ClassX Video Lessons Ocean Animals for Kids | Learn all about the Animals and Plants that Live in the Ocean
Did you know that more than 70% of our planet is covered by oceans? There are five big oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. These oceans are home to thousands of amazing plants and animals, and scientists are still discovering new ones! Let’s dive in and learn more about these incredible ocean creatures and plants.
In the ocean, plants need sunlight to grow, so you won’t find many plants in the deepest parts of the ocean. However, where the sun can reach, there’s lots of seaweed. Seaweed is a type of algae that floats on the water’s surface. Another important type of algae is called phytoplankton. Even though it’s tiny, it provides food for many ocean creatures and gives off more oxygen than any other plant on Earth!
The largest ocean plant is kelp, which can grow up to 250 feet tall! It’s usually brown but can also be colorful. Seagrass is another ocean plant that grows in shallow waters and even has roots and flowers. Did you know that coral, which many people think is a plant, is actually an animal? Coral has tentacles to catch food and relies on algae to survive. The algae give coral its beautiful colors.
The ocean is the biggest home for animals on Earth. Some animals live deep in the sea, while others live both on land and in water. Sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles, marine iguanas, and polar bears all depend on the ocean for food. Many seabirds, like penguins, pelicans, and puffins, also rely on the ocean to survive.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean. It’s bigger than all the land on Earth combined! It has thousands of islands, including Hawaii and Fiji. Underneath the Pacific Ocean, there’s an area with many active volcanoes called the Ring of Fire. Kelp, algae, and seagrass grow here, providing homes for sea urchins, snails, and crabs.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and the saltiest ocean. It stretches between the Americas and Europe and Africa. The equator divides it into the North and South Atlantic, with warmer waters near the equator. The Atlantic is home to dolphins, sea turtles, and even the giant blue whale!
The Indian Ocean is the third largest and the warmest ocean. It borders Africa, Australia, and India. Sharks, whales, and sea turtles swim in these waters. Eelgrass and seagrass grow in the shallow areas, providing food for many fish and crabs.
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, circles Antarctica. It’s known for its stormy waters and huge waves. Parts of it freeze in winter and melt in summer. Fungi and algae are some of the plants found here.
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest, shallowest, and coldest ocean. It is surrounded by Canada, Asia, and Europe. Polar bears, whales, and seals live here. There are about 70 types of phytoplankton in the Arctic Ocean, along with Arctic seaweed and moss.
Oceans are home to many different plants and animals, like tuna, dolphins, jellyfish, and crabs. They provide food, fun, and beauty for us all. Oceans are essential for life on Earth, making them one of our most important natural resources.
Ocean Plant and Animal Hunt: Next time you visit a beach or an aquarium, try to spot different ocean plants and animals. Make a list of what you see and draw pictures of them. Can you find seaweed, seagrass, or any of the animals mentioned in the article like sea turtles or dolphins? Share your findings with your class and discuss how these plants and animals might interact in their ocean environment.
Create Your Own Ocean Scene: Use craft materials like colored paper, clay, or recycled items to create a 3D ocean scene. Include different ocean plants like kelp and algae, and animals such as fish, sea turtles, or whales. Think about where each plant and animal would live in the ocean. Would they be near the surface where there’s more sunlight, or deeper down where it’s darker? Display your ocean scene at home or in your classroom.
Imagine Life as an Ocean Explorer: Pretend you are an ocean explorer discovering a new ocean creature. Write a short story or draw a comic strip about your adventure. What does the creature look like? What does it eat, and where does it live? Share your story or comic with your friends and family, and talk about why it’s important to protect ocean habitats.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
[Music]
**Ocean Animals**
A little over 70 percent of our Earth is covered by oceans. There are five oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. Within our oceans live thousands of plants and animals, many of which haven’t even been discovered yet. The deepest parts of the ocean have little or no plant life because the energy from the sun cannot reach deep into the ocean, and plants need sunlight to survive. However, there is an abundance of plant life, or seaweed, wherever the sun can reach.
Seaweed is the name for many different types of algae and plants that grow in the ocean. Seaweed is a type of algae that floats on the surface of the water. Another type of algae in our oceans is called phytoplankton. It is extremely tiny but very important; living organisms depend on phytoplankton for food. This plant gives off more oxygen than any other plant on Earth. The largest ocean plant in the world is called kelp, which grows very quickly and can reach up to 250 feet tall. It is usually brown, but some kelp can be very colorful.
Seagrass is another type of plant that grows in the shallow waters of our oceans. It has roots and flowers. There are numerous plants in the ocean that are similar to algae and seaweed. Coral is another organism that lives in the ocean. Many people believe coral is a plant, but it is actually an animal. Coral has tentacles to capture small fish and zooplankton for food. Coral relies on the algae in the ocean to keep it alive; in return, the coral helps the algae to survive. The algae attached to the coral give coral its beautiful colors.
The ocean is the largest habitat for animals in the world. The animals of the ocean either live in the deep open sea or they live on both the land and in the water. Sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles, marine iguanas, and polar bears depend on the ocean for their food. There are also many seabirds that rely on the ocean for survival, including penguins, pelicans, albatrosses, puffins, gulls, and others. Not all these animals, birds, and plants live in or near the same oceans; some oceans are very cold with parts covered in ice, while others are warm.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the five oceans and see how they’re different and similar. The Pacific Ocean is located between North and South America and Asia and Australia. It is the largest ocean in the world. If we combine all the land on Earth, the Pacific Ocean would still be bigger. It is also the deepest of all oceans, reaching depths of 36,000 feet. The islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand are in the Pacific Ocean. In fact, there are thousands of islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Something interesting about the Pacific Ocean is that there is an area of hundreds of active volcanoes under its surface called the Ring of Fire. The plant life in the Pacific Ocean includes kelp, algae, and other seaweeds, as well as seagrass. Sea urchins, snails, abalone, and crabs also live in the Pacific Ocean. Seaweed provides smaller animals in the ocean a place to live and hide from larger animals and predators.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean and the saltiest of all the oceans. This ocean is between North and South America on one side and Europe and Africa on the other. The Atlantic Ocean is divided into North and South Atlantic by the equator that runs through the middle of it. The water near the equator is warmer. Cape Verde, the Canary Islands, and the Bahamas are islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Greenland is also in the Atlantic Ocean; it is the largest island on Earth.
Something unique about the Atlantic Ocean is that there is mostly an underground mountain range that runs right through it called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Dolphins, sea turtles, clownfish, crabs, and salmon live in the Atlantic Ocean. Larger fish like the bull shark and the blue whale also inhabit this ocean. The blue whale, which lives in saltwater oceans like the Atlantic, can grow to be 110 feet long. The main plant life in the Atlantic Ocean includes algae, seagrass, seaweed, and phytoplankton.
The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean. Bordering the Indian Ocean are Africa, Australia, Iran, Pakistan, and India, as well as Antarctica. Some of the marine life found in the Indian Ocean includes sharks, whales, dolphins, and various sea turtles. Palm fret fish are found in both the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Eels have also been found in this ocean. The Indian Ocean is the warmest of the five oceans, so not as much marine life is found there. Eelgrass and seagrass are common plants found in the shallow areas of this ocean; they are the food source for scallops, crabs, and many fish. Kelp, seaweed, and phytoplankton also live in these waters. In the Indian Ocean, there is a submerged continent formed by volcanic activity named the Kurgalyn Plateau; a small portion of it has formed an island that only 130 people live on.
The Southern Ocean is also known as the Antarctic Ocean. This ocean circles Antarctica and is the most southern of all oceans. It is the fourth largest ocean. Parts of it freeze in winter and then melt again in summer. Chile, Argentina, and Australia are some of the countries that border the Southern Ocean. This ocean is known for its stormy waters and can be quite dangerous. Because it is so open and windy, it creates enormous waves, some over 32 feet high, which are very dangerous for ships passing through its freezing waters. Scientists have even discovered waves twice that tall. Fungi and algae are some of the plant life that exist in this ocean.
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest, shallowest, and coldest of all the oceans. It is on the opposite side of the world from the Southern Ocean. Canada, Asia, Greenland, Europe, and Alaska almost surround this ocean entirely. Whales, polar bears, walruses, and seals live in and near this ocean. The Arctic cod is a fish that lives in the Arctic Ocean in large numbers, as well as snailfish, eel pouts, and sculpins. There are roughly 70 species of phytoplankton found in the Arctic Ocean, as well as Arctic seaweed and Arctic moss.
As you can see, there are many types of plants and animals living in and near the world’s oceans. It is a giant habitat where many living organisms rely on each other to survive. There are many types of fish living in the world’s oceans; here are just a few: tuna, stingrays, angelfish, clownfish, sardines, and cod. In addition to fish species, there are also mammals that live in the ocean, including dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, sea otters, and manatees. Other animals include the octopus, lobster, crabs, jellyfish, squid, clams, and sea dollars.
The oceans also provide food, recreation, and beauty for all of us on Earth. Life on Earth could not exist without our oceans; they are some of the most important natural resources we have.
Thanks for following Clarendon Learning! Be sure to subscribe for more free resources. Check us out at clarendonlearning.org.
