Gopniks - history and anatomy. Guide to Gopniks from different countries
Marine animals are very diverse. These include both huge giant whales and microscopic plankton. Captures the diversity of the inhabitants of the deep sea.
Photos of whales
The largest animals sea spaces- these are whales. However, not only at sea, but also on land, whales have no equal in size.
In total, there are about 130 species of whales left on Earth, and approximately 40 extinct species of whales are known. Depending on the species, the length of whales ranges from 2 to 25 meters. The world's largest species is the blue whale.
Whales live in all oceans and almost all seas of our planet. In northern waters, whales thrive thanks to a thick layer of blubber.
Most whales feed on small fish and plankton. But there is also a more predatory species of whale that hunts large animals - the killer whale. This is one of the most beautiful whales.
Although killer whales are similar in appearance to dolphins, they are very different from them. The most noticeable distinctive feature Killer whales are characterized by their contrasting black and white coloring.
Killer whales hunt for everything they can catch and are quite voracious. If killer whales lead a sedentary lifestyle, they feed on fish and small sea animals. Migrating killer whales can even attack sperm whales. There are known cases of killer whales attacking a herd of elk crossing a pond.
Photos of sharks
Another type of large marine predator is sharks. These are mainly large predatory fish, which have remained virtually unchanged for billions of years. appearance in the process of evolution.
Like whales, sharks live in almost all oceans and seas. There are sharks that feed on fish, but there is also a species that feeds on plankton - the whale shark.
Photo of moray eel
Another genus of marine predatory fish is moray eels. They live in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
Moray eels can be confused with snakes; they are very similar in appearance. But the appearance of moray eels is very disgusting, although there are terrible lovers of these fish.
In ancient European mythology, the moray eel became the prototype of huge sea monsters. Some ancients believed that moray eels are juvenile sea monsters; when they grow up, they swim far into the ocean.
Photos of dolphins
Probably the most beloved sea animals by people are dolphins. There are also many types of them different sizes. Dolphins accompany various ships and bring joy to people with their jumps from the water.
Dolphins are mammals, not fish.
The life of dolphins in captivity is halved, but in the wild they live up to 50 years. Probably melancholy and despondency in captivity oppresses them.
Dolphins love to communicate with people; they are kind and social animals by nature. but these sea animals are tactful and never impose themselves.
Photos of seals
Seals live in the northern seas and oceans. These are carnivorous pinnipeds that establish colonies on coastal rocks. Such places serve as a refuge for them from predators.
Their main food is fish, but they do not mind eating shrimp or other crustaceans and mollusks.
See.
One of the most voracious seals is the leopard seal.
This species of seal got its name because of the unique shape of the male’s nose and because of its enormous size. Males of this species can reach six meters in length and weigh more than four tons.
Another large species of seal lives in the north of Russia - sea hare. The largest sea hares weigh 360 kg.
But despite its size, the bearded seal can become prey for a polar bear.
Photo of a walrus
Other pinnipeds that inhabit the seas are walruses. They have powerful tusks.
Only males have tusks. They use them as weapons during fights for females during the mating season.
Walruses can fend for themselves, as they are very large animals. But killer whales and polar bears are a threat to them.
Let's finish with pinnipeds and move on to mollusks.
Octopus photo
"Eight legs" - that's what they called him sea creature V ancient Greece. And the octopus lives up to its name.
Octopuses inhabit tropical and subtropical seas. In total there are more than 200 species.
Octopuses are able to change their color to camouflage themselves from other predators and use camouflage to wait for their prey. They can even take on the appearance of a predator and copy its behavior.
Photo of cuttlefish
The cuttlefish, like the octopus, is a cephalopod.
The cuttlefish has a beak-like mouth. It's hard to see behind the tentacles in the photo, but believe me, it can bite through a crab's shell.
Like octopuses, cuttlefish can change color and blend into an area in order to hide from an enemy or lie in ambush.
In total, approximately 30 species of cuttlefish are known. The smallest species measures 1.5-1.8 centimeters.
Photo of squid
Squids are another cephalopod. Squids inhabit all seas and oceans, including the northern ones. Northern species of squid are somewhat smaller and are often colorless. Other species also rarely have bright colors.
It is unknown how many species of squid live on our planet. Many species live at great depths, which makes them difficult to study.
Typically, the size of squid is 25 - 50 cm. But there is a unique species - the giant squid, its size can reach 18 meters. Some deep-sea species of squid are able to glow, so they attract prey in the pitch darkness of the deep sea.
Many types of squid have wing fins on their sides. These organs act as a balancer when swimming, and using them the squid can accelerate and jump out of the water to escape a predator.
Photos of crabs
From cephalopods we move on to crabs. These are representatives of the class Crustaceans.
These marine animals have five pairs of paws, one of which has evolved into claws. A crab can lose a claw in a fight, but it then grows back, like the tail of a lizard.
There are many types of crabs and they are very diverse in size and color. Different species feed completely differently; the diet may consist of algae, crustaceans, small fish or mollusks.
Lobster photo
Large crustaceans live in the oceans and seas: lobsters and lobsters. Lobsters are similar to regular crayfish, only they have larger claws.
Mainly the color of the lobsters different types very simple, camouflage. This is caused by the presence large number these animals have enemies. But sometimes there are mutant individuals with an unusual color.
This is a blue lobster, a very rare specimen. One in two million lobsters has this color. Yellow, red, white or two-color lobsters are even more rare.
Photos of lobsters
Another large crustacean is lobsters. These crustaceans prefer warm waters, unlike lobsters, which are also found in cold waters.
Lobsters do not live at depths greater than 200 meters. They try to settle in places where they can find refuge. Many predators do not mind eating lobster.
Lobsters are loners. Lobsters spend their entire lives, except for the breeding season, in solitude, without communicating with members of their genus.
Marine animals also include seabirds. For example, penguins are unique seabirds that live in the Southern Hemisphere.
Penguins live not only in Antarctica. There are large colonies of these birds in southern Australia and South America.
There are 18 known species of penguins. They are different in size, there are some differences in color. but the main color is contrasting black and white.
OCTOPUS
He lives at the very bottom
At a terrible depth -
Many-armed,
multi-legged,
Nogoruky,
Armed.
Goes to sea without boots
Octopus Kalmarych Octopus!
(G. Kruzhkov)
Octopuses do not have a hard skeleton. Its soft body has no bones and can bend freely in different directions. The octopus was named so because eight limbs extend from its short body. They have two rows of large suction cups, which the octopus can use to hold prey or attach to rocks at the bottom.
Octopuses live near the bottom, hiding in crevices between rocks or in underwater caves. They have the ability to change color very quickly and become the same color as the ground.
The only hard part of an octopus's body is its horny beak-like jaws. Octopuses are true predators. At night they get out of their hiding places and go hunting. Octopuses can not only swim, but also move along the bottom by rearranging their tentacles. The usual prey of octopuses are shrimp, lobsters, crabs and fish, which they paralyze with poison from the salivary glands. With their beak they can break even the strong shells of crabs and crayfish or shells of mollusks. Octopuses take their prey to a shelter, where they slowly eat it. Among octopuses there are very poisonous ones, the bite of which can be fatal even to humans.
Octopuses often build shelters from stones or shells, using their tentacles like hands. Octopuses guard their home and can easily find it even if they have gone far away. Since ancient times, people have been afraid of octopuses (octopuses - as they called them), writing about them scary legends. The ancient Roman scientist Pliny the Elder talked about a giant octopus - polypus, which stole fishing catches. Every night the octopus climbed onto the shore and ate the fish lying in the baskets. The dogs, smelling the octopus, started barking. The fishermen who came running saw the octopus defending itself from the dogs with its huge tentacles. The fishermen had difficulty coping with the octopus. When the giant was measured, it turned out that its tentacles reached a length of 10 meters, and its weight was about 300 kilograms.
MYSTERY
Don't you know me?
I live at the bottom of the sea,
Head and eight legs -
That's all I am... (octopus).
STARFISH
A star fell from the sky,
She fell into the ocean.
And now there all year round
Slowly crawling along the bottom.
(V. Moroz)
The starfish is a predator that lives on the ocean floor. Typically these animals are shaped like a star with five rays. Brightly colored sea stars crawl slowly along the bottom or burrow into the mud. They feed on mollusks, sea cucumbers, brittle stars and sea urchins. The starfish's mouth is located on the underside of its body, so in order to eat its prey, the starfish crawls on top of it.
Starfish have the amazing ability to open the shells of oysters or mussels with their strong rays. Some stars don't even need to open their shells completely. They turn their stomach inside out through their mouth and push it into the hole in the shell. The shellfish is digested right in the shell. Having digested the prey, the star retracts its stomach.
In case of danger, starfish, like lizards, can throw away part of their body. But a new lizard will not grow from a discarded tail. In a starfish, on the contrary, a new animal grows from any part of its body. Scientists conducted experiments - they cut a starfish into several parts. After some time, each part turned into a starfish. 
Starfish are relatives sea urchins. The starfish Asterias even has a calcareous skeleton, and small needles stick out from under the skin. Another species of starfish, accancasters, are similar to sea urchins - their arms and backs are covered with long and poisonous spines. Accancasters cause great damage to coral colonies by eating them.
Some starfish feed on their relatives. For example, crossasters. These huge starfish have 12 arms and grow to almost half a meter in diameter. They are able to move quickly along the bottom and catch up with slower starfish. Crossasters themselves may feel safe because they have poisonous bodies.
SEA URCHIN
Like a cactus on the window
The sea urchin grows on the bottom.
A flounder swam by
I poured some water on him.
(Yu. Parfenov)
It turns out that hedgehogs live not only on land. There are also sea urchins. They are not related land urchins, but belong to the class of invertebrate animals such as echinoderms.
The outside of the sea urchin's body is covered with a shell from which numerous spines protrude. The needles are very thin and sharp, with serrations at their ends. If such a needle sticks into a person’s skin, it is very difficult to remove it. Sea urchins are poisonous, and if injected, a person will feel a burning pain.
With the help of needles, sea urchins not only protect themselves from enemies, but also move, as if on stilts, along the seabed. The spear-bearing sea urchin moves at high speed, one might even say that it does not walk, but runs. 
Small fish use sea urchin spines for protection. They make themselves a safe hiding place between the needles. In gratitude for the fact that the hedgehog protects them, the fish clean its shell. These fish acquire the same color as the color of their “host” - the sea urchin. At night, the fish leave their shelter for a short time, and in case of danger they hide again between the needles.
Despite their terrifying appearance, sea urchins are often defenseless. Their main enemy is starfish. They can stick their stomach between the needles and digest the hedgehog from the outside.
Large snails living in the Mediterranean Sea have invented unusual way hunting for sea urchins. They spit on their prey! The saliva of these snails contains hydrochloric acid, which paralyzes the hedgehog and eats away its shell.
Some predatory fish release a strong stream of water from their mouths at the hedgehog. The sea urchin turns over with its unprotected belly up and becomes easy prey.
MYSTERY
Looks like a prickly ball
Lives deep at the bottom.
(Sea urchin)
JELLYFISH
Transparent jellyfish
Floats quietly.
If you touch a jellyfish -
It'll burn you like an electric shock!
(N. Migunova)
Jellyfish are close relatives of sea anemones and corals. Unlike these animals, they do not spend their entire lives attached to rocks, but rather swim freely in the sea.
Jellyfish have a translucent, umbrella- or bell-shaped body, similar to jelly. These animals swim by rhythmically contracting their umbrella and pushing water out from under it. They capture prey using tentacles.
The tentacles of jellyfish contain stinging cells that can burn the enemy or even paralyze him. The venom contained in the stinging cells of the small cross jellyfish can cause fatal burns in humans. 
Another jellyfish, the sea wasp, is also dangerous to humans. It looks like an inverted deep bowl, from which twenty tentacles 10 meters long stretch down. They contain a large number of poison.
Jellyfish feed on plankton, small crustaceans and fish.
Jellyfish come in different sizes, from a few millimeters to several meters. The largest jellyfish lives in the northern seas - the polar jellyfish. The length of its tentacles reaches 30 meters, and the diameter is two meters.
Jellyfish about the sea
Writes poetry
But only about this
Nobody will know
She has no hands
To hold a pen,
She has no mouth
To read out loud.
The jellyfish composes for herself,
Her silent muse is sad.
(I. Zhukov)
Jellyfish live not only on the surface of the ocean, but also in sea depths. Deep-sea jellyfish can glow in the dark. Small crustaceans swim into the light of this living lantern, right into the tentacles of the insidious jellyfish.
Other jellyfish are also glowing. The umbrella and tentacles of the pelagia jellyfish glow with a yellow-orange light. If many Equiorian jellyfish living off the Pacific coast of America rise to the surface, it seems that the whole sea is burning with red fire.
