> sponges Sitting on the sea bottom is an object that looks like a black, lumpy ball. It never moves. It cannot see, hear, or smell. It has no head or mouth, no nerves, muscles, heart, or...
Giants of the sea
It was a bright July day. The calm sea off the northern coast of Norway sparkled in the sunlight. A flock of birds wheeled overhead. Suddenly an enormous, dripping, dark-gray shape shot up out of...
The “fin-footed” ones
It was September, and the beginning of spring in the southern part of the world. Near a small island in the Antarctic Ocean, the water was filled with bobbing brown heads. Hundreds of animals were...
Real sea serpents
There really are sea serpents! However, they aren't strange, giant monsters. They are simply real snakes. They're much like the snakes that live on land, except that they spend their lives in the...
Turtles of the sea
The biggest of all turtles makes its home in the sea. It's called the leatherback because its shell is covered by leathery black skin. A full-grown leatherback may be more than six feet (1.8 meters)...
An animal made of water
A strange shape moved slowly through the dark-blue water of a tropical sea. It looked like a see-through umbrella. But instead of a handle, it had ragged, lacy strips and strings hanging down from...
Flying fish
The big, blue and silver barracuda (bar uh duh) moved rapidly through the water in search of food. Catching sight of a small fish some distance ahead, it began to swim faster. The small fish soon...
Fish
Many people think of any animal that lives in the sea as a fish. But only a certain kind of animal with a certain kind of body is a fish. Such creatures as oysters, starfish, jellyfish, and whales...
Animals of the sea
Billions of tiny plants and animals drift in huge groups in the sea. These creatures are so small that most of them can be seen only with a microscope. The sea is filled with many different kinds...
The sea in danger
(above) Workers clean up after an oil spill. The oiled dirt is bagged and removed so that plants and animals can once again live off the land and water, (right) A bird rescue worker holds a common...