Many organisms live in the ocean environment. The greatest species diversity is observed among the fish of the ocean: there are peaceful herbivores living in packs, and bloodthirsty predators that can threaten all living things. There are both very large and extremely small individuals, but they are all interesting in their own way.

The underwater world of the ocean is filled with a huge variety of individuals

shark diversity

Sharks are the most colorful inhabitants of the depths of the seas and oceans. They are occasionally found in large lakes and rivers. There are over 500 varieties in total. They differ from each other not only in appearance and shape, but also in lifestyle.

The largest order of carchariformes includes eight families:

• grey;
• mustachioed dogs;
• false mustelids;
• hammerheads;
• big-eyed;
• striped felines;
• feline;
• marten.

The largest order of sharks is carchariformes, almost any shark that comes to mind will be from this order.

They usually live in coastal marine regions of temperate and tropical latitudes. Their common features:

• five gill slits;
• anal fin;
• two dorsal fins.
• nictitating membrane in the eyes.

The tiger shark was so named because of the transverse stripes on the sides of the body. This is one of the most common varieties. Individuals grow up to six meters in length, while reaching one and a half tons of mass. Indiscriminate in food. Eats crustaceans, turtles, sharks of another species, likes to eat marine mammals, birds, sea snakes and fish. Sometimes accidentally swallows unsuitable food items. It poses a threat to humans.

Obviously because of what the tiger shark got its name, it is unpretentious in food and represents real threat for a person

The name of the lemon shark is due to the yellowish tint of its skin. The length of individuals reaches a size of three and a half meters and a weight of 200 kilograms. They are active at night, live in shallow bays and reefs, and can settle in medium ones. Young sharks gather in schools and swim along the coasts overgrown with mangroves. They usually hunt birds, fish and mollusks. Cases of attack are recorded extremely rarely, but this species is still potentially dangerous to humans.

The blunt shark was so named because of the short and massive blunt snout. It is considered one of the most dangerous, poses a real threat to human life. The shark lives in fresh water and behaves extremely aggressively, often attacking livestock and domestic animals that have entered the river. At the same time, their physical parameters are quite impressive - half a ton of weight with a length of four meters.

The blunt shark or bull shark is also dangerous to humans.

The diet includes sea turtles, fish, smaller sharks, mammals, echinoderms and crustaceans. They hunt hiding in muddy water, which perfectly disguises the predator, not betraying its approach. Predator attacks many people not expecting danger.

The lateral fins of the long-winged (long-finned) shark visually resemble the wings of an airplane. The largest known length of an individual is four meters. Weight reaches 200 kilograms. They feed on mollusks and bony fish, but due to hunger they can change their eating habits. They are not safe for humans.

The blue shark is very elongated and slender, the pectoral fins stand out for their length. The top of the body is blue, on the sides it smoothly turns into blue, and the belly is contrastingly white. With a length of four meters, the predator weighs relatively much - 400 kilograms. Prefers to hunt crustaceans, fish, octopus and squid, does not neglect the corpses of mammals. Unsafe for humans.

The body of the silky shark is comparatively soft due to the small teeth on the skin. The flanks are bronze-gray, cast in places with metal, the belly is light. With a length of three to four meters, it weighs approximately 350 kilograms. This species is distinguished by its particularly acute hearing, which they use for hunting. Most of the diet is fish. Sometimes sharks gather together and drive the victims into a large flock, and then attack. Cases of attacks on people have not been recorded.

The reef shark is also called the whitetip shark. This is due to the tips of her fins - they are painted white.

It lives in places where there are a lot of corals. Well adapted to the reef terrain, perfectly orientated and hunts in it. Able to extract potential food from narrow spaces. It has a fairly strong jaw to break corals.

It comes out hunting at night, usually catching lobsters, octopuses, crabs and reef fish. With a two-meter length, it weighs quite a bit - only 30 kilograms. Individuals are aggressive towards humans only in case of self-defense. If you do not provoke a reef shark, then it will not attack people.

The reef shark can be distinguished by its small size and colored fin tips.

The cat shark has an interesting spotted coloration. It got its name also because of its excellent vision, nocturnal lifestyle and ability to curl up. The body of the shark is small, does not grow longer than a meter, weighs no more than two kilograms. Individuals catch gastropods, mollusks, crustaceans and echinoderms. Not dangerous to humans.

The kunya shark was also named because of its resemblance to a mammal. It looks like a marten in color, as well as a small flexible body. This predator is very agile and brisk, shows voracity. Sizes vary greatly in the range from 30 to 220 centimeters, large individuals weigh 30 kilograms. It usually hunts for fish, less often for mollusks and crustaceans. Almost harmless to humans.

The hammerhead shark is well known for its unusual head shape. In the daytime, individuals often gather in large flocks, the numerical size of which can reach a thousand. The largest recorded length is 6 meters. Weight does not exceed 600 kilograms. It usually feeds on rays, fish and shellfish. During the hunt, it shows aggression, therefore it is dangerous for humans.

The hammerhead shark is dangerous to humans only while hunting for the usual food of stingrays and smaller species of fish.

The origin of the name soup shark is directly related to gastronomy. The large fins of the predator are considered a delicacy and are used to make an exotic soup. It grows up to two meters in length, but weighs only 50 kilograms. It eats squid, crustaceans, molluscs and fish. Due to its relatively small size, it is not very dangerous to humans.

There are other large groups of sharks:

• laminar;
• Wobbegong-like;
• Katra-shaped;
• Polygill;
• Squatinous;
• Miscellaneous;
• Sawtooth.

There are several more classes of large sharks, among them wobbegong-like

Marine herbivores

Zebrasoma fish has an interesting beautiful color. Part of the snout from mouth to eyes is decorated with small black ornaments resembling freckles. There is a black stripe from the eye to the caudal fin, which splits into two in the middle and joins again. The caudal fin is yellow but has a black edge.

Along the edge of the lateral fins there is a yellow stripe, and the dorsal and ventral - black. The body is painted in a pleasant shade of blue. This fish is quite small and is used in the aquarium hobby, as it can be kept at home. In nature, it occurs both in small groups and singly.

The fish is peaceful and curious, constantly exploring the reef bottom in search of algae, and behaves in the same way in the aquarium. Prefers places with bright lighting, as it guarantees the growth of cyanobacteria.

Clownfish lives on a poisonous plant, escapes from predators and takes care of clean water around your savior

Clownfish live in symbiosis with anemones - poisonous sea anemones. The body has an interesting color: on a bright orange background there are three white stripes, the transitional parts are black. The fish are immune to the poisonous secretions of anemones. In nature, they hide in them from predators. When the flock is not in danger, the fish actively swim and increase the flow of water, which brings food to the sea anemones. The fish is small, only 10-18 centimeters in length.

The pajama wrasse is a very fastidious fish with an interesting coloration. An aggressive attitude towards relatives from the same family is normal for her. Likes to terrorize neighbors, harming them psychologically and physically. It feeds on algae, gets along well in a marine aquarium. It should be settled in a spacious container, where there is both free place for swimming and shelter. You can eat plant foods.

Predators of the sea

Among ocean fish, sharks are far from the only predators. There are many other aggressive representatives.

Murena loves to hide. To do this, she uses caves, coral reefs and thickets of vegetation. The body is quite elongated, with a length of three meters its thickness is only 30 centimeters. It has a strong jaw, which is actively used when hunting. Easily camouflaged and ambush attacks, holds prey tightly with its mouth, uses its tail to hold or tear the victim. With poor eyesight, he has an excellent sense of smell.

One of the dangerous marine predators is a moray eel, tearing its prey with a long tail

Barracudas are somewhat similar to giant three-meter pikes. They are dangerous to human health, can bite off a limb and cause other injuries. They attack suddenly and indiscriminately, including eating poisonous food. Because of this, their meat is toxic and is not used in gastronomy.

Swordfish surpasses many sharks in size - three meters in length and almost half a ton of mass. The most dangerous part of the body is a long outgrowth of bone on the upper jaw.

Because of its resemblance to a sword, the fish got its name. Thanks to the four-ton force of impact, the swordsman is able to break through an oak board half a meter thick. The predator has no scales.

The danger of this fish is in the outgrowth on the upper jaw resembling a sword

The European rod is also called the devil. This is due to the extremely unattractive appearance. Its wide mouth is like a crescent, the lower jaw is protruding, and the eyes are located close to the middle of the head. On a long fin above the upper jaw, bacteria actively multiply, which attract fish. If the bait does not work, then the angler can rise and swallow the whole bird that has landed on the surface of the water.

Tuna is a predator that prefers to gather in flocks. Its four-meter body can weigh half a ton, but the fish can swim at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour. Tuna is actively used in gastronomy, the French even call it sea veal.

Bonito also has a silver color, but is much smaller in size. It is no longer than 85 centimeters, and weighs no more than 7 kilograms. There are faint stripes on the back that are cast in blue. Fish gather in schools and hunt for sardines and anchovies.

deep sea dwellers

Deep-sea representatives are the most unusual among fish. Some representatives occupy the greatest depths of over six kilometers. They are poorly studied, but there are several known varieties.

Deep-sea inhabitants hunt, perfectly disguising themselves under the sand

The bottom ones include the leech short hagfish, the bathipter and some rays. Usually they know how to burrow into the ground and hunt well from ambush. They spend almost their entire lives at the bottom. They live on the continental slope and at the continental foot, they are found on underwater islands.

The bodies of benthopelagic fishes are very small and almost entirely composed of water, which helps to deal with the high pressure of the environment. This species has especially large eyes. Although they also stay at the bottom, they are able to move vigorously.

Fish that live in the ocean at a depth of up to three kilometers are called benthic. Most prominent representatives:

1. Atlantic bighead is a red meat-colored fish.
2. Patagonian toothfish is a black flattened fish.

The greatest recorded depth of habitation is 8370 meters. Their body is usually elongated and narrow, the muscles and organs are well developed. Among the sense organs, they rely more on the sense of smell and the lateral line, which can pick up low-frequency sounds, than on the eyes.

The organic world of the Pacific Ocean is rich in species diversity, not only due to the wide variety of natural conditions, but also due to the huge size of its water area. More than 50% of all biomass concentrated in the World Ocean is located here. Marine life The Pacific Ocean is about a hundred thousand different types animals, which is three to four times the diversity of marine life in any of the oceans on Earth.

The largest number of species is concentrated in the western regions of the Pacific Ocean, in its low latitudes. For example, the seas of the Malay Archipelago contain about 2,000 species of fish, while in its northern part there are only about three hundred. And the southern regions of the ocean (Antarctic region) are rich in a variety of underwater fauna, and have much in common with similar parts of the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Marine life of the Pacific

The antiquity of many species, a high degree of endemism and gigantism of many representatives, both flora and fauna, are hallmark organic world Pacific Ocean. Here you can also find primitive horseshoe crabs, ancient sea urchins, and such ancient fish as jordan and gilbertidia, which are not found elsewhere. About 95% of all known species of salmon species of fish live here.

The southern part of the ocean is a real underwater forest of giant algae from the kelp family, reaching 200 meters. The northern part of the ocean waters is known for giant mussels and oysters, and in the equatorial zone - the habitat of the largest bivalve mollusk called tridacna, which can reach a weight of up to 300 kilograms. And sea lions, fur seals and beavers are endemic, since they are not found in other oceans.

Animal world

As mentioned above, the species composition of flora and fauna is many times richer than in other oceans. All groups of living organisms of the World Ocean are presented here in full. The marine inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean are representatives of both the animal and plant worlds. To the northeast of Australia, as well as in the area of ​​the Sunda Islands, the coral fauna is well developed in all its diversity.

The deep-sea fauna is also distinguished by its originality. At a depth of more than 8500 meters, about forty species of animals live, 70% of which are endemic (that is, they are not found anywhere else). Sea cucumbers (holothurians) predominate, passing a huge amount of soil through their digestive system, which at great depths is practically the only source of nutrients.

These creatures are followed in terms of numbers by organisms that are well adapted to life in the so-called ultra-abyssal conditions, such as lamellar-gills, brittle stars, polychaetes, and others. And if you want to learn about the flora and biological resources of the Pacific Ocean, then the second part of this article will tell you about them:

Marine life of the Pacific Ocean. Part II

More than half of the living matter of the entire World Ocean of the Earth is concentrated in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. This applies to both plants and animals. The organic world as a whole is distinguished by species richness, antiquity, and a high degree of endemism.

The fauna, totaling up to 100 thousand species, is characterized by mammals that live mainly in temperate and high latitudes. A representative of toothed whales, the sperm whale, has a massive distribution, and several species of striped whales from toothless whales. Their fishing is strictly limited. Separate genera of the eared seal family (sea lions) and fur seals are found in the south and north of the ocean. Northern fur seals are valuable fur-bearing animals, the trade of which is strictly controlled. In the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean, there are also very rare sea lions (from eared seals) and walrus, which has a circumpolar range, but is now on the verge of extinction.

The fish fauna is very rich. In tropical waters, there are at least 2000 species, in the northwestern seas - about 800 species. The Pacific Ocean accounts for almost half of the world's fish catch. The main fishing areas are the northern and central parts of the ocean. The main commercial families are salmon, herring, cod, anchovies, etc.

The predominant mass of living organisms inhabiting the Pacific Ocean (as well as other parts of the World Ocean) falls on invertebrates that live at different levels of ocean waters and at the bottom of shallow waters: these are protozoa, coelenterates, arthropods (crabs, shrimps), mollusks (oysters, squids , octopuses), echinoderms, etc. They serve as food for mammals, fish, seabirds, but also constitute an essential component of marine fisheries and are objects of aquaculture.

The Pacific Ocean, due to the high temperatures of its surface waters in tropical latitudes, is especially rich in various types of corals, including those with a calcareous skeleton. In no other ocean is there such an abundance and variety of coral structures of various types as in the Pacific.

The basis of plankton is made up of unicellular representatives of the animal and plant world. There are almost 380 species in the phytoplankton of the Pacific Ocean.

The greatest wealth of the organic world is characteristic of areas where the so-called upwelling(raising to the surface of deep waters rich in minerals) or mixing of waters with different temperatures occurs, which creates favorable conditions for the nutrition and development of phyto- and zooplankton, which feed on fish and other nekton animals. In the Pacific, upwelling areas are concentrated along the coasts of Peru and in divergence zones in subtropical latitudes, where there are areas of intensive fishing and other trades.

Shark Mako. Large sharks belonging to the class of cartilaginous fish, represented by two main species. The body length of individual sharks - mako, whose main habitats are the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, can reach up to 4 meters and weigh 450 - 500 kilograms. You can meet these sharks both in the open ocean, where they can jump above the water surface, attack rafts and fishing boats, and in coastal waters, where they pose a serious danger to swimmers.

The main types of food for these large sharks are smaller fish and some types of shellfish, which they hunt, moving alone over long distances.

Giant shark. A large representative of the shark family, second in size after the whale shark. The size of the body of this shark, which feeds mainly on plankton, can reach 10 meters, and its weight can reach up to 4 tons. The color of the body of giant sharks is uniform, and mostly has dark gray or black tones. Giant sharks have well-developed gill slits that allow them to filter up to 2000 liters of water per hour, choosing valuable plankton from it for their food.

A characteristic feature of these sharks is their huge liver, which makes up a quarter of the weight of the entire shark and is filled with special oily liquid allowing the shark to stay afloat.

A large representative of the class of cephalopods from the squid order, whose body length, together with tentacles, can reach up to 18 meters, and weigh 1 ton. You can meet giant squid in the temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, where he prefers to live mainly at great depths, ranging from 600 to 110 meters.

The size of this squid and its powerful tentacles even allow it to withstand its main enemy, the sperm whale, which even relatively young giant squids can compete with.

In view of the great depth of their habitat, the way of life of giant squids has been little studied and only individual specimens of these animals that have been caught or found washed ashore can judge them.

Smooth whale. A family of whales from the suborder of baleen whales, which includes large-headed whales, the most massive in size, which can reach up to 18 meters. These whales got their name from the absence of furrows and stripes on the body, which are characteristic of many representatives of the order of cetaceans. The head of smooth whales has dimensions that make up 1/3 - 1/4 of the size of the entire body, they also have a wide tail fin with pointed ends.

The main habitats of right whales are the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, where they move slowly, most often at the surface of the water, singly or in small groups, and can find a sufficient amount of plankton, which is the basis of their diet.

Dugong. The only representative of mammals of its kind, which is part of the order of sirens and is the smallest of them. The weight of an adult dugong can be 600 kg, and the length of a dense spindle-shaped body can reach up to 4 meters. The forelimbs of dugongs are flippers, and the tail is shaped like the tails of cetacean mammals. The body, covered with a rough skin, ends in the front with a small head and a chopped off muzzle with fleshy, hanging lips, from which two small incisors protrude in males - tusks.

The main habitats of these animals, which served as prototypes of fabulous mermaids, are quiet lagoons and bays of the tropical zone of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Dugongs feed mainly on plant food, finding it in abundance in warm shallow water.

Nautilus. The oldest representative of the genus of cephalopods, whose ancestors lived on Earth five hundred million years ago. Nautilus are direct relatives of modern octopuses and the only representatives of the order of cephalopods, whose body is placed in a spiral shell. About six species of nautilus are known, living mainly in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The shell in which this mollusk lives is used not only to protect against numerous enemies, but with its help the nautilus can move to different depths, pumping in or releasing biogas from it.

Chinook. The largest representative of the genus of Pacific salmon, whose body length can reach up to 147 centimeters, and weight up to 61.2 kilograms. Chinook salmon has a predominantly grayish-green coloration, against which numerous black spots stand out, covering the back area, including the fin and the entire tail. A distinctive feature of chinook salmon, which distinguishes it from its closest relative, coho salmon, is the black color of the lower gums.

Chinook is an anadromous fish; for spawning, it rises along the channels of large rivers, sometimes overcoming very long distances. Chinook salmon feed on various types of plankton, smaller fish and squid.

Common toad fish. A fish from the frog-like family that lives in the sandy or muddy shallow waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. The main part of the body of this fish is a head with a large mouth, which has a flattened shape. The coloration of this fish, which is camouflaged for hunting in the sand, is very well suited for such camouflage, it is dominated by brownish-yellow tones with small dark spots scattered over its entire surface.

Another characteristic feature of this fish is the presence of poisonous spikes on its body, which are a great danger to bathers.

Fish - a toad is a pronounced predator, burrowing into the sand, it lies in wait for its prey, which can be smaller fish, worms, mollusks and crabs.

Electric Stingray. A genus of fish from the order of the same name, including 69 various kinds, all of which are characterized by a flat, pancake-shaped body with a long narrow tail and a unique ability to generate electrical discharges with a sufficiently large voltage value. The color of the flat disc-shaped body of electric rays can vary greatly, which depends primarily on the traditional habitat of each particular species.

You can meet electric stingrays in all the world's oceans, where they spend most of their time at the bottom, digging into the sand and patiently waiting for their prey, which they stun with their electric discharge. The main diet of almost all types of electric rays is small fish, molluscs and various crustaceans.

sailboat. A fish from the perciform family, which includes two species that live mainly in the Pacific and Indian oceans. These fish got their name for the characteristic dorsal fin, quite high, long and reminiscent of appearance sail. The coloration of these fish is also quite characteristic, it consists of a black color of the back with a characteristic blue tint, a brown color of the lateral part with small bluish stripes and a silvery-white color of the belly.

The sailboat is a clearly pronounced predator; in pursuit of its prey, it can reach speeds of up to 100 km / h. The main types of prey for this fish are most often more small fish, crustaceans and cephalopods.

Against the background of normal, annually recurring conditions, the Pacific Ocean is characterized by a phenomenon that disrupts the usual rhythm of circulation and hydrological processes and is not observed in other parts of the World Ocean. It manifests itself at intervals of 3 to 7 years and entails a violation of the usual environmental conditions within the intertropical space of the Pacific Ocean, affecting the life of living organisms, including the population of the coastal regions of the land. It consists in the following: at the end of November or in December, i.e. shortly before Christmas (why the phenomenon received the popular name "El Niño", which means "Holy Child"), for reasons not yet understood, there is a weakening of the south trade wind and, consequently, a weakening of the South Trade wind and the influx of relatively cold waters to the shores of South America and west of it. At the same time, winds usually unusual for these latitudes begin to blow from the northwest towards the southern hemisphere, carrying relatively warm waters to the southeast, intensifying the Equatorial countercurrent. This disrupts the upwelling phenomenon both in the zone of intratropical divergence and off the coast of South America, which, in turn, leads to the death of plankton, and then the death of fish and other animals that feed on it.
The El Niño phenomenon has been regularly observed since the second half of the 19th century. It has been established that in many cases it was accompanied by a violation of environmental conditions not only in the ocean, but also in vast areas of adjacent land: an anomalous increase in precipitation in the arid regions of South America and, conversely, droughts in the island and coastal regions of Southeast Asia and Australia. The consequences of El Niño in 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 are considered especially severe, when this unfavorable phenomenon lasted for several months.

World Ocean - waters that fill such planetary landforms as oceanic depressions. The antipodes to them are continental uplifts. The water area of ​​the discussed object is conditionally divided into several parts. This was done not in order to diversify the stories about life in the ocean in school lessons, but because all the components of the World Ocean really differ from one another, demonstrating their own “face”, lifestyle, character.

Versions of the composition of the oceans

The first version, the Soviet sample. In this case, the giant body of water is divided into 4 parts.

1. The Pacific Ocean is the largest.
2. Atlantic.
3. Indian.
4. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest.

Version two, adopted in a number of countries in Europe and Anglo-America. In this case, we have the 5th ocean - the South. It is located between Antarctica and the conditional southern border of the Western Winds. Thus, the southern margins of the three largest oceans are "cut off". The appearance of the Southern Ocean is justified because the hydrological regime of the water area adjacent to Antarctica is qualitatively different from that behind the West Wind Current.

Version three, circulating in scientific circles. According to it, the Arctic Ocean should be removed from the list. Cause? Modest size and lack of a full-fledged oceanic basin. In this case, it is proposed to consider it a large inland sea near the Atlantic Ocean.

Pacific Ocean

Traditionally, any study of ocean facts begins with this body of water. Yes, he is the biggest. Its area is 178.8 million km². This territory exceeds the total area of ​​all land - the continents and islands of the Earth.

In the Pacific Ocean there is the maximum number of islands in comparison with other components of the water space of our planet. Its bottom consists of several tectonic plates. Volcanoes and troughs are formed in the place of their interaction. The deepest is Mariana. Depth - 11,022 m.

The Pacific Ocean could have been called the Great, but because of the first impression, surprised by the calmness of the vast expanse of water after the very turbulent Strait of Magellan, it got its modern name - Pacific Ocean.

Unusual and typical inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean

Due to the fact that the area of ​​the Pacific Ocean occupies a third of the earth's surface and half of the rest of the planet's water area, it is distinguished by the maximum species diversity of fauna. By the way, the Sea of ​​Japan, located in the temperate climate zone, has become the champion in species diversity.

A description of the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean should begin with a description of the coral reef system. They are formed as a result of the vital activity of coral polyps - organisms with a solid limestone skeleton. The best conditions for the reproduction and growth of coral polyps are a water column penetrated by sunlight up to 50 meters deep, with an average temperature varying between 23-25 ​​° C. In addition, the condition with a salinity of 35-42 ppm must be maintained.

Coral polyps feed on plankton. If the colony has taken root on the slope of a volcanic cone, then it can form a ring-shaped atoll. Numerous colonies of coral polyps in the equatorial part of the center of the Pacific Ocean and off the coast of Australia became the reason for the "construction" of numerous islands grouped into archipelagos.

The most impressive is the Great Barrier Reef, stretching along the east coast of Australia. This is a special world in which live the most diverse in shape and color of fish, worms, sea ​​urchins, stars, squids and octopuses. Naturally, dolphins, killer whales, sharks “look after” and regulate its numbers.

If we talk about the Pacific Ocean from the point of view of an industrialist, then significant resources of valuable fish species are concentrated in the northern part of its water area. We are talking about salmon - salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, for the catch of which the fleets of several states are oriented.

In temperate latitudes, the Pacific Ocean is famous for its stocks of tuna, herring, and anchovy. In total, the Pacific Ocean provides 50% of industrial fishing. Plus - shrimp, shellfish, crustaceans. All this abundance attracts birds. Therefore, the Pacific coast of South America is famous for its bird colonies. For example, cormorants, penguins, pelicans. Mammals - seals and sea beavers - will not refuse to eat fish either.

Another feature of part of the "population" of the Pacific Ocean is gigantism. The legendary tridacna mollusk, king crab, whale shark and blue whale live in its waters.

In addition, the Pacific Ocean has become a testing ground for experiments in the genre of aquaculture. It was here, on the underwater farms of Japan, that the first plantations of algae and shellfish appeared.

This reservoir got its name in honor of the Greek titan Atlanta. Square Atlantic Ocean equal to 91.7 million km².

map of the atlantic ocean

It includes 16 seas. Some of them - the Mediterranean, Black, Caribbean, are considered the civilizational centers of mankind.

Unusual and typical inhabitants of the Atlantic Ocean

The following can be said about living organisms in the Atlantic Ocean:

• Their species diversity is lower than in the Pacific Ocean. For example, in the Atlantic there are no horseshoe crabs, ancient fish like coelacanths, sea snakes. Or fungia-type corals in the Atlantic Ocean are represented by only one species, and in the Pacific Ocean - by three at once.
• The Atlantic Ocean provides only 20% of the world's fish and seafood.
• Animals are concentrated within the shelf and surface waters.
• There is a clear zonality in the distribution of representatives of marine fauna.

If you go through the geographical zones, the picture will be as follows. Notothenia, rhinoceros whiteblood, Antarctic silverfish, blue whiting, and deep-water platypus live in the water area adjacent to Antarctica. Benthos and plankton are poor in species, rich in quantity.

In the temperate climate zone, the biomass is represented by copepods - krill, pteropods. Plus - whales, an abundance of pinnipeds and notothenia fish. For example, mackerel, herring, haddock, cod, tuna, halibut, sardine, sea bass, anchovy.

In the tropics, the biomass of the temperate zone is enriched in squid, octopus, siphonophores and jellyfish. Fantastic beauty worlds formed in coral reefs Caribbean and fragmentary Mediterranean seas. Crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, hydroids, and specific transparent and luminous fish have been found in deep-sea trenches.

An important point. This is the real tragedy of the Atlantic Ocean. Man began the development of its biological resources first, so they suffered more living organisms in other parts of the oceans. For example, in the North Atlantic, after the invention of the harpoon gun, the number of whales was minimized to almost zero, and sperm whales were exterminated.

Most of this geographical feature is concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere.

Map of the Indian Ocean

The following can be said about life in the Indian Ocean. A worthy area - 76.2 million km², sufficient depth and an original system of currents formed wonderful world animals.

Unusual and typical inhabitants of the Indian Ocean

In the northern part of the Indian Ocean, where the powerful rivers of Eurasia carry their waters - the Indus, Ganges, Tigris, Euphrates, there is an excess of nutrients. In combination with relatively high temperatures of water masses and moderate depth, they cause a real riot of microorganisms and algae. Plankton and algae - brown, green, calcareous, red - multiply at an accelerated pace, coloring the water in the appropriate color.

The animal world is distinguished by a significant species diversity, but a relatively small number of individuals of the same species. Here you can meet dolphins, tuna and a whole galaxy of different-sized sharks.

In addition, giant sea turtles, multi-meter and very poisonous sea snakes live in the Indian Ocean. In temperate and southern latitudes, toothless and blue whales, dolphins, sperm whales, elephant seals, seals.

Another feature of this particular reservoir is the Latimeria fish, a real living fossil that lives off the east coast of Africa. The animal is lung-breathing, but without water it cannot survive for more than 2 hours. In addition, its limbs resemble walking rather than typical fish fins.

Such facts about the oceans for schoolchildren will be of interest to those who are interested in the origin of species, explore evolution, comprehend the exit of life forms from the ocean to land.

The smallest. Total 14.1 million km². Fundamentally not deep - most of the bottom of the reservoir is occupied by the shelf. It has many mainland islands. central part all year round it is covered with glaciers, and pieces of ice torn off from them, such as icebergs, ply along the outskirts. Therefore, the living world here is distinguished by an extremely meager species set and a huge number of individuals of each represented taxon.

Map of the Arctic Ocean

The most striking representatives of the fauna of the Arctic Ocean are whales. We are talking about a five-meter white whale, a bowhead whale, a bottlenose equipped with a narwhal horn, a fin whale and a gray whale.

What do those who do not like plankton eat? A goggle-eyed polar cod, a beauty dallium, a white salmon, a small-eyed kottunkul. Yes, and do not forget about the polar shark, which in these conditions is not only a hunter, but also a welcome prey for the inhabitants of the small peoples of the North.

These fish attract ringed seals, bearded seals, lionfish, coots, hooded seals and walruses. And, of course, only here you can see the luxurious bird colonies created by crowds of geese, long-tailed ducks, skuas, red-throated loons, snow buntings and gerbils.

You can talk about the oceans endlessly. The only problem is that man has aggressively invaded this rather fragile world. Therefore, if development goes in the same vein, it will be possible to forget about life in the ocean, studying it from pictures and old photographs.

Active study of the underwater world began relatively recently - in the middle of the last century. To do this, it was necessary to come up with sonars, scuba gear, bathyscaphes ... How many surprises turned out to be in the depths of the sea! The variety of life forms is simply staggering. Here are ten of the most charming, strange, creepy and rare fish that mankind has discovered.

Hairy monkfish. Opened in 1930. Very strange and scary fish that live in the deep bottom, where there is no sunlight - from 1 km and deeper. To lure the inhabitants of the deep sea, it uses a special luminous outgrowth on the forehead, characteristic of the entire detachment of anglerfish. Thanks to a special metabolism and extremely sharp teeth, he can eat anything that comes across, even if the victim is many times larger and is a predator. It breeds no less strange than it looks and eats - due to the unusually harsh conditions and the rarity of fish, the male (ten times smaller than the female) attaches itself to the flesh of his chosen one and transfers everything he needs through the blood.

The frillbearer. Opened in 1884. These sharks look much more like a strange sea snake or eel than their closest relatives. In the frilled shark, the gill openings, of which there are six on each side, are covered with skin folds. Along with the goblin shark, it is one of the rarest sharks on the planet. No more than a hundred specimens of these fish are known. They are very poorly studied.

Psychedelic frogfish. Opened in 2009. The head is large, wide-spaced eyes are directed forward, like in vertebrates, due to which the fish has a kind of "facial expression". Unlike other fish that swim, this species moves as if by jumping, pushing off the bottom with its pectoral fins and pushing water out of the gill slits, creating jet thrust. The tail of the fish is bent to the side and cannot directly direct the movement of the body, therefore it oscillates from side to side. Also, the fish can crawl along the bottom with the help of pectoral fins, turning them over like legs.

Drop fish. Opened in 1926. Often mistaken for a joke. In fact, this is a very real species of deep-sea bottom marine fish of the Psycholute family, which on the surface take on a “jelly” appearance with a “sad expression”. It is poorly studied, but this is enough to recognize it as one of the most bizarre. Pictured is a copy of the Australian Museum.

The rag-picker. Opened in 1865. Representatives of this species of fish are notable for the fact that their entire body and head are covered with processes that mimic algae. Although these processes look like fins, they do not take part in swimming, they serve for camouflage (both when hunting shrimp and for protection from enemies). Lives in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Feeds on plankton, small shrimps, algae. Having no teeth, the rag-picker swallows food whole.

Scorpion Ambon. Opened in 1856. Easily recognizable by the huge "eyebrows" - specific growths above the eyes. Able to change color and shed. Conducts "guerrilla" hunting - disguised at the bottom and waiting for the victim. Not uncommon and quite well studied, but her extravagant appearance is simply not to be missed!

Moon-fish (eng. Ocean Sunfish, lat. Mola mola).
Opened in 1758. The laterally compressed body is extremely high and short, which gives the fish an extremely strange appearance: it resembles a disk in shape. The tail is very short, wide and truncated. The skin is thick and elastic, covered with small bony tubercles. You can often see the moon-fish lying on its side on the surface of the water. The adult is a very poor swimmer, unable to overcome strong currents. It feeds on plankton, as well as squid, eel larvae, salps, ctenophores and jellyfish. It can reach gigantic sizes of several meters and weigh 2 tons.

Indonesian coelacanth. Opened in 1999. Living fossil and probably the oldest fish on earth. Before the discovery of the first representative of the order of coelicans, which includes coelacanth, he was considered completely extinct. The time of divergence of two modern species of coelacanths is 30–40 Ma. No more than a dozen were caught alive.

Broad-nosed chimera. Opened in 1909. Utterly disgusting-looking jelly-like fish. It lives on the deep bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and feeds on mollusks. Very poorly studied.

Smallmouth macropinna. Opened in 1939. It lives at a very great depth, therefore it is poorly studied. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not stand the change in pressure. The most notable feature of this species is the transparent dome-shaped shell that covers its head from above and to the sides, and the large, usually upward-pointing, cylindrical eyes that are found under this shell. This overlying structure is usually lost (or at least severely damaged) when fish are brought to the surface in trawls and nets, so its existence was not known until recently. Under the covering shell is a chamber filled with a transparent liquid, in which, in fact, the eyes of the fish are located; the eyes of live fish are bright green and separated by a thin bony septum. Anterior to each eye, but behind the mouth, is a large, rounded pocket that contains an olfactory receptor rosette. That is, what at first glance in photographs of live fish seems to be eyes, is actually an olfactory organ.