Portal:Marine life

A male whale shark at the Georgia Aquarium.
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The Marine Life Portal

Killer whales (orcas) are highly visible marine apex predators that hunt many large species. But most biological activity in the ocean takes place with microscopic marine organisms that cannot be seen individually with the naked eye, such as marine bacteria and phytoplankton.

Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals, and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. Marine organisms, mostly microorganisms, produce oxygen and sequester carbon. Marine life in part shape and protect shorelines, and some marine organisms even help create new land (e.g. coral building reefs).

Marine invertebrates exhibit a wide range of modifications to survive in poorly oxygenated waters, including breathing tubes as in mollusc siphons. Fish have gills instead of lungs, although some species of fish, such as the lungfish, have both. Marine mammals (e.g. dolphins, whales, otters, and seals) need to surface periodically to breathe air. (Full article...)


Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy. (Full article...)

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Giant squid, Architeuthis sp., modified from an illustration by A. E. Verrill, 1880

The giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of abyssal gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at around 12–13 m (39–43 ft) for females and 10 m (33 ft) for males, from the posterior fins to the tip of the two long tentacles (longer than the colossal squid at an estimated 9–10 m (30–33 ft), but substantially lighter, as the tentacles make up most of the length). The mantle of the giant squid is about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long (more for females, less for males), and the length of the squid excluding its tentacles (but including head and arms) rarely exceeds 5 m (16 ft). Claims of specimens measuring 20 m (66 ft) or more have not been scientifically documented.

The number of different giant squid species has been debated, but genetic research suggests that only one species exists. (Full article...)
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The following are images from various marine life-related articles on Wikipedia.

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  • ... Some sharks, if inverted, enter a natural state of temporary paralysis called tonic immobility. Researchers use this condition for handling sharks safely.
  • ... dolphins often leap clear of the water when travelling at speed. This is because the density of water is much greater than that of air and they are able to travel faster by leaping out of the water.
  • ... groups of bottlenose dolphinss around the Australian Pacific have displayed basic tool use by wrapping pieces of sponge around their beaks to prevent abrasions. This is a display of a cognitive process similar to that of great apess.
  • ... Shark jaws are strong enough to bite a turtle in half.
  • ... In sand tiger sharks and several other species, the biggest, strongest pups eat the others while still inside their mother’s body.
  • ... whales and dolphins don’t sleep in the way humans do. Although we don’t know how they sleep, some scientists believe they sleep with half the brain asleep and half the brain awake, keeping them aware of danger.

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Photo credit: OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP)

The French angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, is a member of the Marine angelfish family.

Marine angelfishes are a type of perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. Found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Ocean, the family contains seven genera and approximately 86 species. They should not be confused with the freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the Amazon River basin.

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See also

For additional lists of marine life-related featured articles and good articles see:

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

WikiProjects

WikiProjects The Wikiproject associated with this portal is the Marine Life WikiProject

Other WikiProjects include:

  • Biology
  • Oceans
  • Tree of Life
    • Birds
    • Mammals
      • Cetaceans
    • Fishes
      • Sharks
      • Fisheries and fishing
    • Amphibians and Reptiles
    • Plants
    • Cephalopods
    • Gastropods
    • Monotremes and Marsupials

Tasks

Have a look at the Marine life WikiProject and sign up.


Here are some tasks you can do, as organized by The Marine life Wikiproject:

  • Collaboration of the week: Marine life article assessment
  • Other: See the projects page
  • Images: Upload any non-copyrighted marine life images to Wikimedia Commons
  • Featured Articles/Good Articles:
  • Other: Add {{Portal|Marine life}} to related articles
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This page was last updated at 2023-11-12 11:55 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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