Did you know that when dolphins sleep they only shut down half of their brain at a time so that they can watch for predators and surface to breathe? Or that an octopus has three hearts? Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and are home to over 1 million known species of plants and animals. Here are ten more interesting facts about the world’s oceans and their inhabitants:
- Blue whales are the largest animals on our planet ever – exceeding the size of the greatest known dinosaurs – and have hearts the size of small cars.
- Because of the architecture and chemistry of coral being so similar to human bone, coral has been used to replace bone grafts in helping human bone to heal quickly and cleanly.
- The Pacific ocean is the world’s largest body of water occupying a third of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific contains roughly 25,000 islands.
- Green turtles can migrate more than 1,400 miles to lay their eggs.
- Penguins “fly” underwater at up to 25 miles per hour – that’s the same speed that our sea lions can swim at!
- The “killer whale”, or Orca, is actually a dolphin.
- A group of jellyfish is called a “smack”. A group of herring is called an “army”. A group of stingrays is called a “fever”.
- The Great Barrier Reef, measuring 2,300 km in length covering an area more extensive than Britain, is the largest living structure on Earth. It can be seen from space.
- Swordfish and marlin are the fastest fish in the ocean. They can reach sustained speeds of up to 55 mph.
- Dolphins have acute eyesight both in and out of the water. They hear frequencies 10 times the upper limit of adult humans. Their sense of touch is well-developed, but they have no sense of smell.
