Ocean Animals

Ocean Animals

The many kinds of animals living in the ocean form an ocean community. While some ocean animals spend all their time in the water, others spend some of their time on land.

Let's meet some of these ocean animals. Most of the animals in this book are mammals, fish, or reptiles.

As a dolphin, my sleek body and strong tail help me swim fast. I live with other dolphins in a group called a pod. We whistle, click, and squeak to talk to each other. I have to swim to the surface a few times a minute to breathe. Because I have a large brain for my body size, people consider me among the smartest animals in the ocean. I like to eat fish.

Like all walruses, I live on ice and in cold water. A thick layer of fat keeps me warm. My ivory tusks are actually very long teeth that I use to dig for clams, move around, and protect myself. Whiskers around my mouth help me sense food on the dark ocean floor. Flat flippers allow me to swim as well as to flop around on land. I make loud snorts and barks to communicate with other walruses.

The shape of my head gives me my name: hammerhead shark. The placement of my eyes at the ends of two lobes allows me to easily scan the ocean for prey. I like to use my large head to pin stingrays, my favorite food, to the ocean floor. While I travel with other hammerhead sharks in large schools during the day, I prefer to hunt alone at night.