Ocean Facts

20 mind-blowing facts about the ocean and its incredible inhabitants.

1

The ocean covers more than 70% of Earth's surface but over 80% of it remains unexplored.

Ocean
2

Lobsters can regenerate lost limbs, including claws, legs, and antennae.

Lobster
3

The deep sea is home to bioluminescent creatures that create their own light in total darkness.

Deep Sea
4

A group of lobsters is called a pod, and they sometimes walk in single-file lines on the ocean floor.

Lobster
5

Coral reefs support 25% of all marine species despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor.

Coral
6

Lobster blood is colorless until exposed to oxygen, when it turns blue due to copper-based hemocyanin.

Lobster
7

The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean at nearly 11,000 meters (36,000 feet).

Ocean
8

Parrotfish produce up to 90 kg of sand per year by eating coral and excreting it as fine grains.

Fish
9

Female lobsters carry fertilized eggs under their tails for 9-12 months before they hatch.

Lobster
10

The ocean produces over 50% of the world's oxygen through phytoplankton photosynthesis.

Ocean
11

Electric eels can generate up to 860 volts — enough to stun a horse or power a small appliance.

Fish
12

Lobsters taste with their feet. They have chemosensory hairs on their legs and antennae.

Lobster
13

Jellyfish have been around for over 500 million years — predating dinosaurs by 250 million years.

Marine Life
14

The blue whale's heart is so large that a small child could crawl through its arteries.

Marine Life
15

Lobsters don't have vocal cords. The 'screaming' sound when boiled is air escaping from their shells.

Lobster
16

Sea otters hold hands while sleeping so they don't drift apart from each other.

Marine Life
17

A lobster's brain is located in its throat, its nervous system in its abdomen, and its teeth in its stomach.

Lobster
18

The ocean's average depth is about 3,688 meters (12,100 feet) — deeper than Mount Fuji is tall.

Ocean
19

Dolphins have names for each other and can call out to specific individuals using unique whistles.

Marine Life
20

Lobsters can live to be over 100 years old and biologically never stop growing throughout their lives.

Lobster