Ocean Life

Oceans cover more than 75 per cent of the earth's surface. The different oceans merge into one another, forming the largest habitat on earth.


The oceans contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet.
Largest Creature of the world - Whale: Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus
female: 33.27 meters (109 feet 3.5 inches) 190 tons estimated weight
male: 32.64 meters (107 feet 1 inch)
Both captured near the South Shetland Islands in 1926



Largest Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus
90 feet, 97 tons estimated weight



Largest Sei Whale, Balaeonoptera borealis
72 feet, 45 tons estimated weight



Largest Sperm Whale, Physeter catodon
67 feet 10 inches, 72 tons estimated weight



Largest Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
65 feet, 64 tons estimated weight



Largest Gray Whale, Eschrichtius robustus
51 feet, 39 tons



Fastest Swimming Baleen Whale (short distance)
Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis: 35 miles per hour in short bursts



Fastest Swimming Dolphin
Dall's porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli, recorded at 56 km/hr
Killer Whale, Orcinus orca , recorded at 56 km/hr
Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis - 37 miles per hour while riding ship's bow waves, 28 miles per hour in open water



Largest Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris: 18 feet, taken in 1852 off Santa Barbara Island, 15 feet 7 inches taken in 1929 off San Diego



Largest Southern Elephant Seal, Mirounga leonina: 21 feet, 4 inches, taken near South Georgia Island in 1913



Smallest Pinniped: Baikal Seal, Pusa sibirica
Adults are 4 feet 6 inches and 140 pounds



Fastest Swimming Pinniped: California Sea Lion, Zalophus californianus 25 miles per hour



Greatest Age for a Pinniped:
Ringed Seal, Phoca hispida: 43 years, collected on Baffin Island and based on growth layers in the teeth
Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, 41-42 years, kept in captivity in Sweden from 1901-1942



Largest Fish
Whale Shark, Rhinodon typus
59 feet, for a specimen captured in Thailand in 1919 Larger sizes have been reported, but these are estimates, and may not be accurate. Many reliable records exist for animals over 30 feet in length.



Largest Basking Shark, Cetorhinus maximus
45 feet. Weight estimated at 32,000 pounds



Largest Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvieri
20 feet, 10 inches, 2070 pounds



Largest Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna mokarran
18 feet, 4 inches, 1,860 pounds



Largest Thresher Shark, Alopias vulpinus
18 feet, 1,100 pounds



Largest Six-gill Shark, Hexanchus griseus
15 feet, 1,300 pounds



Heaviest Fish in the Class Ostyichtheys (bony fish)
Ocean Sunfish, Mola mola: 10 feet in length, 14 feet between dorsal and anal fins, 4,928 pounds, struck and killed by a ship off Australia in 1908



Longest Fish in the Class Ostyichtheys (bony fish)
Russian Sturgeon, Acipenser huso: 24 feet in length, weight 1,470 kg (3,250 pounds) caught in the Volga river in 1827



Shortest Marine Fish
Schindleria praematurus, found in Samoa in the South Pacific: 12-19 mm in length, weight 2 mg.



Fastest Fish:
Sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus: 68.18 mph
Mako Shark, Isurus oxyrinchus: 60 mph
Marlin, Tetrapturus sp. 50 mph
Wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri 48.5 mph
Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus 43.4 mph
Blue Shark, Prionace glauca 43 mph
Bonefish, Albula vulpes 40 mph
Swordfish, Xiphius gladius 40 mph



Slowest Fish:
Sea Horse 0.01 mph