Thousands of the world’s unique marine creatures are found in the Pacific Ocean
Hailed as the largest ocean in the world according to the World Atlas website, the Pacific Ocean is home to thousands of marine creatures, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth. According to the A-Z Animals website, the ocean provides a rich feeding ground for different types of wildlife, from killer whales at the top of the food chain to sea slugs at the bottom.
According to The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency website, the Pacific Ocean occupies an area of 168.723 million square kilometers, about a third of the earth’s surface area and about 15 times the size of the United States. The World Atlas website also states, “Its depth ranges from shallow waters near coastlines to the Mariana Trench, which plunges 35,797 feet below the ocean’s surface.” According to the A-Z Animals website, there are 228,450 known species in the ocean. “The exact number [of the species in the Pacific Ocean] is unknown because scientists say more than 90 percent of ocean life remains unknown and unexplored,” the website says.
Here are some of the marine creatures found in the waters of the Pacific Ocean:
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
Some of the Pacific Ocean’s most dangerous, aggressive animals are sharks. “The great white shark is one of the largest and deadliest predators in the ocean and causes one-third of all shark attacks on humans,” says the A-Z Animals website.
Sea snakes
Hydrophiinae
The Pacific Ocean’s sea snakes, also known as coral reef snakes, are long and colorful. They are one of the world’s most venomous snakes because their bites, though often painless, can be fatal, according to the A-Z Animals website.
Pacific sea nettle
Chrysaora fuscescens
According to the Aqua website, the Pacific sea nettle has a bell-like shape that is yellow to reddish-brown and tentacles that are yellow to dark maroon. The website says its tentacles are also covered with stinging cells, lethal to prey and can be as long as 16 feet on giant specimens.
Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus
The Pacific Ocean is also where the largest animal on earth lives. The blue whale can grow up to 100 feet long and weighs about 200 tons, says the A-Z Animal website. “A blue whale’s tongue weighs as much as an elephant and its heart weighs as heavy as an automobile,” says the website.
Vaquita
Phocoena sinus
According to the A-Z Animals website, the Vaquita was first discovered in 1958 and is considered the rarest animal in the Pacific. It is the smallest living species of cetacean, 5 feet long and 120 pounds. According to the website, “Vaquita are often caught and drowned in fishing nets used in illegal fishing operations. There are only 10 vaquita left today.”
Dugong
Dugong, or sea cow, is a large, gentle creature closely resembling the manatee, according to the World Atlas website. Found in the warm regions of the Western Pacific, adult dugongs can weigh up to 926 pounds and have a length of 9.8 feet, says the website.
Pacific seahorse
Hippocampus ingens
According to Ocean Animals website, this species of seahorse are small fishes with a distinctive horse-like head and a flexible, prehensile tail that can be grasped stably onto objects like coral and seaweed. “It can grow up to 14 centimeters in length and range in color from yellow to brown, with a variety of stripes and spots,” the website says.
Giant manta ray
Mobula birostris
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the giant manta ray is the largest of all rays with a wingspan of up to 26 feet. According to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, they are completely harmless to humans and “their underside markings are unique to the individual, like a person’s fingerprint.”
Leatherback sea turtle
Dermochelys coriacea According to the World Atlas, “The leatherback turtle is the largest of all sea turtles with adults attaining an average weight of 1,500 pounds.” According to the NOAA Fisheries, they hold the deepest recorded dive reaching depths of nearly 4,000 feet and hold their breath for over an hour.
Stellar sea lion
Eumetopias jubatus
Found in the Northern Pacific Ocean, the Steller Sea Lion is the most prominent member of the Otariidae family, says the World Atlas website. It says the male adult can grow to weigh 1,199 pounds with an average body length of 9.8 feet.