Ocean

Salt water covers most of Earth. Whales, sharks, and octopuses live here.

43 animals live here.

Polar bearMammalPolar bear fur looks white, but the hairs are clear and the skin is black.Bottlenose dolphinMammalA dolphin sleeps with one half of its brain at a time.Blue whaleMammalA blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived. Its tongue can weigh about as much as an elephant.Humpback whaleMammalHumpback whales sing long songs that change over the years.OrcaMammalAn orca is a dolphin, not a fish. It is the biggest dolphin.Sea otterMammalA sea otter's fur is the thickest of any animal. It has no blubber.ManateeMammalManatees are relatives of elephants.WalrusMammalA walrus uses its tusks to help haul itself onto the ice. The tusks are teeth.NarwhalMammalA narwhal's long tusk is a tooth that can sense the water.Emperor penguinBirdA penguin is a bird. The father keeps the egg on his feet through the winter.Atlantic puffinBirdA puffin can hold many small fish in its beak at once.Brown pelicanBirdThe throat pouch scoops fish. The bird tips the water out, then swallows.Wandering albatrossBirdA wandering albatross can glide for hours on the longest wings of any bird.Herring gullBirdGulls can drink seawater. A part near the beak gets rid of extra salt.Arctic ternBirdAn Arctic tern flies from the far north to the far south and back each year.Green sea turtleReptileMany swim back to the beach where they hatched.Marine iguanaReptileIt is the only lizard that feeds in the sea.Great white sharkFishA shark's skeleton is cartilage, not bone like yours. Cartilage is the bendy stuff in your nose.Whale sharkFishThe whale shark is the biggest fish. It is not a whale.Hammerhead sharkFishIts eyes sit at the ends of its wide head. The shape helps it sense hidden animals.Sockeye salmonFishSalmon swim back to the river where they hatched.Bluefin tunaFishA bluefin can keep its muscles warmer than the water. Most fish cannot.SeahorseFishThe father seahorse carries the babies in a pouch.PufferfishFishA pufferfish can swell with water and look like a spiky ball.AnglerfishFishA deep-sea anglerfish has a glowing lure on its head.Manta rayFishA manta ray is a flat fish. It eats tiny animals.StingrayFishA stingray is related to sharks. Its skeleton is cartilage, not bone.Green morayFishIt looks green because yellow slime covers blue skin.Great barracudaFishA barracuda is long and fast, with a pointed face.SwordfishFishA swordfish has a long flat bill. It is one of the fastest fish.SailfishFishA sailfish can raise a huge fin like a sail. It is one of the fastest fish.Atlantic codFishCod once swam in huge numbers. In some places there are not many left.LionfishFishLionfish have long spines. In the Atlantic they spread after people moved them.Flying fishFishA flying fish does not truly fly. It leaps and glides on big fins.CoelacanthFishPeople thought they were gone. A living one was found in 1938.Common octopusOther animalAn octopus has three hearts. It can squeeze through a small gap.CuttlefishOther animalA cuttlefish can change its color and the texture of its skin in a moment.Horseshoe crabOther animalA horseshoe crab is closer to spiders than to true crabs.Hermit crabOther animalA hermit crab borrows an empty shell and moves to a bigger one as it grows.Moon jellyfishOther animalA jellyfish has no brain, no heart, and no bones. It is still an animal.Sea starOther animalA sea star is not a fish. It can regrow a lost arm.American lobsterOther animalIts shell is on the outside. It must shed the old shell to grow.Reef coralOther animalCoral looks like rock or a plant, but it is made of tiny animals.