Interesting Facts about Ocean Life
There are many interesting facts about the oceans that cover most of our world. Here are some things that you may not know about these oceans and some of the animals that live call the water their home.
The Ocean Creature with its own Harpoon
The Narwhal (above) is a relative of the Beluga whale and lives in the very cold waters of the Arctic. The males have an enormous tusk that can be as long as 3m.
A Really Big Ocean Spider
The Sea Spider lives in the deepest, cold waters of the ocean. This animal has no eyes so it cannot see, and it eats insects. It is as tall as an adult’s knees, so even though it might not bite it is big enough to scare someone a lot.
Tiger Sharks
These animals are well named because they can be ferocious. They will eat anything that they find including aluminium cans, plastic, or porpoises.
Real Pearls
Oysters can form a pearl if a bit of sand or another foreign substance gets inside their shell and irritates them. The oyster will form Nacre to cover the foreign object. The Nacre is the pearly substance that it makes from its shells.
Treasure, Treasure… Everywhere
There are many places in the oceans where ships capsized or sank and many of these vessels had gold, jewels, and other treasures on board. Vigo Bay is near the Spanish Coast and this is the site where almost two dozen Spanish galleons sank in 1702. The ships were carrying lots of treasures and even today, most of it has not been found.
The Spinning Tempest
The Northern coast of Norway is the site where a strong, circular current occurs that is called The Maelstrom. Even a big ship can be in trouble if it gets caught by this gigantic, spinning whirlpool.
To Freeze or Not to Freeze
Seawater freezes at a lower temperature than drinking water because of the salt it contains.
Real Seawater Birds
The Albatross drinks seawater and only comes on land when they lay eggs and rear their young.
Cool Facts about Coral
Scientists are able to use coral to help repair bones in humans.
Researchers have also found that corals create sunscreen naturally and scientists want to find out how to extract this sunscreen and use it for humans.
Deep Facts
The deepest part of the ocean is the Marianas Trench, which is 10,900 meters under the surface.
In the dark, cold Trench the temperature is just slightly above the freezing point. The pressure is over 1000 times greater than on the Earth’s surface.
Fun Facts
One giant iceberg from the Antarctic could supply enough water for millions of people for as long as 5 years.
90% of all icebergs are hidden under water.
The Mediterranean Sea is very salty which helps people stay afloat better.
Did you know that all of the ocean waters contain gold? These waters contain very small amounts of dissolved gold. Some people have even tried to invent ways to remove the gold from the water.
In Hawaii and some other places in the world, you will find warm ocean waters because of volcanic activity.
This is an original news article © The Kids Window
The next time you go to the beach why not wear a child's wet suit so you can keep warm in the water, and have longer to play, or if you're going somewhere sunny take a look at our sunproof clothing for kids of all ages.
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