The ocean is the most powerful thing on earth, without the oceans we would not exist. The first organisms in the world started in the water, our weather is dependent on it, our food, the oxygen we breath, basically everything we are began in the ocean, and everything in the future is completely dependent on it. We sometimes forget that we share the ocean with every single thing on earth.
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I have lived by the sea for nearly my whole life, I can't imagine not seeing it every day. You might think, why would a girl who has access to the ocean any time she likes explore different seas around the world? Easy answer, because it fascinates me. Being in the water is where I feel the most comfortable, and being around ocean creatures is indescribable. I always try to do my small part in keeping the oceans clean and to avoid any further pollution, I will be doing a post on how some small changes to your daily life can make a big difference.
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Here are 20 Ocean Creatures that you must experience if you haven't already. I haven't done them all, but the ones I have done I look forward to repeating, and the ones I haven't are at the top of my bucket list. Enjoy!
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These gentle giants are the biggest fish in the world. Although their size is intimidating, and they are sharks after all, rest assured, these guys will not be chewing you up any time soon. Their tiny teeth aren't used to eat at all, they are filter feeders, eating mainly plankton. Whale sharks seem to be pretty relaxed, but don't be fooled they are extremely hard to keep up with and if their tail hits you, as slow as it seems to be moving, it can really hurt, trust me...
Where to find them: Mexico, Belize, Philippines, Maldives, Galapagos, Thailand, Tanzania, Mozambique. There are whale sharks seasons, make sure you check out what time of year they'll be around in these countries.
1. Whale Shark
Have no idea what this is? Neither did I. I discovered these little cuties when I was scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. We went diving just as a huge storm had passed and the first day visibility wasn't great, but you could see them clearly because of their beautiful neon colors.
Where you can find them: Australia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Belize, Fiji, Cuba, Galapagos, Thailand
2. Nudibranchs
When you think of a whale, the Humpback Whale is probably what comes to mind. Made famous by its size and spectacular breaches, these impressive animals can be found in different parts of the world, and at different times of the year. They seasonally migrate, using summers to eat, then migrating to sub-tropical waters to mate and calve. I got to see them in action in Hawaii, and watching the baby calf learn to breach and play along side its mother was extremely special.
Where to find them: USA (Hawaii, Alaska), South Africa, Iceland, Scotland, Dominica, Maldives, Antarctic, Vancouver Island, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Norway
3. Humpback Whales
Little cliche? I don't care, every time I swim with these animals I love them more and more. They always seem to be playing, eating, or sleeping. Most sea turtles make really long migrations between nesting beaches and their feeding grounds. Fun fact: the temperature of the sand determine the sex of the turtle, if it's warmer it's usually female, and cooler it's usually male. Only about 1 in 10 sea turtles will survive to adulthood.
Where to find them: Several countries around the world including - USA (Hawaii, Florida), Europe, Mexico, Galapagos Islands, Australia, Maldives, Egypt, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
4. Sea Turtles
Similar to its distant cousin above, the whale shark, these underwater acrobats are filter feeders. There is no reason to be afraid of them biting you, just enjoy the spectacular show they put on under the surface. Manta rays flip around and play with each other while collecting plankton in their mouths. The average wingspan of a giant manta is 22 feet (almost 7m), and they weigh around 3,000 pounds (1360 kg), a normal manta is about 11 feet (just over 3m).
Where to find them: Fiji, Mexico, Ecuador, Hawaii, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Australia)
5. Manta Rays
6. Cow Fish
This one might be a little random, but this was another discovery I had while diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and they were the cutest little fish. They have these sweet little horns and the funny pout that moves when they swim.
Where you can find them: Australia, Japan, South Korea
These little guys have to make the top of the list of cutest animals in the oceans. Their little tails are used to grab onto corals, seaweed, etc. They often times attach themselves to these things and let them drift them away, free riding. Seahorses are also seen as "romantic" they'll often stay together through pregnancies, in which the male is the one who carries the offspring in his pouch.
Where to find them: Indonesia, Papai New Guinea, Philippines, Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Thailand, Burma
7. Seahorses
Plain and simple, this is my number 1 thing on my bucket list. I was meant to see them in South Africa May 2020, thanks to COVID-19, that has been postponed, but I can't wait. I'm not going to pretend and say that these are cuddly sweet creatures, but they do have a terrible reputation for being the man-eating monsters that Hollywood has made them out to be. They are actually one of the most incredible animals, and are extremely important to the ecosystem. There is a shortage of Great Whites in many areas because they are being hunted by Orcas. Did you know that Great Whites won't go back to where they have been hunted for two years?
Where to find them: South Africa, Australia, USA (California), Mexico
8. Great White Shark
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Most people would recognize the Killer Whale, they're usually the main spectacle at Sea Aquariums around the world. But when they're not putting on a show for the crowd, they are on of the most fierce and spectacular animals in the wild. It is the biggest member of the dolphin family. These animals are one of the main predators in the ocean, their diet ranges from fish and squid to sharks and dolphins. They are also infamous for playing with their food, particularly sea lions. Definitely not an animal you want to be swimming next to, try to catch them on a boat or from the coast.
Also, remember that when going to aquariums and enjoying these animals, the tanks they live in is the equivalent of if we were to live in half a bathroom for our entire life.
Where to find them: Antartica, Alaska, Norway, Iceland, Argentina, Australia, Japan, Canada
9. Orcas
If dogs were a sea creature they would be sea lions. These animals are playful, social, and adorable, they are also the main prey for so many big predators. Sea lions are often found playing with each other, surfing waves, or taking in sun on the beach and on top of rocks. They are often mistaken for seals, they are part of the same family, but not the same. They communicate with each other through barks (sea dogs, I'm telling you), on land and underwater.
*Shoutout to my friend Doug for the great pic above in the Galapagos
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Where to find them: Galapagos Islands, Chile, Antartica, California, Australia, New Zealand
10. Sea Lions
Allow me to introduce you to the sea cow. These are one of the sweetest animals ever, just look at that face. Growing up in Miami for most of my life I see manatees on a weekly basis either swimming, paddle boarding etc. These animals struggle a lot because they are "slow moving" and often have a hard time getting out of the way of speed boats, you can often see them with scars on their backs. Even though they seem like they would move really slowly, I'm a strong swimmer and these guys had no problem beating me. You can go and swim with them and their newborn calves in the north of Florida.
Where to find them: Florida, Amazon, West Africa
11. Manatee
Contrary to what many people think, corals are in fact, animals, not plants. Coral creates perfect homes for fish and other animals, Nemo famously made the anemone famous, for example. Up to half of the coral reef on the planet has been severely damaged or killed due to destructive fishing and climate change. The biggest coral reef in the world, The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, has permanently lost between 30% - 50% of its reef. If things continue the way they have it's likely that all the coral will be gone in the next 20 years. If you're wondering how this could affect you, the reefs affect tropical storms, the food chain - yes, your food chain too, drugs used for medicine, and much much more, aside from being stunning to experience with your own eyes.
Where to find them: mainly in the tropics - between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn in the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. They can be found outside of the tropics in places like Florida and Japan too.
12. Coral
Let me start off by saying experiencing any kind of dolphin in the wild is wonderful. Dolphins swim in pods sometimes even up to 100 dolphins. The Pacific Dolphin's main predator is the Killer Whale. These dolphins are easily identified with their beautiful range of colors from white on their stomachs, to black on their dorsal fins and backs, and dark gray sides and flippers.
Where to find them: North China Sea, Baja California, Japan, Bering Sea
13. Pacific Dolphin
Poor hammerhead sharks, I always feel like they look a lot scarier than they are with their rare shaped heads. While they look intimidating, there is no record of a hammerhead shark every killing a human, in fact only 3 of the 9 species of hammerhead shark have ever attacked a human, making them one of the "friendliest" sharks to dive with. They also have tiny mouths which makes them bottom feeders, and they hunt at night, so going for a daytime dive with these sharks is a must.
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Where to find them: tropical waters including - Galapagos Islands, Bahamas, Colombia, Fiji, Cuba, Malaysia, Tahiti, Panama, Costa Rica
14. Hammerhead Shark
For some reason whenever I see octopuses in the wild they always catch me by surprise. These animals are crazy smart, they have been known for escaping aquarium tanks. They have three hearts, eight legs, one bulb-like head, and squirt ink out at predators giving them a chance to escape.
Where to find them: they are found in marine coasts in every ocean around the world
15. Octopus
16. Narwhals
Also known as the unicorn of the sea, Narwhals are real animals, they're actually a type of whale; I've done my fair share of convincing people they exist. There are tours that take you to see them, prepare yourself because it's a trek, a cold one at that; they're one of the hardest animals to see. They make some of the deepest dives than any mammal makes, have one large tusk, and live in the near freezing arctic waters year round.
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Where to find them: Canada, Greenland, Arctic
The first time I saw these animals was with my best friend in the north of Scotland. They were so funny, all just tanning, well "tanning" it was Scotland at the end of the day, and as we approached they all freaked out and hobbled into the water. I think it's just the way they move on land that is so cute and funny, I don't know. Seals live in colonies so you'll likely see many of them on land together. Many species of seals are close to extinction due to entanglement in fishing gear and other issues, but the main one being climate change.
Where to find them: different species can be found all over the world
17. Seals
These are some animals I haven't gotten to see in the wild and would absolutely love to. Penguins are flightless birds and live only in the Southern Hemisphere, with the exception of those living in the Galapagos islands.
Where to find them: they are found close to the Antarctic, can be found in Argentina, Chile, Australia, southwestern countries in Africa, and the Galapagos
18. Penguins
This pink dolphin might be recognized by the name Amazon River Dolphin, can you guess where they live? These fresh water dolphins where considered mythical creatures by Amazonian tribes. Some believe they transform into handsome men at night to seduce the women of the tribe.
Where to find them: Amazon Rainforest
19. Pink Dolphin
Ok, so polar bears technically live on land but are considered marine mammals because they live on the sea ice. These animals live in the arctic and spend half of their lives hunting. They are a threatened species that are approaching becoming an endangered species with the way that climate change is affecting the polar ice caps in the North Pole.
Where to find them: close to the Arctic - Alaska, Greenland, Russia, Norway
20. Polar Bear
have recommendations or experiences with an ocean creature?
I want to hear it
@camilaime