From the sunlit shallow waters to the sunless deep sea, the ocean is home to many kinds of organisms. What adaptations help these organisms survive in their ecosystems? Take this quiz to find out.
Click on the picture that matches each clue!
1
This tiny, big-eyed animal swims in the deep, cold waters off New Zealand. Its bright orange skin is less striking in its dark, bluish environment. It grows slowly and may live more than 100 years. It used to be called "slimehead" until it became a popular meal.
Which ocean creature is it?
2
Known for its beautiful shell, this creature is found in shallow, tropical waters. By eating the crown-of-thorns starfish, it helps to keep
coral reefs
in balance. In large numbers, it can destroy the reefs by eating the coral polyps that build them.
Which ocean creature is it?
3
This animal can have a wingspan of more than seven feet. To hunt, it flies to great heights, then dives downward to scoop up fish in its large beak. Flying in flocks in a long line or a V-shape, these animals keep their long necks bent back over their bodies.
Which ocean creature is it?
4
With their red plumes sticking out of white casings, these creatures look like giant lipstick containers. They thrive near cracks in
hydrothermal vents
, chimney-like structures on the deep ocean floor. Their insides are lined with bacteria that use chemicals in the water to make sugar and other foods that both use for
energy
.
Which ocean creature is it?
5
This white animal uses its long legs to wade in the shallow water of
mangrove
forests. Its varied diet includes fish, shrimp, crabs, frogs, and insects. Can you spot the yellow coloring on its face and feet? In flight, it holds its neck in an "S" shape.
Which ocean creature is it?
6
Surviving in the icy Pacific isn't easy if you are a warm-blooded mammal without a layer of blubber. Fortunately, this animal has dense fur, with up to a million hairs per square inch. To stay warm, it eats more than ten pounds of seafood a day. To keep from floating away, it ties itself to seaweed.
Which ocean creature is it?
7
This animal's legs can grow to be a foot long. You probably see its smaller relatives in your bathroom. Why is this animal much bigger? One reason is the chilly waters in which it lives. Cold water contains more dissolved oxygen. More oxygen in your blood means you can support a larger body. After this eight-legged animal catches its prey, it sucks out its juices.
Which ocean creature is it?
8
The largest member of its family, this stripy animal hatches in freshwater rivers, then spends its adult life either in the ocean, or in estuaries.
Estuaries
, where the river meets the sea, provide protection from predators, as well as places to perch. It eats small fish, crustaceans, and marine worms.
Which ocean creature is it?
Nice try!
Swimmingly!
What a splash!
Perfect score!
You got out of 8 right on the first guess.
Image Credits:
queen angelfish, courtesy of NOAA by G. P. Schmahl / (CC BY 2.0); sea star, courtesy of Klaus Stiefel (CC BY-NC 2.0); pyramid butterflyfish, courtesy of Ezio Armando/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; orange roughy, ©
Auscape International Pty Ltd/Alamy; powderblue surgeonfish, courtesy of Marcin Lachowicz/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; sea apple, courtesy of Alexander Vasenin/CC BY-SA 3.0; sea urchin, courtesy of Bill Abbott/CC BY-SA 2.0; brown pelican, courtesy of Mick Thompson/CC BY-NC-2.0; hummingbird, courtesy of Butterfield/CC BY-NC-2.0; puffin, courtesy of David Wildlife/CC BY 2.0; tube anemone, courtesy of Paul Thompson/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; hammer coral, courtesy of NOAA; giant tubeworms, courtesy of NOAA; ibis, courtesy of Thomas James Caldwell/CC BY-SA 2.0; snowy egret, © Ruth Jolly/AGE Fotostock; sanderling, courtesy of Harrison/CC BY-SA 3.0; Hooker's sea lion, courtesy of Matt Binns/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; sea otter, © Suzi Eszterhas/AGE Fotostock; walrus, © Bernd Rohrschneider/AGE Fotostock; giant sea spider, courtesy of AMNH, Norbert Wu; nine-armed sea star, courtesy of Andrea Westmoreland/Wikimedia Commons; peacock mantis shrimp, courtesy of Craig D./CC BY-SA 2.0; Kribensis purple cichlid, © Zoonar/AGE Fotostock; discus fish, courtesy of Cuatrok77/CC BY-SA 2.0; striped bass, © Robert S. Michelson/AGE Fotostock.
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