Updated Oct 23, 2024
This kit was created to assist you in completing the Sea Life Challenge Kit. Included are facts, stories, crafts, games, recipes and information that can be copied and distributed to the participants.
All age levels need to complete 6 requirements from the list to earn the Sea Life Patch.
The Sunlight Zone, also known as the Epipelagic Zone, is the first layer of the ocean. This is the most active layer in the ocean because the living conditions are most ideal.
These bright waters are the only layer of the ocean with enough light to allow for photosynthesis, so this layer if the only one with plant life. Because of this, algae and plankton flourish. The rich plant life creates an ideal home for most of the ocean’s creatures.
Many small fish live off of plankton. Animals that dine on plant life can gather plankton as they swim. Larger fish that require more nourishment hunt smaller fish, crustaceans, squid, and whales. Hunters in this layer have no lack of prey—nearly 90 percent of the ocean’s creatures live in this layer.
This layer of the ocean also has the lowest water pressure. We don’t realize it, but there is a natural atmospheric pressure of 1 kg/cm2 (14.2 psi [pounds per square inch]) of pressure on our bodies at all times. Because water is heavier than air, this pressure increases very quickly the deeper you dive into the ocean.
The pressure doubles a mere ten meters (33ft.) beneath the ocean’s surface. To give you an idea of how quickly this can add up, imagine an Olympic swimming pool. They’re 100 meters long—the length of half the depth of the ocean’s first layer. If you were to dive 100 meters into the ocean, the pressure would be 10kg/cm2 (142.2 psi). This is ten times the pressure we feel.
Plankton is the most important life form in the ocean. It is also amongst the smallest. Any living organisms that are incapable of swimming against the current are considered plankton. They can be microscopic or simply very tiny, measuring less than the length of your baby finger. Plants, bacteria, and very small animals are only some of the thousands of individual species and organism that make up plankton populations.
Plankton got its name from the Greek adjective planktos, meaning “wanderer” or “drifter” because it flows with the current. There are three broad groups of plankton. Phytoplankton is plant life that reproduces through photosynthesis. Zooplankton is comprised of small animals, like crustaceans and larvae of larger animals. Bacteriplankton is bacteria and archaea (single-celled organisms).
In one way or another, all animal life in the ocean depends on plankton. Animals large and small feed on plankton. Coral reefs depend on plankton to get their nutrition. Small herbivores feed plankton. Those smaller fish become prey for larger, carnivorous fish. It is the first link in the ocean’s food chain.
Canada has the longest coastline, at 56,543 miles. The combined distance of the Earth’s
coastlines is enough to wrap around the Equator twelve times. That’s a lot of sand! It is estimated that 90% of volcanic activity takes place under water. The largest range of active volcanoes is underwater, there are 1,133 in an area the size of the state of New York.
Great white sharks live in most coastal and offshore waters. Even though they live most of their lives in the Sunlight Zone, they have been recorded as low as 1,120 meters (3674.5 ft.) deep. They are found near the US (Hawaii and Northwest of the Atlantic), New South Wales, South Africa, Japan, South Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and the Mediterranean Sea. Each year, a pod of several hundred sharks, one of the densest populations in the world, gathers near Dyer Island in South America.
Male sharks usually reach 4 meters (13 ft.) in length, while females grow up to 5 meters (16 ft.). Although these are the usual lengths, they have been recorded at intimidating lengths of 6 meters (19.7 ft.). The average Great White Shark will weigh in anywhere between 1,500 pounds (680kgs) and a hefty 2,400 pounds (1,100kg). They live for roughly 30
years.
These sharks have some of the sharpest hunting instincts in the world. They have an acute sense of smell, sharp eye sight, and electromagnetic sensory cells that allow them to detect the faint electric charges produced by other creatures’ muscle movements. Their sense of smell is so strong, they can smell one drop of blood in 100 liters (25 gallons) of water!
Great white sharks will eat almost anything. They have been known to even eat things that they can’t digest. They prefer to eat sea mammals, large fish, other sharks, and whales. Because they are very active fish, they have a high metabolism. They have been known to eat as often as three times a day, yet they can go as long as a month without feeding.
Great whites have 3,000 teeth arranged in several rows behind their main teeth. The first two rows are used to catch their prey; the other rows rotate forward to replace any that are broken or lost. All of these teeth are serrated. When the sharks shake their heads back and forth, their prey is torn into smaller pieces which are swallowed whole.
Without a doubt, these are some of the most famous fish in the ocean. A great white shark starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws. Despite this terrifying image, they are not known for attacking humans in the water. When they do attack, most of the incidents are non-fatal, and the swimmer survives. Researchers believe the attacks are “test bites." The film Jaws perpetuates a false narrative of sharks, endangering them to sport hunting and fear.
Green sea turtles live in nearly every ocean in the world, except the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean. They prefer tropical and subtropical coastal waters. They live in the upper layer of the ocean, in the Sunlight Zone.
Their name came from the colour of their shell, which ranges from an olive green to a deep brown. They can’t draw their heads under their shells like other turtles—their heads are not retractable. Weighing up to 320 kilograms (700 lbs.), these are some of the world’s largest reptiles. Despite their impressive size, their flippers make them graceful and powerful swimmers. Males are slightly larger than females and have longer tails. They can live up to 80 years.
Unlike many other sea turtles, green sea turtles are mainly herbivores. They feed on algae and sea grasses. When they are juvenile, they eat jellyfish, crabs, and sea sponges. The extra nourishment found in their prey helps them grow. Once they reach adulthood, they switch to a vegetarian diet.
Even though they spend most of their life in the sea, sea turtles lay their eggs on land. Every two to four years, mature female turtles climb out of the water and onto a beach. They will only make this venture at night. Using her hind flippers, she will dig a nest. Her nest will be nearly two feet deep and house 50 and 200 eggs. Every year, 6,000 to 15,000 nests are built on Ascension Island, an isolated volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. This is the largest nesting ground fro green sea turtles.
Once her eggs have been laid, the female green sea turtle covers the eggs with sand to protect them from predators. When the nest is safely covered, she leaves the eggs to incubate in the heat of the sun trapped in the same and returns to her ocean home. Two months later, the eggs hatch and the turtle hatchlings make for the ocean.
The blue whale is the largest mammal on Earth. Measuring in at 30 meters (100 ft.) long and weighing in at 180 metric tons, it is the largest known animal in world history - including dinosaurs. Their tongues alone can weigh more than an adult elephant.
Blue whales have long and slender bodies. Compared to other whales, their bodies are thin, giving them a stretched look. Just like their name suggests, they are various shades of blue with a lighter underbelly.
These giants live off a diet of krill, small shrimp-like creatures. They are so small—only about 3 centimeters (1.2 in.) long as adults—that the average blue whale will eat up to 40 million of them in a single day. That adds up to about 1.5 million kilocalories—the average adult human, on the other hand, only needs about 2,000. That’s a lot of krill!
They eat this massive amount of kill by gulping in a mouthful of water and forcing it out, passing through their teeth. Their “teeth” are actually baleen plates, bristle-like feeder systems that filter food from the water. Baleen plates are made from keratin, the same thing as our nails.
Even though they live in the ocean, blue whales can’t breathe underwater. They surface to breath in fresh air through their blowholes. When they breathe, a spout of water burst from their blowholes. These mini-geysers typically shoot 9 meters (39 ft.) into the air. They usually dive for about 20 minutes at a time, holding their breath the entire time.
Blue whales are solitary animals. Rather than travel in a pod—or a group; they will travel alone or with a single companion. Blue whales have been protected animals since 1966.
Flying fish are found across the world in tropical and subtropical areas. They got their name because they jump out of the ocean and glide through the air—a very distinct trait for any fish. They can jump so high, fishermen have been known to find them on the decks of their ships. There are 64 species of flying fish.
To jump out of the ocean, they have to be going fast. They gain speed underwater, reaching speeds of 60 km/h (37mph), then they angle their bodies upward and break through the water surface. Once they have broken the surface of the ocean, flying fish can reach heights up to 6 meters (20 ft.) and fly distances of at least 400 meters (1,300 ft.). Their top speed is about 70km/h (44 mph). The longest flight on film was caught off the cost of Japan and lasted an impressive 45 seconds!
Flying fish have thin torpedo-shaped bodies. Their large wing-like pectoral fins, the fins that enable them to fly through the air, set them apart from other species of fish. Colouring ranges between each different species. All species of flying fish are small; the largest species only grows to lengths of 45 centimetres (1.5 ft.). Most species will only grow to 30 centimetres (1 ft.).
Marine biologists believe they developed the ability to fly to elude predators. They are prey to marlin, swordfish, and several other large fish. Flying fish are omnivores, eating smaller species of fish and sea plants, including plankton.
Lion’s mane jellyfish are the world’s largest jellyfish. In fact, they are contenders to be the largest known creature to ever live on Earth. From bell to tentacle tip, the largest specimen to date was found in 1870 in Massachusetts Bay and was around 37 meters (120 ft.) long. This means that it was longer than a blue whale, which was previously thought to be the largest animal to ever live on Earth.
Their bell can grow anywhere from 50 centimeters (20 in.) to 2.5 meters (8.2 ft.) in diameter. The bell is divided into eight lobes, giving it the appearance of an eight-pointed star.
The largest species has tentacles that are at least 30 meters (98 ft.) long. These extremely sticky tentacles are arranged into eight clusters. Each cluster will feature over 100 tentacles that are arranged in rows. Lion’s mane jellyfish are named for their many tentacles, as they billow behind them in a shape reminiscent of a lion’s mane.
Along with their tentacles, lion’s mane jellyfish also have oral arms near their mouths to help move food toward it. They are carnivorous, like most jellyfish. They live off a diet of zooplankton, small fish, and other jellyfish. With their amazing size, you may think that these creatures have a long lifespan, but this is not the case. Lion’s man jellyfish grow rapidly—some species only live for one year. Their size may not relate to their age, but it does relate to their colour. The size of the jellyfish determines their colouring. The larger specimens are crimson to purple, while the smaller ones are orange or tan.
These swimming giants prefer cold waters. They are found no more than 20 meters beneath the surface. Their size may frighten swimmers, but their stings aren’t lethal. It will only cause an itchy rash and a burning sensation—imagine surviving a meeting with the world’s largest creature!
What we call the Twilight Zone is known as the Mesopelagic Zone to marine biologists. It extends from 200 to 1000 meters (656 to 3281 ft.) beneath the ocean’s surface. This is the area of the ocean where sunlight begins to break up, and visibility begins to be affected. There are some areas in this layer of the ocean that have no light at all.
What little light that does go through is not strong enough to allow for photosynthesis. This means that there is no plant life in this layer of the ocean, including plankton. Because of this, food starts to become limited. This leads many fish to rise to shallower waters to feed. Others hunt or eat the food morsels that fall down from the Sunlight Zone.
At this level, the water temperature is cool, ranging anywhere between 4 degrees C and 20 degrees Celsius. Water pressure begins to rise at this level.
Wolf eels are not eels at all: they are elongated fish with pectoral fins on the sides of their bodies. They are giants of the deep, growing as long as 2.4 meters (8 ft.). Males have a grey colouration with spots along their backs. Females are brown and are also spotted.
While wolf eels live most of their adult lives in the Twilight Zone, they are born in the Sunlight Zone. As they age, they migrate down to the ocean floor. Once they’ve made their descent, they will begin the search for a cave. These caves are crevices in the rocks along the ocean walls and floor. Once they find a suitable home, they will most likely live the rest of their lives there. Wolf eels can be found in the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to California.
Once wolf eels have found their home, they will begin looking for a mate. By this point in their lives, they are about three years old. Finding a mate is no simple task for a wolf eel; they have been known to mate for life. Wolf eels generally start laying eggs when they are seven years old. When they begin the nesting phase of their lives, females will lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time.
Their diet consists of fish, crustaceans, mussels, clams, and urchins, though they have been known to prefer urchins. Their strong jaws, conical (pointed) teeth, and strong molars crush the hard outer bodies of their prey.
Firefly squid are found on the upper portion of the Twilight Zone, about 370 meters (1.200 ft.) deep. Like many other fish in this area, they rise closer to the surface at night to feed. They are a relatively small species of squid, growing to a maximum length of 7 centimeters (3 inches). Firefly squids got their name from their bioluminescent forms—the lights that line their bodies have led them to be compared to fireflies. They produce the light with the help of organs called photophores. Thousands of these tiny organs can be found in their bodies, including along their tentacles and around their eyes. They glow a deep, bright blue. The lights help firefly squid with many important functions. The lights attract prey. Small fish are curious to investigate the light show, only to become the squid’s next meal. The lights can also hide their form. The light of their bodies dances with the shimmer from the surface, which breaks up their body shapes and confuses their enemies. The lights are also used to attract a mate. Each year, the coast of Toyama Bay in Japan glows when they gather by the million to spawn. The light show is so impressive that the area has been designated a natural monument.
Unlike many sea creatures, firefly squids are believed to have colour vision. Most species of squid have one visual pigment, but firefly squid have three. This enables them to see the difference between ambient light and bioluminescence; they can tell the difference between the natural light and the bioluminescent lights of their own species.
Another distinct feature is that their eyes are fixed upward—or so it was believed until 2004. With the help of remote operated vehicles, Robison and Reisenbichler were able to catch videos of the fish swimming in their natural habitat. This is when they noticed that their eyes are covered with a transparent fluid-filled shield which allowed them to lower their gaze to face forward. This had not been documented, as the organ is fragile and often breaks when barrel-eye fish are brought to the surface.
The ability to move their eyes forward is an important one. This helps them use their relatively tiny mouth to capture their prey. They will catch small fish and jellyfish swimming by. In fact, they have been seen stealing food from a jellyfish’s tentacles!
Barrel-eye fish lives in the Midnight zone, between depths of 600 to 800 meters (2,000 to 2,600 ft.). They have large, flat fins which allow them to hover nearly motionless in the water.
The most amazing feature of the barrel-eye fish are their eyes. They were named after their tubular shaped eyes, which are covered in green lenses. Though their eye shape does narrow their field of vision, they are also highly sensitive to light. The green pigment helps filter out sunlight, making bioluminescence, and prey, stand out against the darkness. Their eyes also face the same direction—an uncommon trait in fish. Most have slender bodies with eyes on either side of their head which are unable to see in the same direction. Barrel-eye fish have large heads that allow the eyes to sit side-by-side. This gives them better depth perception and a better ability to see distant objects.
Another distinct feature is that their eyes are fixed upward—or so it was believed until 2004. With the help of remote operated vehicles, Robison and Reisenbichler were able to catch videos of the fish swimming in their natural habitat. This is when they noticed that their eyes are covered with a transparent fluid-filled shield which allowed them to lower their gaze to face forward. This had not been documented, as the organ is fragile and often breaks when barrel-eye fish are brought to the surface.
The ability to move their eyes forward is an important one. This helps them use their relatively tiny mouth to capture their prey. They will catch small fish and jellyfish swimming by. In fact, they have been seen stealing food from a jellyfish’s tentacles!
Blobfish are some of the strangest looking fish in the ocean. They are found off the coast of Australia and Tasmania. They are rare fish—not because they live in the deep, but because they face extinction from bottom trawling, a method of mass fishing. These fish are not eaten; they are simply caught by accident.
If they’re not the ugliest fish in the ocean, they’re definitely the laziest. They are known to spend most of their time suspended in the water, waiting for food to come to them. They mostly eat sea urchins and mollusks, partially due to the little effort needed to catch them.
These fish are named for their lack of muscle tone which gives them a sagging look - however do not be fooled! Blobfish only appear to look saggy when above water. In their deep sea homes, Blobfish the look like normal fish, as they are adapted to the high pressure. They are most comprised of a gelatinous substance that helps keep them afloat in the high pressure. Unlike most fish, which have gas bladders to keep them afloat, blobfish have bladders made of a similar gelatinous material as the rest of their bodies.
Female blobfish lay thousands of eggs at a time. Unlike most fish, they will stay with the eggs, even sitting on them occasionally. It is unclear if this is a strategic way to ensure their eggs hatch or if it’s a side effect of their lazy nature.
These fish are found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans 100 meters to 2,800 meters beneath the surface. They grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in.) long.
The eight species of tuna fish:
The Atlantic bluefish tuna is the largest of the eight species of tuna. This giant of the sea can grow up to 2.5 meters (8 ft.) long. Weighing in at 990 pounds (450kg), it is one of the largest fish in the sea. The largest species on record was found off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada when a 680 kilogram (1,500 lb.) tuna fish was pulled out of the ocean. Their size has made them a prize food fish for larger fish, whales, and human. Humans have been fishing tuna since the days of the ancient Greeks!
Atlantic Bluefin tuna have torpedo-shaped, streamlined bodies. The shapes of their bodies give them the agility they need to make them some of the fastest fish in the world. They can swim as fast as 64km/h (40mph).
Bluefin tunas have metallic blue skin along the top of their body, and silver-white shimmery scales along the bottom of their bodies. The change in their colouring keeps them camouflaged from predators that approach from the top and the bottom. They are warm-blooded creatures, which is rare for fish. This helps make them comfortable the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Better known as the Bathypelagic Zone by marine biologists, this is the third ecological layer of the ocean. It begins roughly 1000 meters (3,000 ft.) and extends 4,000 meters (13,000ft.) deep. The waters are frigid, ranging from 10 to 4 degrees Celsius. The pressure at this level is very high: more than 5,800 pounds per square inch. To give you an idea of how immense this pressure is, remember that the average pressure on the Earth’s surface is 14.7 pounds per square inch.
No sunlight penetrates this layer of the ocean. This has caused most of the creatures that live in this area to develop bioluminescent bodies. This means that they naturally produce light. While you may think that this would ignite the darkness, the fish actually only produce short flashes of light. They use this trait to capture food and attract a mate, two things that prove rather difficult in complete darkness. Most of the fish that live in this area are patient predators that wait for the flashes of light to attract prey.
Most creatures in this layer of the ocean are slow swimmers. This helps them conserve energy. Food is rare this deep, which makes energy conservation even more important.
Oceanography, the study of the ocean, began with the Challenger expedition. The HMS Challenger, a converted warship from the British Navy, travelled across the ocean from 1872 to 1976 to study the ocean’s currents, marine life, sea floor, and temperatures. Some 4,700 species were discovered on this voyage. Less than 10% of the ocean has been explored. It is estimated that the ocean contains nearly 20 million tons of gold.
Colossal squids really do live up to their name; they are some of the largest creatures on Earth. With a maximum known length of 14 meters (46 ft.), they are the largest known invertebrate. This creature is largely a mystery to scientists as only a few specimens have been found.
Colossal squid prefer arctic environments and live mostly in the southern oceans. They have been found in the waters ranging from north of Antarctica to the southern coasts of South America to the coasts of New Zealand. Adult squids are found 2,200 meters (7,200ft.) deep, whereas juveniles prefer the more shallow waters of 1,000 meters (3,330 ft.) Their mantles, the top portion of the squid, are large, often consisting of roughly 1/3 of the squid’s total length. Their arms and tentacles are lined with suckers with small teeth and sharp hooks. Despite their impressive size, their arms are relatively short; their cousin, the giant squid, has longer arms. Their large eyes are primarily used for predator detection. Like other squid, the colossal squid does not have bones. The largest specimen found to date was 14 meters (46 ft.) and weighed 495 kilograms (1,091 lb.).
The first colossal squid was discovered in 1925 when a carcass was found in the stomach of a sperm whale. Sperm whales are their number one predator. Other predators, such as elephant seals and bottlenose whales, prey on juvenile colossal squids, but only sperm whales and sleeper sharks the size to attack mature adults.
It is believed that colossal squid have a slow metabolism, so they only require 30 grams of food per day. For such a large animal, this isn’t much food: two slices of deli meat will weigh about 30 grams! Scientists believe they are ambush predators, meaning they wait for their meals to come to them. Once a fish comes close enough, it dives in for the meal.
The giant squid is rarely seen. The first photographs of a giant squid were taken in 2004 when Japanese marine biologists dropped bait thousands of feet underwater. Four hours later, a 7.6-meter (25 ft.) specimen surfaced. Once the pictures were taken, it swam back to the darkness. This was believed to only be a juvenile.
Antarctic toothfish, also known as Antarctic cod, live in the Midnight Zone of the Antarctic Ocean. They have been caught in waters deeper than 2,000 meters (6,562 ft.).
Antarctic toothfish are some of the largest fish in the Antarctic Ocean. They are large fish, growing over 2 meters (6.6 ft.) in length and weighing more than 135 kilograms (298 lbs.). Their long bodies are covered in dark scales that range in colour from a deep olive brown to black. To contrast their dark scales, they often have pale undersides. Their fins are comparatively large and have a mottled pattern. Because of the layer of ice and snow that covers their area of the ocean for most of the year, Antarctic toothfish have developed keen eyesight adapted to the lack of light.
The water is cool in the Midnight Zone, even in tropical waters. In the Antarctic, the waters are so frigid that the Antarctic toothfish developed some impressive adaptions. For one, their bodies contain natural antifreeze proteins. These proteins prevent their blood from freezing by binding themselves to ice crystals that form in the blood. The antifreeze will break up the crystals, which keeps their blood flowing normally. These fish have also developed a very slow heartbeat: their hearts only beat once every six seconds!
Antarctic toothfish are top predators in their area of the ocean. They feed on a variety of fish and squid and are known to eat almost any food that comes their way. Because of their size and their fatty flesh, they are important prey for other creatures in the sea, like sperm whales, colossal squid, and Weddell seals. Humans also eat this fish!
Marine hatchetfish are small ray-finned fish that live in the Twilight Zone. They can be found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. There are over 40 species of hatchetfish, including a few freshwater species. They are found 183 to 1,372 meters (600 to 4,500 ft.) beneath the ocean’s surface.
They are small fish, ranging from 2.8 centimetres (1.1 in.) to 12 centimetres (4.7 in.) long. Deep sea hatchet fish are the largest size of the hatchet fish species. Most species are silver in colour, though some have scales that range from brown to olive green. They have angular bodies and a mouth on the tip of their snout that almost always faces straight downward. Their deep, condensed bodies give them a resemblance to the shape of a hatchet; their bodies are the blade, and their tails are the handle. This is where they got their name.
Marine hatchet fish have large eyes that face upward. This allows them to scan the waters above them for shadows of smaller fish. Their eyes are extremely sensitive to light, an adaptation to living in dark conditions. They have been known to rise to shallower waters at night to feed, then dive back to darkness at dawn.
Hatchetfish have photophores which emit bioluminescent light. When combined with the silver shimmer of their scales, they have the ability to use counter-illumination to break up their shape and confuse predators swimming below. At these depths, most predators attack from beneath their prey. Marine hatchet fish are nearly invisible from below.
These strange-looking creatures live as far as 2,700 meters (8,860 ft.) beneath the ocean’s surface. Sea sponges have bodies full of pores and channels that allow water to pass through. Most sea sponges do not have nervous, digestive, or circulatory systems. Ping-pong sponge trees are no different.
The largest ping pong sponge tree found to date is 50 centimetres (20 inches) tall. Most of its size comes from its long, thin stalks. These stalks and the swellings at the ends are where the sea sponge got its name. The swellings at the end are covered in hooked spicules, which form the skeleton of the sponge. The spicules snare any crustacean that may come
into contact with it.
Once the sponge has caught its prey, it begins digestion through phagocytosis, a method of digestion through absorption on the cellular level. Rather than sending the food to a digestive cavity, like a stomach, each cell within the sponge’s spicules slowly dissolves the prey. They are free-floating creatures and use a hydraulic water system to puff up the swellings at the end of the stalks.
Viperfish live in the darkness of the Midnight Zone. Found in depths ranging from 600 meters (2,000 ft.) to 1,500 meters (5,000 ft.) beneath the ocean’s surface, they are most often prefer tropical waters. They have been known to rise to shallow waters at night and sink to the depths during the day.
Viperfish very in colour: they can be green, silver, and black. Their bodies are long, slender, and streamlined. Even though they look fierce, these are relatively small fish. They grow to a known maximum length of 30 centimetres (12 in.). The light-producing cells are speckled across their bodies and help camouflage them against the weak light streaming down from the surface.
The most identifiable trait of viperfish is also where their name is derived: their teeth. They are fang-like and long—disproportionately long for their small bodies. Their teeth are so long that viperfish can close their mouths only because they are able to curl their teeth behind their heads. The points of the largest teeth sit close to their eyes.
Viperfish are some of the fiercest predators in the deep sea. Using the photophore (light-producing) lure on the top of their bodies, they draw in their prey. The natural light flashes on and off while moving back and forth. Other than the bobbing lure, viperfish remain completely still while they hunt; this hides their presence until they are ready to strike. The lure not only attracts food, it also attracts a mate.
A fair amount of research has yet to be done on these creatures. There are many theories that marine biologists have regarding their lifestyle. Their speed is one of these mysteries. It is known that they are quick, but the exact speed is unclear. It is believed, however, that they can swim two of their body lengths per second. Their age is another mystery. There is evidence to support a life span of 30 to 40 years, but this has not been confirmed.
The Abyssal Zone is better known as the Abyssopelagic Zone by scientists. With depths ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 meters (13,13 to 19.69 ft.), this is the bottom of the ocean. This area is shaded under a constant shade of darkness; it does not receive any light whatsoever from the surface.
The waters here are near freezing, hovering around 2 to 3 degrees Celsius through the mass. Not only is it cold and dark, but the water pressure here is incredibly high: 774 kg/cm2 (11,000 psi). To give you an idea of how intense that pressure would be, it would be the equivalent of one person trying to hold up 50 jumbo jets!
Of the few creatures that live this deep, most are invertebrates—like squid, worms, and sea stars. Because of the lack of food, many fish have developed underslung jaws that can sift through sand to catch what little food filters through the layers above. Much like the Midnight Zone, fish in this layer have also developed bioluminescent bodies.
The ocean’s deepest point is the Mariana’s Trench. The trench, which is located off the coast of Japan, cuts into the rocky bottom of the ocean floor to a devastating depth of 11,000 meters. How deep is that? The world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest, is 8,848 meters (29,029 ft.) tall. If you put Mount Everest at the bottom of the ocean, you would still have quite a fair amount of space between the mountain’s peak and the ocean’s surface. You could fit two and a half of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in that space. The skyscraper is nearly 830 meters (2,723 ft.) tall and is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The black swallower lives in tropical waters up to 5,000 meters (16,404 ft.) deep. They are small fish: the largest specimen found to date was only 25 centimetres (10 in.) long. These fish are largely a mystery to us, as they have never been observed alive.
These fish were named for their hunting ability—or rather, their eating ability. To compensate for the lack of food found in its deep water home, the black swallower’s stomach swells up to three times its original size. This allows them to gather enough food at once to prevent them from having to constantly hunt. It also allows black swallowers to consume prey several times their own size. A 19-centimetre (7.4 in.) specimen was found with an 86-centimetre (34 in.) long snake mackerel in its belly—the mackerel was four times the size of the black swallower!
Because they’re small fish, eating such large prey has its challenges. It is believed that these fish eat like boa constrictors; they grab their prey by the tail and then slowly “walk” their jaws up the body bit by bit. Unfortunately, no one has been able to see the black swallower’s eating habits in action.
The only way scientists know how they eat is by the specimens that have been found. To date, all of the black swallowers that have been studied have been found dead. It seems that they get greedy when they feed, sometimes swallowing fish that are too large for their stomachs to digest. When this happens, the prey will start to decompose and release gases that cause the fish to rise to the ocean’s surface. The change in pressure and the rancid meal in their bellies cause the fish to perish on their way to the surface.
There are 200 species of anglerfish. They are generally brown or grey in colour and live at the bottom of the Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans in the Midnight Zone. They are medium-sized fish, though the largest species grow to be 1 meter (3.3 ft.) long. Female anglerfish are significantly larger than the males.
The most distinct feature of angler fish is their mouths. They are wide, with long, spiny teeth along both jaws. The teeth are inclined inward, which prevents prey from escaping their mouths once they have been lured in. Anglerfish have jaws and stomachs that are lined with thin, flexible bones, which allow them to swallow prey up to twice their size.
Anglerfish are named for their style of hunting. Most species have a long, bioluminescent filament, often referred to as a lure, in the middle of their head. Only female anglerfish will have a lure. These filaments are elongated spinal bones. They can move their spine—and their filament—in all directions. To anglerfish’s victims, the bobbing filament light resembles a smaller prey fish. They will swim up close for the attack, only to meet the angler’s mouth full of sharp teeth.
Since only females have these useful lures, males have to adapt to a different way to survive. The dark waters of the ocean make it very difficult to find a mate, so when a male anglerfish finds a female, he latches on tight. Using his impressive set of teeth, he attaches himself to the female’s body. He will start to lose his eyes, bones, and organs and eventually become a part of her. They will become one living creature; his circulatory system will also blend into hers. A female anglerfish can carry up to six males.
Unlike other fish, the bioluminescence in anglerfish’s lures does not come from photophores; it comes from bacteria that enter their lures through pores. The bacteria and the anglerfish have a symbiotic relationship, meaning it is beneficial for both of them. The bacteria help the anglerfish lure in food, and the anglerfish provide the bacteria with nourishment.
Rattail fish, also known as grenadiers and whiptails, are the most plentiful of deep-sea fish. They live in the chilled waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Marine biologists believe that they account for 15% of all Abyssal Zone fish.
Rattails belong to the Macrouridae family of marine fish. This is a large family with 34 genera and over 380 species. Because of that, they have a large range of sizes: 10 centimetres (3.9 in.) to 1.5 meters (4.9 ft.). Their colouring ranges almost as much as their size.
Many species of rattail live throughout the ocean. They are found near the surface, at 200 meters (660ft.), and near the sea floor 6,000 meters (20,000 ft.) below the waves. The deep sea species are attracted to underwater structures, like hydrothermal vents and shipwrecks. This gives them a source of nourishment and a safe place to hide from predators.
Though they are very different, many of the fish from the different species share similarities. They all have large mouths, large heads, and large eyes. Past their jawline, their bodies taper into thin, whip-like tails; this is where the fish earned their name. They also all have short, spiky fins atop their heads.
Rattails found in the deep ocean have photospheres beneath their skin, sitting in the lower abdomen. While there is no certainty about the exact purpose of this organ, it is likely used to attract mates or prey, like most other deep sea fish.
Researchers have found that these are very curious fish. They are not shy about investigating the disturbances made by the submarine vehicles. This sense of curiosity may help them find food in the scarce waters.
Giant tube worms live on the hydrothermal vents that are found on the ocean floor. These vents are found in the Pacific Ocean as deep as 5,000 meters (16,404 ft.) below the surface and spew out water that has seeped through cracks or faults in the ocean floor. The water is past boiling point when it leaves the vents, which are powered by volcanic heat. These areas are rich in minerals and nutrients, giving life source to many sea creatures. These are the only places on Earth—and possibly the whole universe—where the inhabitants do not depend on the energy of the sun.
These creatures have deep sea gigantism—meaning they grow to amazing sizes because of the lack of predators. They can grow over 2 meters (8 ft.) in length. Unlike most creatures under the sea and on land, these worms do not have a mouth or a digestive tract. They survive off a symbiotic—mutually beneficial—relationship with bacteria that live inside of them. The bacteria produce a molecule that feeds the worm, and the worm uses its plume to feed the bacteria.
The worms have white protective tubes with a bright red plume poking out the top. The bright red plume is an organ used to exchange oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and other natural compounds with seawater. The colour is from the high concentration of blood in the area, which carries the compounds from the water into their bodies—these compounds feed the bacteria living within the worm. The white outer tube of the worm is a natural substance called chitin, which is the main component in the shells of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.
To match their lack of digestive systems, they also lack eyes. Instead, they sense movements and vibrations. When they are threatened, they retreat back into their protective tube.
The Trench Zone also called the Hadalpageic Zone, is made up of trenches that plunge thousands of meters below the sea floor. The Marianas Trench is the deepest of these trenches. It is about 11 kilometres (7 mi.) long and 1.6 kilometres (1 mi.) wide. At its deepest point, it is 10.92 kilometres (6078 meters) deep. The very bottom of the Marianas Trench is an area known as the Challenger Deep. It is a deep feature on the ocean floor.
The Challenger Deep was named for the survey ship that first discovered it. The HMS Challenger set on a voyage of nearly 130,000 kilometres (70,000 mi.) and explored the ocean from 1872 to 1876. It was one of thousands of discoveries made by the crew of 237 crewmen. This voyage is considered the beginning of modern oceanography.
Though we have known about it for over a hundred years, we do not know a lot about this layer of Trench Zone. The immense pressure and incredible depths prevent extensive exploration. On January 23, 1960, the deep sea vessel Trieste made a manned descent; Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh became the first men to see the bottom of the world.
This layer is believed to be inhabitable for long-term life. On one of four successful descents to this layer of the ocean, a few species of fish were found, but it is believed that they made the descent from the Abyssal Zone. Samples taken from the film at the bottom of the ocean proved to host small living bacteria.
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This Meeting Plan was researched and written by our intern Amy Hewko.
