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Marine Life
Marine Life
Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. Marine organisms, mostly microorganisms, produce oxygen and sequester carbon. There is only one global ocean. Historically, there are four named oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. However, most countries - including the United States - now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) as the fifth ocean. The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian are the most commonly known.
Oceans include more than just fish. Healthy waters provide food for seabirds as well as other benefits. Seabirds exist in various sizes and shapes (some can't even fly), from the emperor penguin to the blue-footed booby to the brown pelican, and they play a crucial part in ocean ecosystems.
People all across the world are fascinated by and drawn to marine mammals including dolphins, whales, sea otters, and others. Many of these marine species have sophisticated social structures and are extremely intelligent.
Sea turtles, also known as marine turtles, are reptiles belonging to the order Testudines and the suborder Cryptodira. The flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, and olive ridley sea turtles are the seven existing sea turtle species. Sea turtles have existed since the age of the dinosaurs, yet there is a chance that all seven species could go extinct.
As a top predator, sharks have been essential in preserving healthy oceans for hundreds of millions of years. More than 450 shark species roam the world's oceans, ranging in size from 8 inches to 40 feet. Today, however, nearly one in every four sharks and their relatives is on the verge of extinction. A major cause is the demand for shark fins. Every year, up to 73 million shark fins end up in the global fin trade.
A wide variety of corals, starfish, jellyfish, sea slugs, kelp, and other organisms can be found in the ocean. Living things called corals frequently coexist in small groups to form coral reefs, the largest of which being the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Climate change, damaging fishing methods like bottom trawling and dynamite fishing, and other factors pose serious dangers to corals and other invertebrates.
According to some estimates, the world's oceans are home to 20,000 different species of fish. Ocean fishes come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, and they live at varying depths and temperatures. Despite this diversity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported in 2016 that 89.5% of fish stocks are either fully fished or overfished.
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