Marine Biology Facts

For those of you, who hold an active interest in oceanography, marine life, marine biology and basically each and every thing that lives or exists under the ocean surface and on the seabed; do read through the rest of this article on interesting marine biology facts. I'm sure you will end up acquiring some new knowledge, or will learn something that you didn't know earlier. But, before we move on to any interesting or fun marine biology facts, here is a short explanation of what marine biology actually is.

What is Marine Biology?
Simply put, marine biology is the study of all that lives, survives and exists under the surface of the ocean, i.e. fish, marine animals, plants, microscopic organisms, etc. It also includes to an extent, the study of marine ecology and the inter-relationship between marine life, marine ecology and the environment. So after that short introduction, let us now move on to a few interesting marine biology facts.

Interesting Marine Biology Facts
Here are some interesting marine biology facts that most people around the world wouldn't normally be familiar with.

• The amount of ice in Antarctica is much the same as the amount of water in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Wrasses are a type of marine fish and a very unique one at that, in the sense that whenever a male fish dies, the dominant female in the group biologically changes its sex from female to male to replace him!
• If you were under the impression that land is where all volcanic activity takes place, well, nothing could be further from the truth. It so happens that nearly 90% of all volcanic activity is oceanic!
• Seahorses, in spite of their rather unique name, are actually a type of fish! As far their body structure is concerned, they have fins and gills, just like any other normal fish.
• All of us know that Mount Everest is the highest mountain peak on Earth. Well, what about its reverse counterpart? Do you know what that is? Well, it happens to be known as 'Challenger Deep' and is located at a whopping depth of 11,034 meters in the Mariana Trench, in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, if Mount Everest were to be moved from its location and placed at this particular spot, there would still be over 2000 meters of water above its peak!
• The Pacific Ocean, which occupies around one third of the Earth's surface and is the largest ocean in the world, is also home to more than 25,000 islands! That, my dear readers, is more than the combined total of all the islands in all the other oceans.
• Though, it is not the largest ocean in terms of size, the Atlantic Ocean is certain numero uno, when it comes to the tag of 'busiest ocean on Earth'. It happens to be the ocean which witnesses the maximum amount of sea traffic, in the form of passenger ships, cargo ships, etc.
• Now, here's an interesting fact about marine biology. Billions and billions of fish eggs are laid in the oceans and the seas. However, only 1 in 1,000,000 fish eggs actually makes it to adulthood!
• The first sign of life in the oceans was more than 3.3 billion years ago! In contrast, life on land began much later, approximately 400 million years ago.
• Thanks to their ability of filtering more than a thousand gallons of water per day, sea sponges are sometimes referred to as the 'vacuum cleaners of the sea'! You can read more on different types of sponges.
• Contrary to what many people believe, the blue whale, is not really the largest animal in the world. That particular title is awarded to the Lion's Mane jellyfish which, thanks to the length of its tentacles, can extend to a total length of around 140 feet!
• Now, as far as the title of 'fastest fish in the ocean' is concerned, that particular honor goes to the swordfish and the marlin, both of which are capable of touching speeds of around 120 kph in short, rapid bursts.
• As per present statistics, around 1.5 million unique marine species have been discovered, identified and classified by scientists. However, with scientists believing that there are a lot more marine species yet to be discovered or found, that number could only increase in the future.

These were a few interesting marine biology facts. Here is some information regarding current events in marine biology. Marine biology happens to be a very interesting and promising career field. For those who would like to build a career as a marine biologist, here is some information on marine biologist job description. All the best!