod can grow to a length of over 16 inches, and weigh about 4 pounds (1.7 kg). One specimen discovered in 2010 was 2.5 feet long!! Scientists aren’t really sure how they are able to get so big, but it may be to help them withstand the deep pressure of the ocean. They have four sets of jaws and are generally scavengers although they are infamous for attacking fish caught in trawls. These guys can go a very long time without eating but when they do eat, the pretty much binge. This is mainly due to their slow metabolism, which is greatly affected by living at the bottom of the sea. In fact, scientists believe that they can go as long as 8 weeks without eating. Even with their glowing eyes, they tend to have very poor vision and live in semi hibernation, but it still makes them look like a creature from outer space.
Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
This jellyfish not only is the largest jelly species in the world, but it also harbors a powerful sting. The lion’s mane can reach a diameter of about 6 feet (1.8 m) with tentacles dropping close to 50 feet (15.24 m). These jellyfish tend to vary in color from purple to orange, sometimes depending on its size. The Lion’s Mane Jellyfish often eats small fish, other jellies, and small shrimp. The jellyfish often has around 800 tentacles which are divided into eight groups. The largest recorded Lion’s mane jellyfish had tentacles that reached 120 feet long! That makes it one of the longest-known animals in the world! They can usually be found in the cold waters of the Arctic, Northern Atlantic, and Northern Pacific. Another interesting fact about all Jellyfish, including the Lion’s mane is that they do not have a brain, blood, or nervous system. They also have no eyes, but instead they have eye spots that detect light and dark. If you get stung by a lion’s mane jellyfish, it can be pretty painful but not deadly. Just put some vinegar on it and you should be fine. Just try not to swim straight into one!! Once in New Hampshire, 150 people were stung by the remains of a lion’s mane jellyfish that had broken up into pieces on the beach.
Giant Spider Crab
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
This crab gets its name because that’s exactly what it looks like! A spider! Protected by its hard exoskeleton, the spider crab can grow up to 10 feet (3 m) wide, but some have been known to grow as long as 12 feet (3.6 m). The claws of the male spider crab can get even longer than its legs! Can you imagine if your nails were longer than your arms?? Ewwww! These claws when opened, can widen to 9 feet! (2.7 m) The shell can reach 15 inches in length and the crabs can weigh about 40 pounds (18 kg). It is the largest known species of crab and can live up to 100 years old!! Their armored skeletons protect them from larger predators and also helps them to camouflage into the rocky ocean floor. They are commonly found in the waters around Japan and can be kept as a pet. However, if you do feel the need to have a Giant Spider Crab as a pet, you need to do your research first as they require a large tank and special care. They are considered a delicacy in many parts of Japan and there are many efforts to protect them.
Giant Spined Sea Stars
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
Sea Stars, which are also known as starfish, are usually found along the western coast of North America from California to British Columbia. They are often found in the sand or attached to rocks. Giant Spined Sea Stars get their name because of the rows of large spines that cover the sea star. With colors varying from purples to reds to browns, the Giant Spined Sea Star can grow up to 2 feet in diameter (60 cm) ! Perhaps the most impressive thing about these sea stars is that they can regenerate their limbs and sometimes even entire bodies!
Whale Shark
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
Known as the largest fish in the sea, the whale shark can reach lengths of over 40 feet (13 m), however, they tend to average closer to 18 to 32 feet. They weigh about the same as a school bus, about 20 tons! They hold many records for their size including being the largest non mammalian vertebrate. It’s the only existing member of its genus. Its name comes from its size, since it is comparable in size to some whales, and also because of being a filter feeder like baleen whales, hence the name whale shark although they are considered to be gentle giants. They have rows of over 300 teeth and their mouth measures about 5 feet (1.5 m) wide. They have a lifespan of about 70 years and are usually found in tropical seas. Even though they seem to have more in common with a whale than a shark, they are technically a shark.
Blue Whale
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| Sea Creatures Around the World |
The blue whale is the largest known animal to have existed, ever!! At birth, the blue whale averages 25 feet (7.6 m) and can weigh up to 30 tons. As an adult, it can grow up to about 105 feet (32 m) and weigh close to 200 tons! In fact, a blue whale’s heart alone can weigh as much as a car and its tongue as much as an elephant! While how much they eat varies, during certain times of the year the blue whale can eat as much as 4 tons of krill in a day. Even though the blue whale is incredibly massive, it eats some of the smallest ocean life out there. The giant animals feed by gulping enormous mouthfuls of water, expanding the pleated skin on their throat and belly to take it in. Then the whale’s massive tongue forces the water out through the thin, overlapping baleen plates. Thousands of krill are left behind and then swallowed. While Blue Whales have very few predators in the ocean, they are known to fall victim to killer whales or shark attacks, just like the fin whales. However most deaths are caused by humans.