By: Jamie Stalter

Ed 205-03

Information • Whales

• Sharks

• Octopuses

• Jellyfish

• Rays

Classifications

•Whales•Sharks•Octopuses •Jellyfish •Rays

Whales Whales are large and intelligent mammals. They breathe air through a blowhole into lungs. They are the only mammals that live their entire lives in the water.

The largest whale is the Blue Whale, which grows to be 94 feet long: that is a 9 story

building!

The smallest whale is the Dwarf Sperm Whale which only gets to be 8.5 feet long.

Classification of Whales

Whales belong to the Cetaceans group

which includes whales, dolphins and

porpoises. There are over 75 species of

Cetaceans. The two classifications of these

species are Toothed Whales (Odontoceti): Baleen Whales (Mysticeti)

SharksSharks are fish that have no bones. Their Skelton is made of cartilage. Sharks live mainly in the ocean but are also found in some rivers and lakes. They have been around even before dinosaurs existed!

Sharks range in size from as tiny as a person’s hand (7in long) to bigger than a school bus (50 feet long)! But most sharks are about the size of humans (5-7 feet).

Go here to learn more about sharks

Classification of Sharks

Sharks belong to the cartilagenous fish group. There are around 360 different species of sharks that are divided into 30 different families. The families are classified by the way the sharks look, live, and eat.

Some sharks are very rare, like the Great White Shark

And some sharks are very common, like the Dogfish Shark

Octopuses Octopuses are eight-armed animals that live on the ocean floor. They have a soft body and two rows of arms which they use for catching prey. If an octopus loses an arm, eventually it will grow back.

To escape predators, octopuses squirt black ink into the water or camouflaging by changing their skin color to blend into the background. Octopuses swim by spewing water from its body, creating a jet propulsion.

Classification of Octopuses

Octopuses belong to the Cephalopoda group. There are more than 100 different species of octopuses.

The Giant Octopus is the largest, which gets up to 23 feet and weighs up to 400 pounds!

The Californian Octopus is only 3/8 in. long and weighs less than one pound!

Jellyfish

Jellyfish have soft bodies and long, stinging tentacles that are poisonous. They use these tentacles to catch fish.

A Jellyfish is 98% water!

Many sea animals eat jellyfish, such as turtles and various fish, including sun fish.

Classification of JellyfishJellyfish are apart of the Phylum Cnidaria class. There are several different variations of jellyfish that all have different characterizations. Some jellyfish glow in the dark and some have such a powerful venomous sting that can be deadly.

The largest jellyfish is the Lion’s Mane whose body can get to over 3 feet with extremely long tentacles.

The tiniest jellyfish is the Irukandji which is only 2 cm. across.

Rays Rays are a type of flattened fish and live in seas all over the world. They often stay in large groups up to thousands. Rays are closely related to sharks because they have no bones. Most rays have spines on their tales that produce poison in the stinger, while others have long, whip-like tails or short tails.

Most rays hunt on the ocean floor and their diets consist of fish and worms.

Classification of Rays

• There are around 500 variations of rays that are divided up into 18 different families. These families are classified based on the way they look, live and hunt. Various rays have very many different shapes, sizes, color, fins, and personalities.

About The Author My name is Jamie Stalter. I am from a small town called Newaygo. I am currently a senior at Grand Valley and am looking forward to starting my student assisting and teaching next year. I choose to go into the teaching field because I love being around children and have a passion for helping them learn.

Resources

www.enchantedlearning.com

www.googleimages.com

Under The Ocean

Sharks

Classification of Sharks

Jellyfish

Classification of Jellfish

Octopuses

Classification of Octopuses

Rays

Whales

Classification of Rays

Classification of whales