Ocean Facts for Kids
Deep-sea facts and ocean wonders
Tsunamis can travel across the open ocean at the speed of a jet plane — about 800 km/h. In deep water they are barely noticeable, but they grow to devastating heights as they near shore.
The narwhal's iconic 'unicorn horn' is actually a spiralling tooth that can grow up to 3 metres long. It is packed with nerve endings that may help the narwhal sense changes in water temperature and salinity.
The giant squid has the largest eyes of any living animal — each eye can be as big as a basketball. These huge eyes help them detect the faint bioluminescent glow of predators in the deep sea.
The mimic octopus can impersonate over 15 different dangerous animals, including lionfish, flatfish, and sea snakes. It chooses its disguise based on which predator it is trying to fool.
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, reaching up to 12 metres long. Despite their enormous size, they eat only tiny plankton and small fish by filter-feeding with their huge mouths.
Ocean floor sediment builds up just millimetres per thousand years, trapping a record of Earth's climate history. Scientists drill core samples to read millions of years of climate data like a book.
Thermohaline circulation — driven by differences in water temperature and salinity — moves heat around the globe and controls regional climates. Without it, northern Europe would be far colder than it is today.
Ocean dead zones are areas so depleted of oxygen that most marine life cannot survive there. They are mainly caused by agricultural fertiliser runoff that triggers explosive algae growth.
The coelacanth was thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago — until one was caught alive off South Africa in 1938. These 'living fossils' can live up to 60 years in the deep ocean.
Water pressure increases by roughly one atmosphere for every 10 metres of depth. At 1,000 metres down, the pressure is 100 times that at the surface — enough to crush an unprotected human in an instant.