Ocean Buddies Guide
Fun Things to Know
World Oceans
Three-quarters of the Earth's surface is covered with water. About half of
the world's oceans are more than 10,000 feet deep. That is 1,000 times
deeper than most swimming pools.
Waves
Wind blowing on the oceans surface is one way waves are made. The
stronger the wind blows, the bigger waves can get. Sometimes, when there
are storms or hurricanes, ocean waves can become very large and damage
buildings near shore.
Biggest Fish
The largest fish in the Ocean is called a whale shark. It can grow to be 50
feet long and weigh 25,000 pounds. That is about the size of a school bus!
Don't worry though, whale sharks don't eat humans. They are slow and gentle
fish. They use special filters in their mouths to eat tiny animals called
plankton.
Fast Swimmers
Tuna are some of the fastest swimmers in the ocean. They can swim almost
50 mph. That is almost as fast as cars drive on the highway. Many people
eat tuna all around the world. Sadly, so many of them are being caught that
there are not very many tuna left.
One Kind of Dolphin
Many people call them
"killer whales", but Orcas
are not dangerous to
humans. They are not even
whales. Orcas are really
the largest type of
dolphin. These animals
travel together in small
groups called pods. Orcas
eat all types of fish, seals,
squid, octopuses, and even
some sharks.
A Smart Marine Animal
Octopuses are one of the smartest animals in the ocean. They have eight
legs with hundreds of sticky suction cups on them that they use for
swimming and eating food. Octopuses can also change color and shoot out a
dark ink to escape being eaten.
Jumping Sharks
A great white shark can jump completely out of
the water. Great whites are large sharks that
eat mostly fish and seals. Sometimes they
chase their prey right out of the water and
jump in the air to grab them.
Swimming Turtles
There are seven different species of sea turtles. The oldest sea turtle ever
lived to be 189 years old. They have very hard shells which protect them
from predators. Some sea turtles can grow to 7 feet long and weigh 1,300
pounds. Can you imagine a turtle about the size of a small car swimming
through the ocean?
A Spooky Marine Animal
One scary and strange-looking fish,
called an anglerfish, lives thousands of
feet deep near the ocean floor. Its home
is very dark and cold. The anglerfish has
a small glowing light hanging in front of
its mouth to attract other fish so it can
eat them. The mouth of an anglerfish is
so large that it can eat fish as big as
itself.
How can you be an Ocean Buddy?
If you want to help your favorite animals in the ocean there are a lot of easy
things you can do to make their lives better.
Storm Drains
Throw all trash into a trash can.
Storm drains are only meant for
water. Any trash that goes into a
storm drain goes into rivers and
then the ocean. Marine animals
don't know what trash is and many
try to eat it and hurt themselves.
Sometimes the trash gets tangled
with the animals and they cannot escape.
Save Water
When you are washing your hands or brushing your teeth, make sure you turn
off the tap when you are not using it. More water running into the ocean can
bring pollution into the water where it hurts animals.
Plastic Drink Rings
Plastic rings from drink
packages are very dangerous
for animals in the sea. They
can get their heads and
flippers stuck in these small
rings. Before you throw
these away in the trash can,
get an adult to help you cut
the plastic into small pieces.
Read a Book
Ask your parents, teacher, or librarian if
they know of any good books about the
oceans. Read about your favorite ocean
animals and see what you can discover.
Take a Trip
If you live near an aquarium or a beach,
ask your family to plan a trip to visit one
of these places. Bring a friend if you can.
Show your friend how to be an ocean
buddy too!
More Ocean Information
Here is a list of some other websites with good information about the
oceans.
www.SeastheDay.org -- Offers a number of ideas on how you can help the
ocean.
http://www.aquarium.org/central_shark/feature1.htm -- This website has
lots of fun facts about sharks and dolphins.
http://www.mbayaq.org/lc/ -- The Monterey Bay Aquarium.
http://www.aqua.org/cometolife.html -- The Baltimore Aquarium website.
http://www.neaq.org/scilearn/kids/index.html -- The New England Aquarium
website.
http://www.flaquarium.org/html/l2/l2_community_just4kids.html -- The
Florida Aquarium Website.
Citations
Helvarg, David. 50 Ways to Save the Ocean. Inner Ocean Publishing, March
2006.
Hirschmann, Kris. Whales Sharks: Creatures of the Sea. Kidhaven Press,
March 5, 2004.
Klinowska, Margaret. Dolphins, Porpoises, and Whales of the World. IUCN:
Gland, Switzerland, 1991.
Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Soule, Michael E., Norse, Elliot A.,
Crowder, Larry B. Marine Conservation Biology: The Science of Maintaining
the Sea's Biodiversity. Island Press, May 25, 2005.
Perrine, Doug. Sea Turtles of the World. Voyageur Press: Stillwater, USA,
2003.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia July 31, 2006.
The Ocean Buddies Guide was prepared by The Ocean Foundation
