Marine animals: names and species

The underwater world of the seas and oceans is diverse.Here at the depths of many meters, live marine animals. Names for many of them were given by scientists in view of their distinctive features: body shape, fins, coloring, patterns on the skin, similarity with some terrestrial individuals, etc. Thus, some of the invertebrates were called "starfish," "truffles," and so on.

Types of marine animals

Underwater inhabitants can be divided into the following groups:

• invertebrates;
• mammals;
• crustaceans;
• fish;
• turtles and snakes.

Marine invertebrates

Invertebrates include the following livingorganisms: sea anemones, sea lilies, sea stars, sea urchins, mollusks, sponges, corals, jellyfish, squid, nautilus, octopus, oysters, gluturia, triacles, etc. These animals are devoid of axial skeleton. They most often live in the tropical seas and are distinguished by their bizarre shapes and bright colors. The one who first sees them in the water, does not even suspect that these are living beings. Rather, it can be decided that these are original plants, rather than marine animals. The names of each of them indicate the distinctive features of their "master." So, the sea sponge has a spongy structure, and the sea urchin is covered with spines, the starfish its shape as a star.

Marine mammals

According to some theories, marine mammalsare our distant ancestors. After all, the world first appeared in the water. Pinnipeds (seals, seals, sea lions, walruses, etc.) and cetaceans existed about 26 million years ago. Some of these species died, they were replaced by new ones. Today, science knows about 120 species of mammals - inhabitants of the seas and oceans. They can be grouped into three large groups: whales, dolphins, seals.

Marine animals, photos and names of whichgiven above, are, perhaps, the most unique and interesting creatures on the planet. Afalina, belobochka, striped and spotted dolphins - these animals are most studied by zoologists and are in constant contact with humans, but much of their behavior remains a mystery to us.

Crustaceans

These animals belong to the class of aquatic animalstype arthropods. It includes crabs, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, lobsters, etc. These marine animals, whose names can be found in the menu of Japanese, Chinese, Italian and other cuisines, are the most valuable products, rich in iodine, protein, phosphorus and other useful substances. However, some of them are very rare and listed in the Red Book.

Fish

This is the largest group of marine inhabitants.What colors and shapes they are not. They have a variety of sizes: from microscopic to giant. Fishes can be both peaceful inhabitants of the water depths, and bloodthirsty predators, to which first of all are the so-called "wolves" of the seas - sharks. These are large carnivorous marine animals, whose names indicate which earth animals they are compared to. For example, there are cat, tiger, bull, leopard, zebra shark, and not all of them are bloodthirsty creatures. By the way, leopard - a peaceful creature that almost never attacks a person, unlike a white shark - the greatest hunter. They say that she is very clever and clever. But the ramp, for example, is very dangerous for humans, because it carries a considerable electrical charge and can cause death. Nevertheless, most fish are peaceful creatures that become easy prey for humans.

Turtles and Snakes

Turtles are the only reptiles thathave a shell. These sea animals have very intricate names: Bissa, loggerhead, Ridley and the green turtle. Some of them are large. As for sea snakes, they are the closest relatives of aspids. However, in their way of life, they are very different from their earthly kindred.