Surprising Facts About Marine Wildlife

The depth of the earth’s water is full of incredible secrets! Fish, plants, creatures, and microorganisms make the ocean of Earth unbelievably distinctive. Marine wildlife is something that researchers are still examining and exploring. Much research is being conducted on various marine wildlife and creatures, their habits, living conditions, clans, kingdoms, and more. As it is home to amazing wildlife, we need to keep our oceans healthy, clean, and blue.

Do you know that the sea produces around half of all the oxygen we breathe via phytoplankton?

It also helps keep our environment clean and inhabitable. Not to mention, it absorbs around half of artificial carbon dioxide, which can result in extreme climate warming conditions. The fact that Earth’s oceans are home to 230,000 known species, with only 5% of them considered explored, is extremely incredible. According to the Ocean Literacy Portal, it has been stated that the rest of the earth’s water, especially its depths, is still unknown to humankind.

Despite the importance of marine life, oceans are facing unparalleled threats as a result of human activities, industries, movements, and more. Our habitats and living environment have affected the environment of the ocean extremely.

Do you know that every year, an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste is dumped in the world’s oceans?

Consequently, climate change caused by human activities is also damaging coral reefs and other critical ecosystems. Overfishing is endangering the stability of fish livestock; increasing pollution has created dead zones; and nearly 80 percent of the world’s wastewater is released into ocean water without treatment.

These unhealthy habits have immensely affected marine life conditions, and it is important to take proper measures and protocols for the protection of marine ecosystems. In this blog post, we are going to discover some surprising facts about marine wildlife and the measures that should be taken for a healthy ocean habitat.

Why is Marine Life Important?

Water covers over 70% of the earth. It is a part of our life source and supports humanity’s livelihood and that of other organisms on Earth. It produces around 50 percent of the Earth’s oxygen, provides habitat to most of the Earth’s biodiversity, and is the source of protein for more than a billion people around the globe. Likewise, the ocean is essential to our economy, with an estimated 40 million people engaged in ocean industries by 2030.

Oceans are not just important to mankind but also provide multiple advantages to the earth’s climate conditions, fauna, wildlife, microorganisms, and more. That is why we cannot neglect the importance of the ocean and should do our best to keep it healthy, clean, and blue.

Facts About Marine Wildlife

Marine life includes all the animals, plants, and organisms that are thriving in Earth’s saltwater. From the smallest living being, the plankton, to the largest blue whale, all organisms have a significant role in maintaining the healthy stability of these amazing, complex ecosystems. Here are some surprising facts about marine wildlife.

• Many bony fish have more than just one set of nostrils: One of the most surprising marine wildlife facts is about bony fish. While we might have seen them in many ocean documentaries, little do we know that the fish have more than just one set of nostrils. The nostrils of this fish also do not extend to the back of the fish mouth like those of mammals and do not function for breathing. They lead to organs of smell, which are very sensitive for fish to detect the presence of food in the water at considerable distances.
• Not all hermit crabs use seashells for shelter: While it may be unusual and surprising for you to know that in the Sea of Cortez, many hermit crabs use living, growing hydro coral for shelter in the Indo-Pacific area, They are quite usual animals that thrive in the seabed of the ocean. For divers, it can be quite difficult to spot them as they live in the fixed wormholes left by marine worms.
• Sharks are covered with tiny little teeth called dermal denticles: Not everyone might have seen sharks in real life. You might wonder what they look like, how their skin is made, the sharpness of their teeth, or their actual body size. But as it is a crucial component of marine wildlife, you might be shocked to know that their skin is covered with tiny little teeth called dermal denticles. That is why their skin feels like sandpaper. It gives it a cluttered appearance and an uneven texture.
• Moray eels open and close their mouths every minute: Maine wildlife is not always dangerous. It is surprisingly unique and contains different norms by which each organism adjusts its body to the living conditions. Moray eels are one of them. They do not open their mouths as aggressive behavior but as a process of their respiration.
• At night, parrotfish enclose themselves in a bubble of their mucus: Marine wildlife has millions of different fish that live under their own set of conditions and body elements. Do you know that during the night, parrotfish release their mucus to enclose themselves in a bubble-like structure? They do so to prevent any predators or dangers from smelling them.
• Nudibranchs can absorb nematocysts from their prey: Nudibranchs are a very distinct creature that has an extraordinary body type and abilities. They can absorb nematocysts from the prey they eat and thereafter utilize them for their defense. It includes it in their defensive system to prevent any predator from smelling them.

Conclusion

Marine wildlife is incredibly vast, extraordinary, and surprising. Though mankind has explored only about 5% of the earth’s ocean, we have found some of the more exciting and unique marine wildlife creatures. Their habitats and living conditions have influenced us to research more about human evolution.

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