Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the worlds oceans. It covers  approximately 22% of the worlds surface. It is sometimes known as the "Sea of Atlas". It is one of the many oceans that make up the world. It is connected to the Arctic Ocean in the North, to the Pacific Ocean in the Southwest, the Indian Ocean in the Southeast and the Southern Ocean in the South. The Equator divides it into the North Atlantic and South Atlantic. The average depth is about 12,000FT, but in contrast to the deepest point it is only half the depth. The deepest point is about 27,500FT deep. The Atlantic has claimed many ships and lives due its treacherous hazards. ships commonly come across icebergs, reefs, sea fog, hurricanes and extremely rough seas. The Bermuda Triangle has been one of the Atlantic's greatest mysteries for years, claiming 75 planes, over 1000 yachts and commercial ships with their passengers. There are many theories to why it happens but none can be proven.

Basking Sharks

The basking shark is the second largest fish after the whale shark. The basking shark is a species that prefers to live in warm water. It is a slow, harmless filter feeder that has useful adaptations to help it feed, such as a large mouth and highly developed gills. Basking sharks feed on plankton that they catch as the water filters through its mouth and gills. They are usually a grayish brown colour. All of its movement comes from its powerful tail. They are migrating species, usually in small schools or alone. They migrate with the seasons. They are usually found around the coasts and in bays. They are spotted alot around the north coast of Cornwall. The shark tracks plankton along the surface of the water. A basking shark can be found anywhere from the surface down to 910metres.

Dolphins

Dolphins are Cetaceans, this means they are a group of animals inside the mammal group. "Cetacean" is a latin word that means large sea animal. Dolphins stop growing at the age of about 5 or 6. their average weight at birth is approximately 55pounds. When fully grown their weight is approximately 385 to 440 pounds. Dolphins feed from their mother when they are young but once they are adults they eat 13 to 14 pounds of fish a day. They catch the fish by working as a team and herding them up. They have smooth grey skin and flippers that help propel them through the water. They can swim very fast, 30 knots without much effort. They cant breathe under water they breathe air. They are very intelligent animals and can be trained by humans to do tricks and perform. Research shows they tie with dogs for being the most intelligent mammals after human beings. They are also very social animals and will approach boats to play in the wash. Dolphins communicate by using squeals and echos. They do this by squealing and when they hear the echo they can use it to locate. Dolphins are commonly seen on the north coast of Cornwall in and around the camel estuary.

Seals

Seals have smooth grey skin. This helps them swim quickly through the water. They don't have fins like dolphins and other swimming animals. They have limbs that look like fins because of their shape. Their limbs are front and back legs. Seals are predators that feed on invertebrates and other small fish. They are very dependent on the sea because it supplies them with their food. Seals feed on fish and squid. Their main predators are the killer whales. Seals can live on land or in the sea. Seals are found all over the world, and there are 33 known species of them. Depending on the species of seal, there is quite a difference from the sizes. The largest ones can be about 16 feet long with the smallest of them being about four feet long. Males are called bulls, females are called cows, and their offspring are called pups. One of the most common types of seals is the grey seal. There are more of them than any other, and their numbers continue to increase. However, there are many other species of seals that are in jeopardy of
extinction. There is a seal breeding ground just out from Stepper Point near Padstow. The Outer gulland is a natural seal sanctuary.

Blue Crab

The Atlantic blue crab can be completely dark blue or a tanned colour. This is one type of crab that is rarely eaten. This is because it a very hard to remove the meat. In some places they are considered a delicacy, meaning there is a market for it. They can grow up to 9 inches in length. The blue crab has more teeth than the other species. The males males have a long slender body, whereas the females have a rounder body. They are mainly found in the Atlantic but can also be found in the gulf of Mexico and the pacific ocean. The crab migrate after mating. They are omnivores because they eat meat and plants. They consume light shelled animals, small fish and plants. They will eat other crabs because they aren't fussy when it comes to eating

enough food.  

Sea grass

Sea grass is a flowering plant that grows in marine environments. These marine plants are called sea grass because of their long narrow leaves which resemble grass. Like most plants it needs photosynthesise to grow, this is why it is commonly found in shallow waters. It anchors itself into the mud and sand. most species go through underwater pollination and their whole life cycle takes place under water. there are sixty species around the world. The sea grass beds are very diverse and can house hundreds of species. Sea grass is a very important part in the food chain. Research has shown that hundreds of species do actually feed on it such as the dugongs, green turtles, manatees, fish, geese, swans, sea urchins and crabs. It is a useful plant. It is known to have been used for fertilising sandy soil. In the early 20th century it was dried and used for mattress filling. It was also used in the world war for bandages and other purposes. Nowadays it is used for in furniture for weaving.

Seaweed

Some seaweeds are very small, such as the phytoplankton that live in the water and provide the base for most underwater food chains. Some seaweeds are huge, like the kelp that grow in “forests”. They can grow to the same size as some trees. Most are medium-sized, come in colours of red, green, brown, and black, and randomly wash up on beaches and shorelines all over the world. Seaweed is full of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, and can be considered a delicacy. Seaweed is edible for humans as well, mainly eaten in sushi. It has been used for medicinal purposes for many years; the ancient Romans used them to treat wounds, burns, and rashes. people have said that the Egyptians may have used it as a treatment for breast cancer. seaweed is sometimes found with air pockets all over it, this is so the float.

Coral

Corals play an important part in creating a base in the worlds oceans. They are the most complex and diverse ecosystems in our planet's oceans. But what many don't realise is that these creatures, which resemble a cross between rocks and seaweed, are animals. Coral is found in tropical waters throughout the world, usually close to the surface where the sun's rays can reach them. While coral gets most of its nutrients from the sea bed it also has barbed, venomous tentacles that they can stick out to grab plankton and fish. Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, but support most of the creatures that live in the sea. However they are being threatened by humans. it is thought that humans are slowly destroying the reefs with pollution and global warming.

Kelp beds

Kelp beds are found all around the coast of the UK in the shallow waters. They need a lot of sun to grow so there is minimal spot in the sea where it can grow due to the fact the sun can only penetrate the water a couple hundred feet deep.It has a tall stiff stem that sprouts leaves or strands of seaweed. Kelp is a lot like trees in the way that it uses roots to anchor it to the sea bed, although they do not use its roots to take in nutrients like a tree, it does this through the main stem and leaves.  Kelp is one of the many types of seaweed that uses air pockets to float. It does this so that it stand as upright as possible to reach the suns rays. Kelp seaweed is a great habitat for many different species because of the shelter it provides. There are many kelp beds around the coasts of Scotland, Cornwall and Wales.

 Giant Squid

 Giant squid can grow up to 60ft long and can weigh anywhere up to 1.5tons. They in extremely deep waters and rarely come to the surface. They have the biggest eyes out of any creature in the world. These giant eyes help them see in pitch black waters making them a dangerous predator at these depths. They are carnivores and eat fish, small sharks and small whales. They swim the same way that jellyfish do, by pushing water out of their bodies. They have eight arms covered in suckers and two tentacles that extend to almost double the length. The average life for a squid is approximately 3 years. The female squid is larger than the males. A giant squids only know enemy is the sperm whale. It uses its great vision to spot incoming sperm whale.