Who lives in open water. Marine animals: jellyfish, octopus, turtle, blue whale, monkfish, eel, cormorant. Molluscs, cnidarians, crustaceans

In this section of the site you will read how and where sea animals live, you will be able to find out Interesting Facts about them, see photos of sea animals!

More than two thirds of the earth's surface is covered by seas and oceans. This huge mass of water is necessary for life on our planet: winds carry moisture throughout the world, it evaporates and is restored again in the form of rain and snow, feeding the flora and fauna. The sea is teeming with life, and oddly enough, both microscopic and largest Marine life, such as blue whale, manta ray or whale shark, feeding big amount food invisible to the naked eye - plankton.

Jellyfish more than 90% consists of water; Some jellyfish can cause a painful burn.

U octopus eight tentacles; he lives on seabed and can change color to adapt to its environment.

Hawksbill turtle (caretta)- very dexterous swimmer; feeds mainly on jellyfish and crustaceans. Lays eggs in the sand on the shores of small bays.

Blue whale- this is the largest animal in the world: one female, caught in 1947, weighed 190 tons. A blue whale calf is born eight meters long and weighs up to three tons.

Marine flora consists of algae- plants without a trunk. Their life depends on sunlight, and therefore at great depths, where the rays of the sun do not penetrate, there are no algae.

Moon fish usually swims in the open sea almost at the very surface, which is why its fin emerging from the water is often mistaken for the fin of a shark; In contrast, the moon fish is completely harmless.

Angler. This amazing predatory fish lures its prey by swinging its “antenna”, at the end of which there is a growth similar to a delicious worm.

Zebra lionfish. Its spectacular appearance is fraught with serious danger - on the back of this fish there is a fin that secretes poison as strong as that of a cobra.

Needlefish. Hunts completely in a unique way: it approaches the victim, often hiding behind other fish, and with lightning speed sucks it into its long “beak”. In terms of its characteristics, the needle fish is very similar to the seahorse.

Acne. For centuries, scientists, starting with the Greek philosopher Aristotle, have tried to understand how this fish reproduces. Today it is known that it lays eggs in the Sargasso Sea, between Bermuda and Caribbean islands. Small larvae travel many thousands of kilometers to return to the rivers where their parents come from. The eel is a very strong fish; found in fresh water and maybe for a long time stay out of water: part of its journey often travels on land.

Seabirds. The sea provides food for many animals that live on the coast. Among them are numerous seabirds. These birds have a lot in common: they all fly well, can land on water, swim with webbed feet, and their beaks are adapted for fishing. Many of them, such as the cormorant, are capable of chasing fish underwater.

Cormorant. The inhabitants of Japan taught this bird to fish: with every fish caught, the bird returns to its owner.

Gull. A lot of various types sea ​​birds are called gulls. You can often see flocks of seagulls chasing fishing vessels returning from fishing: they pick up waste that sailors throw overboard. Seagulls have learned to find food even in landfills in the interior of the continent, tens of kilometers from the sea.

Frigate. The male of this large, coastal-dwelling warm seas, during courtship, it inflates a huge bright red crop to attract the attention of the female.

Sea depths.

Far from the coast, at great depths, algae that require sunlight do not grow; there are only phytoplankton, formed by microscopic algae that float freely in the water. For this reason, at great depths there are mainly predators; other fish are content with phyto and zooplankton. Consisting of tiny invertebrates.

In open water spaces, where there are no shelters, only big sizes capable of instilling fear in a predator and preventing an attack. Therefore, only far from the coast are large marine inhabitants found: from cetaceans such as killer whales and whales, to big fish such as shark, tuna or swordfish.

Small fish use other methods of defense: flying fish jump high out of the water, and sardines and mackerel find salvation by gathering in large schools.

The Earth is washed by four oceans: Indian, Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific. The largest is the Pacific Ocean, its area is 180 million square kilometers. Average depth oceans about 4,000 meters. The enormous length and depth do not allow exploring the bottom of the oceans; in fact, it is extremely difficult and expensive to create machines that can withstand highest pressure, existing in the abyss of the sea.

The greatest depth of the ocean is the Mariinsky Trench in the Pacific Ocean: 11,022 meters.

Flying fish. The flying fish has highly developed lateral fins, with the help of which it makes gliding flights over the surface of the sea, escaping from predators.

A complex combination of winds, currents and tidal cycles causes waves to move. The sea rarely has waves higher than 10 meters, but waves even higher than 30 meters have been observed.

Plankton.

Floats in the sea a large number of microscopic organisms that are not able to withstand currents - animal (zooplankton) and plant (phytoplankton) in origin; together they make up plankton. Carried by currents, it serves as food for both the smallest fish and crustaceans, and huge mammals, such as the blue whale. Animals that can actively swim form nekton.

Zooplankton- part of plankton formed by animal organisms.

Phytoplankton- this is that part of plankton that consists of microscopic algae floating in water. A large amount of phytoplankton gives sea ​​water characteristic greenish color.

One liter of water contains millions of microscopic organisms that are invisible to the naked eye. They not only constitute food for marine animals, but are also necessary for the restoration of oxygen.

Cetaceans.

These are large mammals, inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Over millions of years of evolution, their body has acquired a shape similar to that of fish, thanks to which they swim quickly. But cetaceans, unlike fish, cannot breathe rarefied oxygen. They need to breathe air, so they are forced to swim to the surface of the sea from time to time. Their young are born in water; immediately after birth, the mother pushes them to the surface to take their first breath. This is a very important moment, and parents must be extremely careful not to encounter a predator.

The smallest cetacean is the dolphin, and the largest is the sea whale, which is also the largest animal in the world.

"Fountain". The whales may appear to be breathing out sprays of water; in fact, what we see is a stream of air mixed with a small amount of water.

The sei whale, humpback whale and blue whale feed on plankton, which they filter through dense horny plates called baleen. These plates prevent large animals from entering the mouth, so these whales do not need teeth.

Humpback whale. Unlike other whales, which prefer the open sea, the humpback whale lives close to the coast, sometimes even swimming into bays and rivers. Despite its weight of 30 tons, this frisky animal loves to “dance” when it sticks out of the water.

Sperm whale. This large animal reaches up to 20 meters in length. It feeds mainly on cephalopods, such as squid, as well as fish. When getting food, it can dive to a depth of up to two thousand meters, where giant squids weighing several centners are found. A sperm whale can hold its breath for almost two hours!

Narwhal. Due to its long, straight, horn-like tooth, the narwhal cannot be confused with anyone else. This friendly animal lives in cold Arctic waters.

Killer whale. Has a reputation for being cruel and very dangerous predator; in fact, the killer whale, like other carnivores, attacks the animals on which it feeds, but there is no evidence that it has attacked people.

Dolphin. Dolphins are very easy to tame due to the fact that they are very intelligent and have exceptional learning abilities. Dolphins, like all cetaceans, make many different sounds; This dolphin “language” is being studied by scientists. Dolphins are incredibly friendly; Once upon a time, it was a dolphin who saved a shipwrecked man from attacking sharks.

Sharks. These are very ancient fish; Due to the streamlined shape of the body, when moving forward, sharks experience the negligible resistance of the water, so they swim very quickly. Unlike fish, sharks reproduce by laying eggs; Some place them at the bottom, attaching them to algae or rocks; in others, the eggs develop completely in the mother's body, and the young are born already formed. Sharks range from fearsome predators, such as the blue shark, to peaceful plankton eaters, such as the huge whale shark, which, despite its terrifying appearance, is completely harmless. Whale shark- the largest fish in the world, its body length reaches 12 meters! The blue shark is considered a man-eating shark, and there is considerable evidence that it attacks people injured in shipwrecks and swimmers.

Gray shark. Lives in tropical seas, exploring the shallows in search of fish and crustaceans. It does not attack people, but if a person gets scared and tries to escape, this shark can become very dangerous.

Sawfish. Found in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. A distinctive feature is the long and flat snout with small teeth arranged like the teeth of a saw. It serves the fish to comb the sandy bottom in search of small prey. Occasionally, the sawfish uses its “nose” to protect itself from enemies. Often the shark is accompanied by pilot fish; they feed on the remains of shark food, and, oddly enough, sharks do not attack them. There is an opinion that the pilot fish shows the shark the way to large schools of fish. In fact, this is just a legend without any basis.

Scat. It has a highly flattened body, which gives the impression that it is “flying” on water. Basically, the stingray lives at the bottom, on moderate depths, where it is wonderfully camouflaged. Some species of stingray have a long spine on their back that secretes a strong poison. The mouth, located on the belly, has a lot of sharp teeth.

Tiger shark. This fish is called so because of the color of its skin. It swims close to the shore and feeds on everything: fish and crustaceans, birds and mammals.

Dark.

Sunlight does not penetrate water deeper than several tens of meters. Below there is constant darkness, and it is impossible to distinguish day from night. Plants cannot live without light, so there are no algae here at all. This is the reason that only predatory fish live at the depths, luring prey in various ingenious ways.

Many deep-sea fish have special luminous organs, so-called phosphors; they serve as bait that other fish cannot resist and, attracted by such “bait,” are often eaten.

Deep-sea fish are able to withstand the highest pressure; moreover, they cannot tolerate low pressure, and if they had floated to the surface, they would have died.

Organic substances slowly descend to the bottom of the ocean - the remains of animals and plants that died in the surface layers. All this constitutes the food of small benthic animals - this is the name given to the collection of organisms living on the bottom. Benthos, in turn, serves as food for fish and larger shellfish, which are watched by other predators that penetrate the abyss of the sea from shallower layers, for example, the sperm whale, which can dive to depths, despite the fact that it breathes atmospheric air.

Giant squid. One representative of this species of animal, “stranded” on the island of Newfoundland in Canada, weighed two tons. U giant squid the length of the body together with the tentacles reaches 13 - 18 meters, it is even suggested that they get involved in the depths of the oceans in fierce battles with sperm whales: on the body of which marks left by the tentacles are often noticed, and in the stomachs the remains of giant squid are found.

Pelican-like largemouth.

Always swims in the dark, keeping his huge mouth wide open; in this way he collects all the food that comes his way.

Arboreal linophryne. Very little is known about this deep-sea fish due to the difficulty of studying it in natural environment a habitat. Probably most of the time she lies calmly at the bottom, swaying her long antennae with a phosphor - luminous organ, located on her head. Other fish, having been caught on such bait, inevitably end their lives in the throat of linophryne.

Coral reefs.

Corals- these are small animals, in whose colonies there are millions of individuals, they live in tropical seas, attached to their bottom. Over time, one calcareous skeleton generated by them grows and forms real coral reefs in coastal areas, on which waves break; because of this, between the shore and the coral fence the sea is calmer, like in a port harbor.

coral reef- an ideal habitat for both animals and plants: the sea here is calm and warm, there is a lot of sunshine. If you look underwater through a scuba mask, you can see countless different picturesque fish “walking” among starfish and sea anemones.

If you dive on the other side of the reef, in the direction open sea, you may experience a feeling of severe dizziness: there is no bottom anymore - only bright blue water.

Biggest coral reef, more than 2000 kilometers long, located along the coast of Australia. These coral fortresses are called large quarry reefs and pose a serious danger to mariners.

Atolls. The peaks of underwater volcanoes can rise above the water, forming small islands, or be located near the surface of the ocean. If coral colonies form around them, they take on an almost circular shape, forming atolls - coral islands.

Madrepores. Relatives of corals are also formed by colonies of polyps of calcareous nature. At night, they extend their tentacles, grabbing food consisting of plankton.

By the shore.

In the ocean near the coast, the most favorable conditions for the inhabitants to thrive underwater world: sunlight penetrates the water, promoting the rapid growth of algae and providing food for the animals that feed on them; these animals, in turn, themselves serve as food for predatory fish. And finally, the movement of the waves, which never reaches a depth of more than a few tens of meters, here causes mixing at the bottom, which contributes to its fertility.

The bottom can be rocky, muddy or sandy, and sometimes covered with algae. Depending on the type of seabed, it is inhabited by different animals. For example, on a sandy bottom you can find a flounder that hides in the sand, burying itself halfway into it, and an octopus finds shelter on a rocky bottom, where it is almost invisible among the rocks.

Among the rocks washed by the sea, which provide a hospitable welcome to countless animals, there is a rich life. Some of the local inhabitants, such as mussels, patellas, urchins, starfish and sea anemones, do not swim. Crustaceans, octopuses and fish such as sargus, grouper, rock perch and moray eel. The flounder and the baby dragon hide in the sand, and the sultan explores it with her long antennae in search of food. All this potential prey attracts hunter fish that live in the open sea to the coast - bayfish, large serioles and zubans.

Sea urchins. When swimming in the sea, you need to be very careful not to step on these animals: the consequences can be very sad! Mouth sea ​​urchin called the Aristotelian lantern, and it contains five constantly growing teeth. Some hedgehogs have short and dense spines, others have long and sparse spines. They differ in color.

Crustaceans. All these animals, most of them marine, have two pairs of antennae, and some also have two solid claws that can close forcefully. During the day they usually hide in rock crevices, but at night they become more active and go in search of food, which usually consists of mollusks and dead animals.

lobster found in seas almost all over the world; its weight can reach eight kilograms.

Lobster is like lobster, this is a very popular seafood product; Lobsters are caught using special traps - tops. Unlike the lobster, it has claws.

A distinctive feature of the crab is its specific way of moving sideways.

Crustaceans have a permanent burrow, where they certainly return after night forays for food: this indicates that crustaceans have a good sense of orientation. Some of them, for example, lobsters, make mass migrations over long distances.

It is known who lives at the bottom of the ocean: fish, shellfish, sea ​​worms, crustaceans and other representatives of fauna characteristic of shallow waters. But only the conditions of existence at depth are very different from the conditions of the continental shelf and upper layers ocean thickness. Therefore, the inhabitants of the depths have developed defense mechanisms, thanks to which their existence became possible.

Light radiation from the solar spectrum penetrates the ocean to different depths. Rays of red and orange light - no more than thirty meters, up to one hundred and eighty - yellow, up to three hundred and twenty - green, up to half a kilometer - blue. And although the most sensitive modern instruments have recorded traces of sunlight at a depth of up to one and a half kilometers, it can be stated: below five hundred meters, pitch darkness reigns in the ocean. All those who live on the ocean floor below this mark have adapted to the absence of light in different ways. Some have hypersensitive telescopic eyes, capable of capturing the few quanta of light available to devices. Or maybe their sensitivity is even higher and allows them to navigate where even human technology fails. Other animals have completely abandoned their vision and feel quite good about it. And some inhabitants of the bottom acquired the ability to emit light on their own.

A characteristic feature of the ocean floor is poverty of food. Due to the low temperature (2-4 degrees above zero), all processes proceed sluggishly there, and therefore the inhabitants of the ocean depths are not distinguished by high speed of movement or increased activity in obtaining food. Almost all animals there are predators. Due to little food deep sea fish acquired the ability to swallow creatures larger than themselves.

The ocean floor is covered with a thick layer of silt. In this regard, some of the deep-sea animals (for example, sea spiders) have long limbs, which allow them not to fall into the bottom sediments. Since many fish regularly migrate from bottom to top and back, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out where everyone lives. There is enormous pressure at the bottom of the ocean, little light, little food, and low temperature. Therefore, some deep-sea species are periodically found in upper layers water, becoming prey for fishermen and surprising them with their unusual appearance. For example, a drop fish is often caught in a net and has a funny growth on its “face” that resembles a hanging nose.

Fish on the ocean floor quite often become the target of fishing, but large specimens are rare there for obvious reasons (lack of food). For example, coal fish. Although it lives at depths of up to 2700 meters, it still often appears on store shelves. IN different countries fish has different names. In our country it is coal fish, in Canada it is black cod, in the USA it is sable fish, in Australia it is oil fish
fish. Among those who live at the bottom of the ocean, this creature is simply a giant. The length of the largest specimens reaches 120 centimeters.

Life on the ocean floor has been studied very little, and it is possible that great discoveries await us. From time to time, information comes up that fishermen met an unknown animal in the middle of the ocean, and some even became prey to a monster. Of course, most of these reports are rumors or ordinary sea stories, but not all. A hundred years ago, hardly any serious scientist could believe that coelacanth, a fish that appeared long before dinosaurs, is our contemporary. However, a little later, its existence was proven by African fishermen who presented scientists with a living specimen.

Current

Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous

Deep waters are the lowest level of the ocean, located more than 1800 meters from the surface. Because only a small amount of light reaches this level, and sometimes no light at all, it was historically believed that there was no life in this layer. But in fact, it turned out that this level is simply teeming with in different forms life. It turned out that with each new dive to this depth, scientists miraculously find interesting, strange and outlandish creatures. Below are ten of the most unusual of them:

10. Polychaete Worm
This worm was caught this year from the ocean floor at a depth of 1,200 meters off the north coast of New Zealand. Yes, it may be pink, and yes, it can reflect light like a rainbow - but despite this, the polychaete worm can be a ferocious predator. The "tentacles" on its head are sensory organs designed to detect prey. This worm can twist its throat in order to grab a smaller creature - like an Alien. Fortunately, this type of worm rarely grows more than 10cm. They also rarely come across our path, but are often found near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.

9. Squat Lobster


These unique lobsters, which look quite scary and resemble headcrabs from the game Half-Life, were discovered on the same dive in which they were discovered polychaete worm, but at a greater depth, approximately 1400 meters from the surface. Despite the fact that squat lobsters were already known to science, they had never seen this species before. The squat lobsters live at depths of up to 5,000 meters and are distinguished by their large front claws and compressed bodies. They can be detritivores, predators, or herbivores that feed on algae. Not much is known about individuals of this species; in addition, representatives of this species were found only near deep-sea corals.

8. Carnivorous Coral or Sponge-Harp Coral


Most corals get their nutrients from photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues. This also means that they must live within 60 meters of the surface. But not this species, also known as the Harp Sponge. It was discovered 2,000 meters off the coast of California, but only this year scientists confirmed that it is carnivorous. Shaped like a candelabra, it stretches along the bottom to increase in size. It catches small crustaceans with tiny Velcro-like hooks and then stretches a membrane over them, slowly digesting them with chemicals. In addition to all its oddities, it also reproduces in a special way - “sperm packets” - see those balls at the end of each appendage? Yes, these are packets of spermatophores, and from time to time they swim away to find another sponge and reproduce.

7. Fish of the Cynogloss family or Tonguefish (Tonguefish)


This beauty is one of the species of tongue fish that are usually found in shallow estuaries or tropical oceans. This specimen lives in deep waters and was caught from the bottom earlier this year in the Western Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, some tonguefish have been observed near hydrothermal vents spewing sulfur, but scientists have not yet figured out the mechanism that allows this species to survive in such conditions. Like all bottom-dwelling tonguefish, both of its eyes are located on the same side of its head. But unlike other members of this family, its eyes look like sticker eyes or scarecrow eyes.

6. Goblin Shark


Goblin shark is true strange creature. In 1985 it was discovered in the waters off east coast Australia. In 2003, more than a hundred individuals were captured in northeastern Taiwan (reportedly after an earthquake). However, other than sporadic sightings of this nature, little is known about this unique shark. This is a deep-sea, slow-moving species that can grow up to 3.8 meters in length (or even more - 3.8 is the largest that has ever been seen by humans). Like other sharks, the goblin shark can sense animals with its electro-sensing organs, and has several rows of teeth. But unlike other sharks, the goblin shark has both teeth adapted for catching prey and teeth adapted for cracking the shells of crustaceans.

If you're interested in watching her catch prey with that mouth of hers, here's a video. Imagine an almost 4-meter shark rushing at you with such jaws. Thank goodness they (usually) live so deep!

5. Flabby Whalefish


This brightly colored specimen (why need bright colors when colors are useless if you live where light can't penetrate) is a member of the unfortunately named "soft-bodied whalefish" species. This specimen was caught off the east coast of New Zealand, at a depth of more than 2 kilometers. In the lower part of the ocean, in the bottom waters, they did not expect to find many fish - and in fact it turned out that the soft-bodied whale-like fish did not have many neighbors. This family of fish lives at a depth of 3,500 meters, they have small eyes, which are actually completely useless given their habitat, but they have a phenomenally developed lateral line that helps them sense the vibrations of the water.

This species also does not have ribs, which is probably why the fish of this species look “soft-bodied”.

4. Grimpoteuthys (Dumbo Octopus)

The first mention of Grimpoteuthys appeared in 1999, and then, in 2009, it was filmed. These cute animals (for octopuses, anyway) can live about 7,000 meters below the surface, making them the deepest-dwelling octopus species known to science. This genus of animals, so named because of the flaps on either side of the bell-shaped heads of its members and never seeing sunlight, may number more than 37 species. Grimpoteuthys can hover above the bottom using jet propulsion, based on a siphon-type device. At the bottom, grimpoteuthis feeds on snails, mollusks, crustaceans and crustaceans that live there.

3. Vampire Squid


The hellish vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis name literally translates as: vampire squid from hell) is more beautiful than terrible. Although this species of squid does not live at the same depths as the squid that ranks first on this list, it still lives quite deep, to be exact at a depth of 600-900 meters, which is much deeper than the habitat of ordinary squid. In the upper layers of its habitat there is some amount of sunlight, so it has evolved the most big eyes(in proportion to the body, of course) than all other animals in the world, in order to capture as much light as possible. But what is most amazing about this animal is its defense mechanisms. In the dark depths where he lives, he releases a bioluminescent "ink" that blinds and confuses other animals while he swims away. This works amazingly well precisely when the waters are not lit. Typically, it can emit a bluish light that, when viewed from below, helps it camouflage itself, but if spotted, it turns around and wraps itself in its black robe... and disappears.

2. Eastern Pacific Black Ghost Shark


Found in deep water off the coast of California in 2009, this mysterious shark belongs to a group of animals known as chimeras, which may be the oldest group of fish to survive. today. Some believe that these animals, which evolved from sharks about 400 million years ago, only survived because they lived at such great depths. This particular species of shark uses its fins to "fly" through the water, and the males have a pointed, bat-like, retractable sex organ that protrudes from its forehead. It is most likely used to stimulate the female or attract her closer, but very little is known about this species, so its exact purpose is unknown.

1. Colossal Squid


The colossal squid truly deserves its name, measuring 12-14 meters in length, which is comparable to the length of a bus. It was first "discovered" in 1925 - but only its tentacles were found in the stomach of the sperm whale. The first complete specimen was found near the surface in 2003. In 2007, the largest known specimen, measuring 10 meters in length, was caught in the Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea and is currently on display at National Museum New Zealand. The squid is believed to be a slow ambush predator that feeds on large fish and other squid attracted by its bioluminescence. The most terrifying fact known about this species is that sperm whales have been found to have scars that were left by the hooked tentacles. colossal squid. 


+ Bonus
Cascade Creature

Strange the new kind deep sea jellyfish? Or maybe a floating whale placenta or a piece of garbage? Until the beginning of this year, no one knew the answer to this question. Heated discussions about this creature began after this video was posted on YouTube - but, marine biologists identified the creature as a species of jellyfish known as Deepstaria enigmatica.

Seas and oceans are the cradle of life on Earth. According to some theories, all life on the planet originated in water. The sea resembles a huge metropolis, where everything lives according to its own laws, everyone takes his place and performs very important function. If this order, which has developed into a harmonious mosaic, is disrupted, then this city will cease to exist. Therefore, it is important to know about the riches of the animal world. You can find out who these marine inhabitants are, photos with the names of the most common species and interesting facts about their life.

All living creatures inhabiting the sea are divided into several categories:

• animals (mammals);
• fish;
• algae and plankton;
• deep-sea fauna;
• snakes and turtles.

There are animals that are difficult to classify into a specific group. For example, sponges or sponges.

Marine mammals

Scientists have discovered more than 125 species of sea-dwelling mammals. They can be divided into three main groups:

1. Walruses, seals and seals (order pinnipeds).
2. Dolphins and whales (order cetaceans).
3. Manatees and dugongs (order of herbivores).
4. Sea otters (or otters).

The first group is one of the most numerous (more than 600 million individuals). They are all predators and eat fish. Walruses are very large animals. Some individuals reach a weight of 1.5 tons and grow up to 4 m in length. Given their size, the agility and flexibility of walruses is amazing; they move easily on land and in water. Thanks to special structure pharynx can spend a long time in the sea and will not drown even if they fall asleep. The thick brown skin lightens with age, and if you see a pink, even almost white, walrus, you know that he is about 35 years old. For these individuals, this is already old age. Walruses are not confused with seals only due to their distinctive feature - tusks. Measurements of some of the largest tusks showed almost 80 cm in length and a weight of about 5 kg. The walrus's front fins end in fingers - five on each paw.

Seals live in the Arctic and Antarctic, so they can withstand extreme low temperatures(up to - 80˚С). Most of them do not have external ears, but they hear very well. Seal fur is short but thick, which helps the animal move underwater. It seems that seals on land are clumsy and defenseless. They move with the help of their forelimbs and abdomen; their hind legs are poorly developed. However, they move briskly in the water and swim excellently.

Fur seals are very voracious. They eat 4 - 5 kg of fish per day. The leopard seal, a subspecies of seals, can catch and eat other small seals or penguins. Appearance typical for most pinnipeds. Seals are much smaller than their fellow cats, so they crawl on land using all four limbs. The eyes of these sea inhabitants are beautiful, but it is known that they see poorly - myopia.

Dolphins and whales are related to each other. Dolphins are one of the most unusual creatures on the planet. Their distinctive features:

• The absence of ears, nose, small eyes and at the same time a unique echolocation that allows you to accurately determine the location of objects in the water.
• A bare, streamlined body, without signs of fur or scales, the surface of which is constantly renewed.
• Voice and rudiments of speech, allowing dolphins to communicate with each other in a school.

Whales are giants among mammals. They feed on plankton or small fish, breathe using a special hole called a “blowhole”. During exhalation, a fountain of moist air from the lungs passes through it. Whales move in the water with the help of fins, the size of which differs from different types. The blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived on Earth.

The most popular types of sea fish

Second largest group sea ​​inhabitants includes the following types:

• Cod (blue whiting, cod, navaga, hake, pollock, pollock and others).
• Mackerel (mackerel, tuna, mackerel and other fish).
• Flounder (flounder, halibut, dexist, embassicht, etc.).

• Herring (Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic herring, Baltic herring, Pacific herring, European sardine, European sprat).

• Garfish (garfish, medaka, saury, etc.).
• Sea sharks.

The first species lives in the seas of the Atlantic Ocean, comfortable conditions for them - 0 ˚ C. Its main external difference is the mustache on its chin. They live mainly on the bottom, feeding on plankton, but there are also predatory species. Cod is the most numerous representative of this subspecies. It reproduces in large numbers - about 9 million eggs per spawning. Has a great commercial value, since meat and liver have high fat content. Pollock is a long-lived member of the cod family (lives 16 - 20 years). It lives in cold waters and is a semi-deep-sea fish. Pollock is caught everywhere.

Mackerels do not lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Their meat is valued for its high nutritional value, fat content and a large amount of vitamins.

In flounders, the eyes are located on one side of the head: right or left. They have symmetrical fins and a flattened body.

Herring fish are pioneers among commercial fish. Distinctive features are no or very small teeth, and almost all lack scales.

Sargan-like fish are elongated in shape with long, sometimes asymmetrical jaws.

The shark is one of the largest marine predators. The whale shark is the only one that feeds on plankton. Unique abilities sharks - sense of smell and hearing. They can smell a smell from several hundred kilometers away, and their inner ear is capable of detecting ultrasound. Powerful weapon sharks have sharp teeth with which they tear the victim’s body into pieces. One of the main misconceptions is the idea that all sharks are dangerous to humans. Only 4 species pose a danger to people - bull shark, white shark, tiger shark, and whitetip shark.

Moray eels – sea ​​predators from the family of eels, the body of which is covered with poisonous mucus. Outwardly they are very similar to snakes. They practically cannot see, they navigate in space by smell.

Algae and plankton

This is the most numerous form of life. There are two types of plankton:

• Phytoplankton. It feeds by photosynthesis. Basically it's algae.
• Zooplankton (tiny animals and fish larvae). Eats phytoplankton.

Plankton includes algae, bacteria, protozoa, crustacean larvae, and jellyfish.

Jellyfish are one of the oldest creatures on Earth. Their exact species composition unknown One of the most major representatives– jellyfish “ Lion's mane"(tentacle length 30 m). The “Australian wasp” is especially dangerous. Transparent jellyfish are small in size - about 2.5 cm. When a jellyfish dies, its tentacles can sting for several more days.

Deep sea fauna

There are a great many inhabitants of the seabed, but their sizes are microscopic. These are mainly the simplest single-celled organisms, coelenterates, worms, crustaceans and mollusks. However, in deep water there are also fish and jellyfish that develop the ability to glow. Therefore, we can say that there is not absolute darkness under the water column. The fish that live there are predatory and use light to attract prey. One of the most unusual and terrifying, at first glance, is the hauliod. This is a small black fish with a long whisker on the lower lip, with the help of which it moves, and with terrible long teeth.

One of the most recognizable representatives of the mollusk order is the squid. It lives in both warm and cold seas. How colder water, the paler the color of the squid. The change in color saturation also depends on the electrical impulse. Some individuals have three hearts, so they have the ability to regenerate. Squids are predators; they feed on small crustaceans and plankton.

Shellfish also include oysters, mussels, and scallops. These representatives have a soft body, closed in a shell of two valves. They practically do not move, bury themselves in silt or live in large colonies, located on rocks and underwater reefs.

Snakes and turtles

Sea turtles are large animals. They reach 1.5 m in length and can weigh up to 300 kg. Ridley is the smallest among all turtles, weighing no more than 50 kg. The front legs of turtles are better developed than the hind legs. This helps them swim long distances. It is known that on land sea ​​turtles appear only for procreation. The carapace is a bony formation with thick scutes. Its color ranges from light brown to dark green.

When getting their food, turtles swim to a depth of 10 meters. They mainly feed on shellfish, algae and sometimes small jellyfish.

Sea snakes exist in 56 species, grouped into 16 genera. Found off the coast of Africa and Central America, in the Red Sea and off the coast of Japan. A large population lives in the South China Sea.

Snakes do not dive deeper than 200 meters, but they can remain without air for 2 hours. Therefore, these underwater inhabitants do not swim further than 5 - 6 km from land. Crustaceans, shrimp, and eels became their food. The most famous representatives of sea snakes:

• The Ringed Emidocephalus is a snake with poisonous teeth.

Marine inhabitants, their photos with names, habitats and unusual facts life are of great interest to both scientists and amateurs. The sea is a whole Universe, the secrets of which people will have to learn for many more millennia.

Many birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, etc. live on the surface of the earth. However, there are also animals that live underground. This article will tell you about creatures that live underground almost their entire lives. Underground animals - who lives underground photo TOP 10 - look!

Underground animals - who lives underground photo TOP 10

Naked mole rat

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - naked mole rat

This small rodent belongs to the mole rat family. His distinctive features– cold-blooded, lack of sensitivity to pain and various acids. Of all the rodents, the naked mole rat lives the longest - 28 years. Perhaps this baby may outwardly scare someone, but in reality this animal is not aggressive and kind.

Giant mole rat

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - giant mole rat

Of all the representatives of mole rats, the giant mole rat is the largest. This giant reaches 35 centimeters in length and weighs about one kilogram. The upper body is colored light gray or ocher-brown. This underground creature lives only underground, never emerging from its structures. Mole rats love to build multi-tiered systems of entrances and exits. Most often, they dig their feeding passages at a depth of 30-50 centimeters, usually in layers of sand. The entire length of these feeds reaches 500 meters, but there are passages even shorter. Storerooms and nesting chambers of mole rats are located at a depth of up to 3 meters. These creatures have huge teeth that can easily bite through the bayonet of a shovel, so it is better not to pick them up.

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - mole

Even small children know that the mole is an underground animal. Moles belong to mammals, to the order of insectivores. Moles live in Eurasia and North America. Moles come in both very small and large sizes. For example, some of them barely reach 5 centimeters, while others grow up to 20 centimeters. The weight of moles ranges from 9 grams to 170 grams. Moles are perfectly adapted to life underground. The body of these creatures is elongated, round, on which there is smooth and velvety fur. main feature The mole that helps him move in any direction underground is his fur coat, the fibers of which grow upward.

Tuco-tuco

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - tuco-tuco

Tiny rodents whose weight does not exceed 700 grams. The babies reach 20-25 centimeters in length, and the length of their tail can reach 8 centimeters. Morphological characteristics These animals fully indicate that they are adapted to life underground. Tuco-tuco leads an exclusively underground lifestyle, they build many intricate passages in which their storerooms, latrines and nesting chambers are stored. Animals use sandy or loose soils to build their homes.

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - gopher

The next creature reaches 10-35 centimeters in length, and its tail is 5-15 centimeters. The weight of gophers barely reaches one kilogram. The animals spend most of their lives in their intricate passages, which they make on various soil horizons. The length of the tunnels can reach 100 meters.

spotted snake

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - spotted snake

This species belongs to the cylindrical genus. The snake is quite small in size, but very dense. The color of the snake is black with brown spots arranged in two rows. It lives only underground and feeds on earthworms.

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - simple crucian carp

This fish almost always lives in the bottom mule, but when the reservoir dries up, it burrows underground. Crucian carp can dig from 1 to 10 meters, and can live underground for several years.

Medvedka

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - mole cricket

This insect is one of the largest. The mole cricket can grow up to 5 centimeters in length. The belly of this creature is three times larger than the cephalothorax, soft to the touch, and reaches 1 centimeter in diameter. At the end of the abdomen there are thread-like paired appendages, the length of which is 1 centimeter. Like other creatures on this list, the mole cricket leads an underground lifestyle, but there are times when the insect comes to the surface, usually at night.

Chafer

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - cockchafer

Adults of the eastern type reach a length of 28 millimeters, and of the western type - 32 millimeters. Their body is black and their wings are dark brown. May beetles live underground, but in May they come to the surface and live there for about two months. After two weeks, the mating process occurs, as a result of which the female lays eggs underground at a depth of 20 centimeters. The process of laying eggs can be carried out in several stages at once, as a result of which the female lays about 70 eggs. As soon as the clutch comes to an end, the female immediately dies.

Earthworm

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - earthworm

The worms grow up to 2 meters in length, and their body consists of a huge number of ring-shaped segments. When moving, the worms rely on special bristles, which are located on each ring, with the exception of the front one. The approximate number of bristles on each segment ranges from 8 to several dozen. Earthworms can be found everywhere except Antarctica, as they do not live there. Despite the fact that they lead an underground lifestyle, worms crawl to the surface of the earth after rain, which is why they got their name.