By Tess Middleton, Fin Free Albury Wodonga
Good morning ocean lovers and those who just enjoy learning something new every day! Today while you eat your breakfast and sip your coffee I am going to give you 30 fast facts, all relating to our oceans, enjoy!
- 90% of the global shark population has been destroyed
- The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300kms
- 70% of the world’s water is found in the oceans
- Sharks and Rays are cousins
- There are over 500 shark species
- Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica
- You can see the Great Barrier Reef from space
- The oceans contain 99% of the living space on earth
- The Blue Whale is the largest animal to have ever lived
- A group of jellyfish is called a smack
- Many fish can change sex during their lifetime
- Penguins “fly” under water at up to 40km per hour
- Coral has been used to replace bone grafts
- Shaker liver oil is used in cosmetics, such as lipstick
- Flake is a by-product of the shark fin trade so by eating flake you are supporting a trade responsible for the death of 100 million sharks every year
- If commercial fishing continues at current rates, we will have dead oceans by 2050 i.e. no more fish
- Reefs are home to 25% of all marine species
- Coral structures can reach the size of a house
- Dolphins have been recorded inventing and playing games with objects such as coral
- Manta rays have a wingspan of 3 meters
- Half the world’s reefs have been affected by coral bleaching
- Octopuses have 9 brains and 3 hearts
- A turtle’s upper shell is called a carspace
- Sharks are older than dinosaurs, they are over 400 million years old
- By the year 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean
- An electric eel is known to produce enough electricity to light 10 light bulbs
- Dolphins sleep with only half of their brain and with one eye open to watch for threats
- Seahorses are the only animal where the males gives birth
- There are 33 species of seals
- In the time it took you to read these facts 500 sharks were slaughtered for their fins
