Lobster

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Lobsters are animals that have a tough shell and live on the ocean floor. There are many different types of lobsters, including the Maine (or American) lobster (an aggressive lobster with large front claws), the spiny lobster, and crayfish. Lobsters are invertebrates, animals without a backbone. Lobsters are cold-blooded; their body temperature depends on the temperature of the water. Anatomy: This crustacean has a hard exoskeleton, 4 pairs of jointed walking legs, a segmented body, sensory antennae, a tail fan, and compound eyes on stalks. Diet: Lobsters are carnivores (meat-eaters). Most lobsters are nocturnal (most active at night). They are predators that eat crabs, clams, worms, snails, mussels, flounder, and other lobsters. Life Cycle: The lobster begins its life as a tiny, floating organism, which is a component of plankton. After a month of growing, it sinks to the sea floor, where it will spend most of its time hiding from predators. As a lobster grows, it often molts (loses its old shell and grows a new one). It eats the old shell. Lobsters continue to grow throughout their lives. The biggest lobster caught weighed over 44 pounds (20 kg). Lobsters may live to be 100 years old. Predators: Many animals eat lobsters, including fish (especially cod), octopi, other lobsters, and people.

The Octopus

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The Octopus: The word octopus means "eight feet." Octopuses are solitary, eightarmed animals that live on the ocean floor. There are over 100 different species of octopuses. The Giant Octopus is the biggest octopus. This huge mollusk is up to 23 ft (7 m) from arm tip to arm tip, weighing up to 400 pounds (182 kg). The smallest is the Californian octopus, which is only 3/8 inch (1 cm) long. Anatomy: An octopus has a soft body and eight arms. Each arm has two rows of suction cups. If it loses an arm, it will eventually regrow another arm. It has blue blood. An octopus has an eye on each side of its head and has very good eyesight. An octopus cannot hear. Diet: Octopuses eat small crabs and scallops, plus some snails, fish, turtles, crustaceans (like shrimp), and other octopuses. They catch prey with their arms, then kill it by biting it with their tough beak, paralyzing the prey with a nerve poison, and softening the flesh. They then suck out the flesh. Octopuses hunt mostly at night. Only the Australian Blue-ringed octopus has a poison strong enough to kill a person. Protection: Octopuses live in dens, spaces under rocks, crevices on the sea floor, or holes they dig under large rocks. Octopuses pile rocks to block the front of their den.

The den protects them from predators (like moray eels) and provides a place to lay eggs and care for them (a mother octopus doesn't eat during the entire 1 to 2 months she is caring for her eggs). In order to escape predators, octopuses can squirt black ink into the water, allowing the octopus to escape. Another defense that octopuses have is changing their skin color to blend into the background, camouflaging themselves. The octopus swims by spewing water from its body, a type of jet propulsion.

Seahorse

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Seahorses are a type of small fish that have armored plates all over their body (they don't have scales). There are about 50 different species of seahorses around the world. They live in seaweed beds in warm water and are very slow swimmers. Seahorses can change their color to camouflage (hide) themselves in order to hide from enemies. The most unusual seahorse is the Australian sea horse, which has leaf-like camouflage all over its body, making it almost disappear in the seaweed bed. Anatomy: Seahorses have a long, horse-like head (hence their name) and a curled tail. Seahorses range in size from under a centimeter long (Pygmy Seahorses) to about 1 foot (30 cm) long.

Reproduction: The female seahorse produces eggs, but they are held inside the male's body until they hatch; he is pregnant for about 40 to 50 days. The sea horse is the only animal in which the father is pregnant. Classification: Kingdom: Animalia (animals), Phylum: Chordata, Class: Osteichthyes (bony fish), Order: Gasterosteiformes (armored, small-mouthed fish), Family: Syngnathidae (pipe fish), Genus: Hippocampus (meaning "horse sea monster" in Greek), and many species.

Sea Stars

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Sea stars (also known as starfish) are spiny, hard-skinned animals that live on the rocky sea floor. These invertebrates are NOT fish; they are echinoderms. Sea stars move very slowly along the sea bed, using hundreds of tiny tube feet. There are over 2,000 different species of sea stars worldwide. Reproduction: Most species of starfish expel enormous numbers of eggs and sperm into the ocean; fertilization is external. After fertilization, the tiny, transparent, bilaterally-symmetrical larvae (baby sea stars) travel many miles as they are swept along by ocean currents for about two months. As they develop, the tiny larvae swim in the sea, eat phytoplankton, and are a component of zooplankton.

Diet: Sea stars are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat clams, oysters, coral, fish, and other animals. They push their stomach out through their mouth (located on the underside of the sea star) and digest the prey. Anatomy: Most sea stars have five arms (or a multiple of five) that radiate from a central disk. Sea stars do not have a brain; they have a simple ring of nerve cells that moves information around the body. Eyespots (primitive light sensors) are at the tip of each arm. If a sea star's arm is cut off, it will regenerate (regrow). Classification: Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Echinodermata (echinoderms), Class Asteroidea (sea stars), about 2,000 species.

Sea Turtles

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Sea Turtles are large turtles that spend most of their lives in the seas. They live in shallow coastal waters of warm and temperate seas. There are many types of sea turtles, including the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), the Flatback (Natator depressa), and many others. All Sea Turtle species are considered endangered or threatened. Anatomy: These cold-blooded animals are strong swimmers and good divers. They have four flipper-like legs and a shell that is attached to their backbone. They cannot pull their head and legs into the shell. These turtles vary in color from shades of brown to green to black. Sea turtles vary in size from 2 to 6 feet (0.5 to 1.9 m) long, weighing 78 to 1900 pounds (35 to 870 kg). During active times, turtles must go to the sea's surface every few minutes in order to breathe air.

Diet: Most sea turtles are carnivores (meat eaters), but the green turtle is an herbovore (a plant eater that eats sea grass and algae). Most sea turtles eat crustaceans (crabs, lobster, shrimp, and other shelled invertebrates), shellfish, jellyfish, Man-of-War, and small fish. Reproduction: Adult female Sea Turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay up to 200 soft-shelled eggs in the sand. When the baby turtles hatch, they immediately head for the nearby water. Many young turtles are eaten by birds and other predators during this difficult trip. It has been estimated that only 1% of these hatchlings will reach adulthood. No one knows how the females find the beach where they were born.

Shrimp

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Shrimp are small animals that live on the floor of oceans and lakes. There are over 2,000 different species of shrimp worldwide. Shrimp are invertebrates (animals lacking a backbone) that have a tough exoskeleton. Anatomy: Shrimp range from a small fraction of an inch to 9 inches (a few mm to 23 cm) long. These crustaceans have a thin, smooth, hard, and almost transparent exoskeleton. Shrimp vary widely in color; tropical varieties are often brightly colored. Shrimp have 5 pairs of jointed walking legs on the thorax, and they have 5 pairs of swimming legs (swimmerets) and 3 pairs of maxillae (feeding appendages) on the abdomen. The body, legs, swimmerets, and other appendages are segmented. Shrimp have two pairs of segmented sensory antennae, a tail fan, and compound eyes.

Diet: Shrimp are omnivores; they eat plants and small animals. The unusual pistol shrimp kills or stuns its prey by making a very loud sound with a huge claw with a moveable, snapping appendage. Life Cycle: Female shrimp lay over a thousand eggs, which are attached to her swimming legs. The shrimp emerge as tiny, floating organisms, a component of zooplankton. After growing, they sink to the bottom, where they will live. As a shrimp grows, it often molts (losing its old shell and growing a new one). Predators: Shrimp are eaten by many animals, including many fish, many birds (including flamingos and loons), octopi, squid, cuttlefish, and people. Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea (crustaceans), Subclass Malacostraca, Order Decapoda, Suborder Natantia.

RAYS

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Rays are a type of fish. They are very flat and have no bones, only cartilage. Rays are closely related to sharks and live in seas all over the world. Stingrays are rays have spines on their tail which can poison other animals when stung.

Some rays have long, whip-like tails, other species have short tails. Some rays have a series of thorns on their body as a defense against predators. The color variation among rays is huge; color even varies from male to female in some species. The smallest ray is the Short-nose electric ray, which is the size of a pancake; it is only 4 inches (10 cm) across and weighs about 1 pound (0.5 kg). The biggest ray is the Manta ray which is over 22 feet (6.7 m) wide and weighs many tons (thousands of pounds).

Swordfish

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The Swordfish, Xiphias gladius, is a fast-swimming fish that has a long, sharp bill. Swordfish may swim up to 60 mph (100 kph). They are found worldwide in all tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas, from the surface down to 400 or 500 fathoms. Swordfish migrate from rich feeding grounds to spawning grounds each year. Their life span may be about 9 years. Diet: Swordfish are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat squid, octopus, fish, and crustaceans. Swordfish often kill their prey by swinging their sharp bill from side to side in a school of fish. They then eat the dead and wounded fish. Predators: Swordfish have very few predators. Orcas, sperm whales, some large sharks, and people eat swordfish. Anatomy: The biggest swordfish are about 14.5 ft (4.5 m) long, and 1190 pounds (540 kg) in weight. Females are larger than males.

Reproduction: Females produce tens of millions of eggs and fertilization is external. Classification: Class Osteichthyes (bony fish), Order Perciformes, Suborder Scombroidei (barracuda, mackerel, tuna, billfish), Genus Xiphias, Species gladius.

CRABS

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Crabs are 10-legged animals that walk sideways. There are almost 5,000 different species of crabs; about 4,500 are true crabs, plus about 500 are hermit crabs (hermit crabs don't have a very hard shell and use other animals' old shells for protection). Most crabs live in the oceans, but many, like the robber crab, live on land. The Biggest Crabs: The biggest crab is the Japanese Spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi), which lives on the floor of the north Pacific Ocean; it has a 12 ft (3.7 m) leg span. The biggest land crab is the Coconut crab (Birgus latro), which lives on islands in the Pacific Ocean; it has a leg span up to 2.5 ft (75 cm). Diet: Many crabs are omnivores (plant- and meat-eaters), others are carnivores (meateaters), and some are herbivores (plant-eaters). Anatomy: Crabs are invertebrates, animals without a backbone. They have an exoskeleton (also called a carapace), an outer shell that both protects them from predators and provides support. These crustaceans have ten jointed legs, two of which have large, grasping claws (called pincers or chelipeds). They have a flattened body, two feelers (antennae), and two eyes located at the ends of stalks.

Breathing: Marine crabs breathe underwater using gills, which are located in a two cavities under the carapace. True land crabs have enlarged, modified cavities that act like lungs so that the land crabs can breathe air.

Cuttlefish

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The cuttlefish is a marine animal that has eight arms, two tentacles, and a soft body. It is a cephalopod, a fast-swimming, intelligent mollusk that can change its skin color and spew ink in the water to confuse predators. The cuttlefish swims by using its fins and by spewing water from its body (a type of jet propulsion). The cuttlefish is nocturnal; it hunts during the night, and it hides and rests during the day. It has a life span of about 18 months. Anatomy: Cuttlefish average about 1 ft (30 cm) long. Cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles that surround the mouth and beak; the tentacles are often kept in a pouch under the eyes. The body of the cuttlefish (the cuttle) is flattened and has fins that extend along the entire length of the mantle. The skin changes both color and pattern to mimic the environment. Chromatophores in the skin change the skin's color. The cuttlebone is a gas-filled shell inside the mantle that lets the cuttlefish regulate its buoyancy (the ability to float or sink). Cuttlebones are used as calcium supplements for pet birds and for polishing silver (when powdered). Diet: Cuttlefish eat fish, small mollusks (snails, clams, other cuttlefish, etc.), worms, crabs, and shrimp. Prey are killed with a venomous bite fom the beak. Predators and Protection: The cuttlefish is eaten by sharks, fish and other cuttlefish. In order to escape predators, a cuttlefish can squirt black ink into the water, allowing

it to escape. Another defense that cuttlefish have is changing their skin color to blend into the background, camouflaging themselves. Classification: Phylum Animalia, Class Cephalopoda, Subclass Coleoidea, Order Sepiida (Cuttlefish)

Orca or Killer Whale

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The Orca (commonly known as the Killer Whale) is a toothed whale, the largest member of the dolphin family. Orcas live in small, close-knit, life-long pods. Diet: Orcas are efficient hunters who find their prey at the surface of the water, eating fish, squid, sharks, birds, seals, sea turtles, octopi, and even other whales. Echolocation: Like other toothed whales, orcas use echolocation, a way of sensing in which they emit high-pitched clicks and sense them as they bounce back off objects (like prey). Swimming: Like other whales, orcas swim by moving their tail (called flukes) up and down. Fish swim by moving their tail left and right. BODY SHAPES Sharks have a variety of body shapes. Most sharks have streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies that glide easily through the water. Some bottom-dwelling sharks (e.g.

the angelshark) have flattened bodies that allow them to hide in the sand of the ocean bed. Some sharks have an elongated body shape (e.g., cookiecutter sharks and wobbegongs). Sawsharks have elongated snouts, thresher sharks have a tremendously elongated upper tail fin which they use to stun prey, and hammerheads have extraordinarily wide heads. The goblin shark has a large, pointed protuberance on its head; its purpose is unknown.