Ocean Facts for Kids
Deep-sea facts and ocean wonders
The nautilus is often called a 'living fossil' because it has remained almost unchanged for 500 million years. It uses a jet of water to move and has up to 90 tentacles.
There are rivers and lakes on the ocean floor formed by extremely salty, dense water that pools in depressions. These underwater 'brine pools' are so salty they can disorient or kill animals that swim into them.
Humpback whale songs can travel thousands of kilometres through the ocean. Whales use a deep-water channel called the SOFAR channel where sound travels exceptionally far.
The mantis shrimp delivers one of the fastest and most powerful punches in the animal kingdom — striking with the force of a bullet. The blow is fast enough to boil water briefly through cavitation.
Sea urchins move using hundreds of tiny tube feet that extend through holes in their spiny shells. They can also use their spines to push themselves along the seafloor.
Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, yet they support about 25% of all marine species. They are sometimes called the 'rainforests of the sea.'
About 90% of an iceberg sits below the ocean surface — only the top 10% is visible. This is where the saying 'tip of the iceberg' comes from.
Flying fish can launch themselves out of the water and glide through the air for up to 45 seconds, travelling over 200 metres. They use their large pectoral fins as wings.
The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is the heaviest bony fish in the world, weighing up to 2,300 kg. Despite its enormous size, it eats mainly jellyfish.
At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, water pressure is over 1,000 times greater than at sea level — enough to crush most submarines. Creatures there have evolved flexible bodies and special proteins to survive.