The planet’s oceans hold an incredibly varied wealth of marine life. In fact, the oceans hold so much life that many species are still waiting to be discovered. Since marine life is so diverse, it makes sense that there are many creatures that can be considered fascinating, unbelievable, and definitely a little weird. Check out these 5 weird marine life facts.
One of the ocean’s weirdest marine life facts is that jellyfish are made up of at least 95 percent water. In addition, most species of jellyfish have no circulatory system, no respiratory system and no brain. Jellyfish have a rudimentary digestive system, as well as a simple nervous system. They obtain oxygen directly through their skin, from the water.
Seahorses are another weird marine creature, and an interesting fact about them is that they have no stomach. They also lack any kind of teeth. When a seahorse eats, the food is passed very quickly through the simple digestive system. Because of this, seahorses must eat a great deal, nearly around the clock, in order to obtain the nutrients they need.
Did you know that some marine life species are capable of changing gender? Clownfish are one of the most famous gender-swapping fish. One female clownfish schools with several male clownfish, and when the female dies, the dominant male changes genders to take her place. Clownfish aren’t the only marine creatures that swap genders. Moray eels, oysters and wrasses, among others, are also known to change gender when necessary.
Dolphins Rest Half of Their Brain at One Time
Dolphins are some of the most interesting marine creatures, and one fact about them is that only half of their brain sleeps at a time. While one half of the brain is asleep, the other half reminds the dolphin to surface for air. One eye always stays open as well, and the alert half of the brain watches for danger.
Sea Turtles “Cry” Salt
One fascinating fact about marine sea turtles is that their kidneys cannot properly metabolize all the salt the turtles swallow, so the turtles have special glands that excrete the salt. These glands are located in the orbital cavity, which also contains the eye, so sea turtles often look like they’re crying.