21 Types Of Aquatic Animals In The World

Starfish
Starfish

Oceans are incredibly immense places that cover up approximately 71% of Earth’s surface. Oceans are moreover habitats to innumerable animals like sharks, fishes, reptiles, corals, plants, seals, eels, turtles, crabs, and incalculable more. Around 230,000 species of aquatic animals are well-known to date. Each ocean has distinctive species of animals inheriting from it. We will discuss the most amazing aquatic animals in the world.

Aquatic animals are the basis of employment and provisions for natives in coastal areas. But unvarying enhancement in the demand for aquatic animals for employment has shown the way to the vanishing and susceptibility of numerous aquatic species. Here’s the list of the 10 most amazing aquatic animals in the world.

Aquatic Animals In The World

1. Manatees

Manatees is one of the animals with no necks that are widely recognized as Sea cows and are 440-1300 pounds and 8-13 feet long. These are hefty, slow-moving marine animals and nourish on grasses, leaves, algae, and other small plants. Three species of manatees are there; still, these are listed as vulnerable by IUCN due to hunting, habitation loss smashes by boats, and tides. They by no means go away from water, but they draw closer to the surface every 5 minutes for inhalation.

Also Read: A List Of 15+ Fishes With Big Lips

Manatees
Manatees

2. Hagfish

Hagfish is about 1.5-32 inches long, weighs 0.8-1.4 kg, and has a life expectancy of 40 years. One of the amazing land and water animals is generally gray to pink in color and is also acknowledged as a slime eel. This slime in the body facilitates it to flee when it gets imprisoned in loops and in addition, chokes the predators by overpowering them. It has an unusual aptitude to lash itself in ties because of its tremendous bendable body. It nourishes fishes, whales, worms, insects, and other tiny animals. Hagfish is moreover consumed as food in a few places.

Also Read: Top 10 Ugliest Fishes In The World

Hagfish
Hagfish

3. Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish is one of the camouflaged animals that can grow between 1.7 to 20 inches long, 10 kg in weight, and live for 1-2 years the amazing animals that start with the letter C. It is acknowledged as the chameleon of the sea because of its astounding supremacy to change color and go with the surroundings even in absolute dimness. Over 100 species of cuttlefish are identified. It makes use of its tentacles to grapple its prey and at whatever time it senses menace, it discharges ink entitled as Sepia to baffle predators and depart away.

Also read: 10 Different Types Of Jellyfish In The World

Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish

Image Source: Wikimedia

4. Mayfly

Mayfly is around 1.5 inches long and green-colored. Billions of mayflies can be witnessed in oceans, they mate, generate offspring, and then pass away in a sole day. Mayfly is a distinguished pollution indicator as it inherits merely in fresh water. They are named Mayfly for the reason that they begin emerging in May and persist for lots of months. Mayfly is the beloved food of birds, reptiles, fishes, frogs, beetles, and rodents. Due to lessening water eminence and fatality, a few species of mayfly are on verge of extinction.

Mayfly
Mayfly

Image source: Dave HuthFollow

5. Box Jellyfish

Box Jellyfish is up to 8 inches long and weighs 1.8-2 kg giving the impression of being a bell. It is usually pale blue, yellow, and transparent giving a striking appearance. It is composed of 96% water and doesn’t encompass gills, lungs, and heart. It is generally found on the Asian and Australian continents. Around 60 fatal needles are present all over the body of jellyfish.

Its venom is 300 times more noxious than any other fish and is so intense that it faultily troubles human skin and can even go ahead to paralysis and death immediately in 2-5 minutes. It noshes on prawns, worms, insects, and small fishes. It has extraordinary stinging cells that paralysis its victim prior to eating them out.

Also Read: 10 Different Types of Fish with Big Foreheads

Box Jellyfish
Box Jellyfish

6. Whales

The whale weighs around 200 tons and is 100 feet long. You can picture it as giant as a basketball court and that is why it is the biggest animal on Earth. There are presently 90 species of whales and the life expectancy of whales is more than 100 years. Right now, whales are on the edge of disappearance due to unremitting chasing by humans. The killer whale is one of the apex predators in the world.

Killer Whale
Killer Whale

7. Sailfish

Sailfish weighs up about 120-220 pounds and is 6-11 feet extended, and it subsists in oceans, shallow waters, and close to surface locales. It is usually bluish-gray in color and has white underbellies. It can go swimming at the pace of about 68-70 miles per hour and that is why it is acknowledged as the fastest fish in the deep seas. Furthermore, it is named sailfish for the reason that its astonishing sail-like dorsal fin is bigger than the extent of its body. Sailfish have a life expectancy of 13-15 years, and it nurtures squids, fishes, crustaceans, zooplankton, and many petite sea fishes.

Sailfish
Sailfish

Image Source: Robin Hughes

8. Electric eel

The electric eel is 6-8 feet long and weighs up to 44 pounds. It is found in shady waters and mud-spattered places. As its name articulates as eel, it is not actually an eel. It is more likely a carp and a cattle fish. The electric eel has meager vision and so, they are assisted with electric signals which facilitate it to follow the map and hit upon its chow. It emancipates around 650 volts of potent electric charges and brings it into play to stagger its quarry and safeguard it.

Electric eel
Electric eel

9. Planaria

Planaria is nearly 3-15 mm long and are black-brown in color. It is frequently identified as a flatworm and has a flat body. It is a non-parasitic aquatic animal and has a capacity for regeneration. When its body gets reduced to pieces, every part can adapt into a whole organism.

Planaria is a carnivore and nourishes tiny water fleas, worms, insects, shrimps, and additional minute sea animals. Planaria can be identified by the position of its eye spots. It has several chemicals known as neurotransmitters. These chemicals are also present in humans so, it is used in clinical research for drug development.

Planaria
Planaria

Image Source: Wikimedia

10. Sea Cucumber

Sea cucumber is one of the Mariana trench animals that grow about 6.5 feet elongated and has life anticipation of 5-10 years. It resembles a cucumber and has tiny tentacles all over the body for feeding and locomotion. It is generally blue, black, red, or brown. It largely nourishes minute food items present in the ocean, algae, and food particles. To preserve itself, it exposes its hook resembling structure, and it gets intricate for predators to gobble it.

Sea cucumber
Sea cucumber

11. Dolphin

Dolphins are one of the most beautiful aquatic animals and can be seen in all oceans across the world. There are different types of Dolphins that can grow between 4 to 30 feet in length and their avarage wieght is between 90 pounds and 11 tons. Dolphins use a technique known as echolocation to locate their prey which will produce clicks that travel through the water and bounce off from each object in front of them. They can be seen in large groups known as pods and they are very social and playful animals. The avarage lifespan of dolphins is 17 years in the wild, however, some species can grow upto 50 years.

Hourglass Dolphin
Hourglass Dolphin

12. Seahorses

Seahorse is one of the aquatic animals and is popular because of its specific morphology. As of now, 35 species of Seahorses are known to humans and prefer to live in tropical and temperate water all over the world. The marine fish is small in creature and can grow between 0.6 to 14 inches in length. Seahorses are the slowest swimmers in the ocean and swim at a rate of 5 feet per hour. They used to communicate with each other with the help of producing clicking sounds. The lifespan of seahorses is upto 5 years in the wild and in captivity.

Seahorses
Seahorses

Image Source: World Animal Foundation

13. Piranha

Piranha is a small to medium-sized fish species that can be seen in the rivers of South America. Talking about its appearance, it has a silver body covered with red patches that helps camouflage in muddy waters. It can grow upto 5.5-17 inches in length and avarage wieght upto 7.7 pounds. The group of Piranha is known as schools and it can consist of upto 1000 fish. The average lifespan of piranha is up to 25 years in the wild and in between 10 to 20 years in captivity.

Piranha
Piranha

14. Dugong

The dugong is also known as a sea cow and is one of the closest relatives of the manatee. The population of dugongs decreased rapidly in the last century because of chemical pollution, uncontrolled hunting, and accelerated coastal development. Dugong can grow upto a length of 11 feet and its avarage wieght is up to 2000 pounds. The avarage lifespan of a Dugong is up to 70 years in protected habitats with enough food sources. The main predators of dugongs are killer whales, sharks, and crocodiles. It is also listed as one of the animals with big noses in the world.

Dugong
Dugong

Image Source: Wikimedia

15. Walrus

The Walrus is one of the aquatic animals that belong to the pinniped family. As of now, two species of walrus are known to humans namely, the North Pacific walrus and the North Atlantic walrus. These animals of the polar regions can reach upto 12 feet in length and the average weight is between 2000 and 3000 pounds in weight. Talking about their appearance, they have grey to brown skin and an approximately 6-inch-thick layer of blubber which ensures thermal insulation. These tundra biome animals can spend 30 minutes under the water without returning to the surface to breathe. The avarage lifespan of Walrus is 30 years in the wild.

Also Read: 31 Types Of Winter Animals In The World

Walrus
Walrus

Image Source: Wikimedia

16. Starfish

Starfish belong is one of the animals without brains and belong to the group of marine animals known as echinoderms can be seen across all oceans. As of now, 2000 species of starfish are known to humans, however, not a single one can survive in freshwater. These marine animals vary in size between five to ten inches in length and their average weight is up to 11 pounds. The avarage lifespan of starfish is 35 years in the wild. The dietary habits are carnivores in nature and feed on clams, shells, and mussels.

Starfish
Starfish

17. Narwhal

Narwhal is a quiet animal that is mostly seen in the region of cold waters of the Arctic (Atlantic and Russian and Canadian areas).  It is also known as “Moon Whale” and the “unicorn of the sea” prefers to spend summer near the coast, and travel away from the shore during the winter to prevent being trapped in ice.  Male narwhal species can reach upto 16 feet and weigh upto 1.8 tons, however, female species are a few feet shorter and wieght will be one ton less compared to males. The average lifespan of Narwhal is upto 50 years in the wild.

Narwhal whale
Narwhal whale

Image Source: Wikimedia

18. Common snapping turtle

The Common snapping turtle is a species of large freshwater turtle that can be identified with the help of combative disposition when it comes out of the water along with powerful beak-like jaws, and a highly mobile head. The body size is between 25 to 47 cm in length and the average weight is between 4.5 to 16 kilograms. The avarage lifespan of a Common snapping turtle is between 30 to 40 years in the wild. The dietary habit is omnivores in nature and feeds on both plant and animal matter and are important aquatic scavengers. 

Common snapping turtle
Common snapping turtle

Image Source: Wikimedia

19. Alligator snapping turtle

The Alligator snapping turtle is one of the most sneaky animals in the world that belongs to the family Chelydridae. These aquatic animals are mostly seen in the southeastern United States waters. They spend most of the time in water and only nesting females venture onto open land.  The primary diet includes fish and fish carcasses, mollusks, carrion, and amphibians.  They are also seen feeding on snakes, crayfish, worms, water birds, aquatic plants, other turtles, and sometimes even Alligators. Alligator snapping turtles are polygynandrous which means both males and females mate with several partners.

Alligator Snapping Turtle
Alligator Snapping Turtle

20. Bowhead whale

Bowhead whales are one of the aquatic animals that belong to the group of baleen whales. It is also known as Greenland Right Whale and is mostly seen in the northern hemisphere. The body length is between 45 to 60 feet in length and the average weight is between 75 to 100 tons. The diet of Bowhead whales consists of zooplankton and small fish.  They are mostly seen in groups of up to six animals and produce different sound which is primarily used for communication during migration. The main predators of bowhead whales are killer whales and humans.

Bowhead whale
Bowhead whale

Image Source: GPA Photo

21. Fin whale

The Fin whale is one of the largest whales on the planet and belongs to the group of baleen whales. They can be seen in all oceans of the world and as of now, two subspecies of fin whales are known to humans. The northern fin whale that inhabits oceans of the northern hemisphere and the southern fin whale that inhabits oceans of the southern hemisphere.

This is the second largest animal on the planet followed by the blue whale. It can reach upto 85 feet in length and the average weight is between 40 to 80 tons. These whale species can dive to a depth of 1800 feet and stay under the water for 20 minutes. The main predators of fin whales are killer whales which attack young and very old fin whales. The avarage lifespan of a Fin whale is more than 80 years in the wild.

Fin whale
Fin whale

Image Source: Wikimedia

These are the 21 types of aquatic animals in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.

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