Information on Animal Life for Ocean Biome

The ocean biome is the largest and contains most diversity in animal life of the biomes. Some of the animals in the ocean are microscopic and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Others, such as the whale shark, weigh tons. There are four zones in the ocean, the intertidal zone, the open ocean, the shallow ocean, and the deep ocean. Jellyfish, sea anemones, dolphins, sharks, and sea stars are all very interesting animals that inhabit these zones.

  1. Jellyfish

    • More than 2,000 species of jellyfish live in the ocean. They vary enormously in size, shape, and color although all jellyfish are similar in the fact that their bodies exhibit radial symmetry. Jellyfish have simple bodies with no brain or central nervous systems. They feed through a mouth hole using their tentacles to bring in food. Their tentacles are also used for protections from predators. When a jellyfish feels threatened, it uses its toxic tentacles to sting so that it can escape.

    Sea Anemones

    • Although anemones appear to be a kind of colorful plant, they are actually animals. Anemones are invertebrates that live in groups attached to immobile objects in the sea. Because they are poisonous, sea anemones have few predators. They are predators themselves that feed on zooplankton, worms, fish, and mollusks. The clown fish is one species of fish immune to the toxins in anemone tentacles, and these two creatures have a symbiotic relationship. The clown fish uses the anemone for protection, and, in turn, it cleans the debris from the animal's tentacles.

    Dolphins

    • Dolphins look similar to sharks, which are fish, but dolphins are really toothed whales, which are mammals. There are 26 varieties of dolphins, several of which inhabit the waters around Hawaii. Dolphins have very muscular bodies that enable them to swim quickly, maneuver nimbly, and easily jump into the air. They are also very intelligent and have the desire to learn and imitate behavior, which makes them very trainable animals. Dolphins use echolocation, a sophisticated process involving sound waves. The dolphin emits clicks that reflect from objects back to the dolphin, allowing it to navigate its environment.

    Sharks

    • Sharks have lived in the sea for millions of years, from before even when dinosaurs lived on the land. They are known as the predators of the ocean, but shark attacks on humans are relatively rare. More people are hit by lightning than are bitten by sharks every year. Sharks do, though, have some intimidating features. They have rows and rows of teeth beneath their gums that regrow when they lose one. This means that they have an unlimited supply of teeth. Some sharks go through 20,000 teeth in a lifetime.

    Sea Stars

    • Sea stars, also known as starfish, usually have five limbs, which give them their distinct appearance. There are over 2,000 varieties of sea stars, some of which have 20 or even 40 limbs. These limbs can regrow if a sea star loses one escaping from a predator. Occasionally, the lost limb actually regenerates into a whole sea star. Sea stars use their limbs to crawl around the ocean floor and pry open oysters and clams to eat. Their mouths are located in the center of their underbellies.