🌊 Ocean animal reports, grades 5–6
31 sheets, one animal each, so every child in a group gets a different one. Pick another set or one animal.
My report: the blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 110 ft (34 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 165 tons (150 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 20 mph (32 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 80 to 90 years |
Read about it
Even though it is the largest animal on Earth, the blue whale eats some of the smallest: krill. In the feeding season it eats an enormous amount, then lives off its stored fat on long journeys. Blue whales call to each other with deep, loud sounds that travel a long way through the ocean. Whaling once made them very rare; since it stopped, they have slowly started to come back.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blue-whale, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias · Grades 5–6
| Length | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 2 tons (1.8 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 30 to 70 years |
Read about it
Great white sharks are fish and breathe through gills, but they can keep their bodies warmer than the water around them, which helps them swim fast in cold seas. They find food with a strong sense of smell and special pores on the snout that feel electricity. Sharks rarely bother people; scientists track them with tags to learn where they travel.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/white-shark, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, sos.noaa.gov/catalog/datasets/marine-migration-great-white-shark-3d, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the emperor penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri · Grades 5–6
| Length | not checked yet: look it up! |
|---|---|
| Height | 3.7 ft (1.1 m) |
| Weight | 88 lb (40 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Emperor penguins are the largest penguins. They dive deeper than any other bird to catch fish and squid, holding their breath for a long time. In winter they walk a long way across the sea ice to their breeding ground. Because they need sea ice to raise their chicks, scientists watch them closely as the ice changes.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, press release 25 Oct 2022, fws.gov/press-release/2022-10/emperor-penguin-gets-endangered-species-act-protections, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the polar bear
Ursus maritimus · Grades 5–6
| Length | not checked yet: look it up! |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 4.9 ft (1.5 m) |
| Weight | 399 to 1,450 lb (181 to 658 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 25 years |
Read about it
Polar bears are counted as marine mammals because they spend so much of their lives on the sea ice and in the water. They wait beside breathing holes in the ice for seals to come up. Mother bears dig snow dens where tiny cubs are born in winter. As Arctic sea ice melts earlier each year, polar bears have less time to find food, which is why scientists watch them closely.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, nps.gov/subjects/bears/polar-bears.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the saltwater crocodile
Crocodylus porosus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Saltwater crocodiles are the largest living reptiles. Special glands on the tongue let them get rid of extra salt, so they can travel along coasts and out to sea. They are patient hunters that wait at the water's edge. Hunting made them rare in many places, but protection has helped them come back in northern Australia.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- US Fish and Wildlife Service rule, Federal Register 24 June 1996 (govinfo.gov), govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1996-06-24/html/96-15790.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the giant Pacific octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini · Grades 5–6
| Length | 5.9 to 7.9 ft (1.8 to 2.4 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 31 to 51 lb (14 to 23 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 3 to 5 years |
Read about it
Octopuses are mollusks, cousins of clams and snails, and among the cleverest animals without a backbone: in aquariums they learn to open jars and solve puzzles. A giant Pacific octopus has three hearts. A mother guards her eggs in a rocky den for months, keeping them clean until they hatch.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, fisheries.noaa.gov/science-blog/view-inside-kodiak-lab-aquarium-post-4, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 5.9 to 13 ft (1.8 to 4 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 300 to 1,400 lb (136 to 635 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 40 to 60 years |
Read about it
Bottlenose dolphins are mammals, so they breathe air and feed their calves milk. When they sleep, only half of the brain rests at a time, so they can keep coming up for breath. Dolphins in a pod work together to find fish, and some groups have learned special tricks that they pass on to their young. In one bay in Australia, some dolphins carry sea sponges on their snouts to protect them while they search the sea floor.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/common-bottlenose-dolphin, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the orca
Orcinus orca · Grades 5–6
| Length | 23 to 26 ft (7 to 7.9 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 to 8 tons (3.6 to 7.3 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 30 to 50 years |
Read about it
Orcas are toothed whales, and the largest members of the dolphin family. Different groups of orcas eat different foods: some pods mostly eat fish like salmon, while others hunt seals, and each pod teaches its young its own way of finding food. Female orcas live long after they stop having calves, and these grandmothers help lead their pods. Some groups, such as the orcas of the Pacific Northwest, are endangered because there are fewer salmon and more boat noise in their waters, so people work to protect rivers and salmon.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, home.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/orca.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/orca-orcinus-orca, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae · Grades 5–6
| Length | 46 to 49 ft (14 to 15 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 25 to 35 tons (23 to 32 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 16 mph (26 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 80 to 90 years |
Read about it
Humpbacks make one of the longest journeys of any mammal: they feed in cold, food-rich waters in summer, then swim to warm waters where the mothers give birth, eating very little on the way. Each whale's tail has its own pattern of black and white, so scientists can tell them apart from photos. Whaling once took so many humpbacks that they became rare, but since it was stopped many groups have recovered, though ships and fishing nets are still dangers.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/humpback-whale.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, nps.gov/places/humpback-whale.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/humpback-whale, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the sea otter
Enhydra lutris · Grades 5–6
| Length | 3.9 to 4.9 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 79 lb (36 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 23 years |
Read about it
Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal, and they must keep it clean and fluffy to stay warm. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which graze on kelp, so by keeping the urchins in check they help giant kelp forests stay healthy for fish and many other animals. Sea otters were hunted for their fur until very few were left. Now they are protected and are coming back along many coasts, but oil spills are still a danger because oil spoils their fur.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/sea-otter.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, nps.gov/places/sea-otter.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the walrus
Odobenus rosmarus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 9.8 to 11 ft (3 to 3.5 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 1.9 tons (1.7 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 22 mph (35 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Walruses spend part of their time in the water and part resting on ice or beaches in crowded herds, where they lie packed close together. Pockets of air in their throats work like life jackets, letting them float and even sleep in the water. Walruses depend on sea ice as a resting place near good feeding grounds. As the ice melts earlier each year, they crowd onto beaches instead, so scientists and people who live in the Arctic work together to watch over them.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Walrus Species Status Assessment (PDF), iris.fws.gov/APPS/ServCat/DownloadFile/132114, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/media/pacific-walrus-bull-0, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, nps.gov/bela/learn/kidsyouth/alaskan-animal-adaptations.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the narwhal
Monodon monoceros · Grades 5–6
| Length | 13 to 18 ft (4 to 5.5 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 1,760 lb to 1.8 tons (800 kg to 1.6 tonnes) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 25 to 50 years |
Read about it
Scientists think the tusk is full of nerves and may help a narwhal sense changes in the water, such as how salty it is. Narwhals dive deep into the dark Arctic seas to find fish and squid, and they use clicks and whistles to find their way and talk to each other. They stay in the Arctic all year, so they are very sensitive to changes in the sea ice and to the noise of ships. Scientists tag narwhals to learn where they go, which helps people protect them.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/narwhal, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the west Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 8.9 to 9.8 ft (2.7 to 3 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 992 lb (450 kg) |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 60 years |
Read about it
Manatees are mammals, and their closest living relatives are elephants. They need warm water, so in cold weather many gather at warm springs. Sandy plants wear their teeth down, so new teeth keep moving forward from the back of the jaw. Boats are one of the biggest dangers to manatees, so people set slow-speed zones in manatee waters, and protection has helped manatees do better.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/manatee-trichechus-manatus, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve, nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/mammals.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas · Grades 5–6
| Length | 36 in to 3.9 ft (91 cm to 1.2 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 300 to 351 lb (136 to 159 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 70 years |
Read about it
Green sea turtles travel long distances between the places where they feed and the beaches where they hatched. At night, a mother crawls up the beach, digs a nest with her back flippers and covers her eggs with sand. When the hatchlings come out, they head for the brightest horizon, which is usually the sea. People protect nesting beaches, turn off bright lights near them and use fishing gear that lets turtles escape, and these efforts have helped many groups of green turtles recover.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/green-turtle, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the leatherback sea turtle
Dermochelys coriacea · Grades 5–6
| Length | 4.9 to 5.9 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 750 to 1,000 lb (340 to 454 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 50 years |
Read about it
Leatherbacks belong to an old family of turtles that goes back to the time of the dinosaurs. They cross whole oceans, and their bodies stay warm enough for them to visit cold northern seas. Floating plastic bags can look like jellyfish to a hungry turtle, so keeping beaches and seas clean helps leatherbacks. People also change fishing nets and hooks so that turtles can get away safely.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/leatherback-turtle, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the whale shark
Rhincodon typus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 40 ft (12 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 40 tons (36 tonnes) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 60 to 100 years |
Read about it
Whale sharks are the largest fish alive, yet they live on some of the smallest food: plankton, krill and tiny fish. Their wide mouths are lined with filters that sieve the food from big gulps of water. Scientists tell one whale shark from another by its spot pattern, and photos from divers help them follow where each one travels. Whale sharks are endangered, partly because they are caught in fishing nets by accident, so many countries now protect them.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA National Ocean Service, oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bigfish.html, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 12 ft (3.6 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| Top speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Sailfish live in warm, open water and are among the fastest fish in the sea. Their sail is a huge fin held up by thin bony rays, and it can fold neatly into a groove along the back. Hunting sailfish raise their sails and flash bright blue and silver stripes, which may help keep a school of fish in a tight ball. Sailfish roam the open ocean, following warm water and plenty of food.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean (Istiophorus platypterus), biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/2244, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Fishery Bulletin 78(3), 1980 (Beardsley and others, Atlantic sailfish), spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/beardsley.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts feed ('What is the fastest fish in the ocean?'), oceanservice.noaa.gov/rss/oceanfacts.xml, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 13 ft (4 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 1 tons (910 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 20 years |
Read about it
Atlantic bluefin tuna are among the biggest bony fish in the sea. Their fins fold into slots on the body, so water slides over them smoothly, and warm muscles let them hunt in cold water. Tagged bluefin have swum from one side of the Atlantic to the other, hunting herring, mackerel and squid in groups called schools. People fished bluefin so heavily that their numbers fell, so countries now agree on catch limits, and the fish are slowly coming back.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/western-atlantic-bluefin-tuna, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris · Grades 5–6
| Length | 3.5 in (9 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Clownfish and sea anemones help each other, a partnership scientists call mutualism. The anemone gives the fish a safe home, and the fish brings it food scraps, cleans it and keeps nibbling fish away. All clownfish begin as males; in each group the biggest becomes the female, and the next biggest is her partner. Clownfish stay close to their anemone, darting back in among the tentacles when danger shows up.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: clown anemonefish profile, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=3243, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the giant manta ray
Mobula birostris · Grades 5–6
| Length | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 2.6 tons (2.4 tonnes) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 45 years |
Read about it
Giant manta rays are the largest rays in the world, and they are fish related to sharks, with skeletons made of bendy cartilage instead of bone. They swim all the time, flapping their wings slowly, and special filters inside the mouth sieve plankton from the water. At reefs, mantas visit cleaning stations, where small fish pick pests off their skin. A mother usually has just one pup at a time, so mantas recover slowly; they are endangered because they are caught in nets, and many countries now protect them.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/giant-manta-ray, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the sockeye salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka · Grades 5–6
| Length | 18 to 30 in (46 to 76 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 to 15 lb (1.8 to 6.8 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 5 years |
Read about it
Sockeye salmon spend most of their lives in the North Pacific, eating plankton and tiny shrimp-like krill, which give their flesh its deep red color. When it is time to head home, they use the smell of the water, which they remember from when they were small, to find their own stream. Their journeys carry food from the sea to the forests, helping bears, eagles and even trees. Some groups of sockeye are in trouble because of dams and warming rivers, so people build fish ladders and protect streams.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sockeye-salmon, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the ocean sunfish
Mola mola · Grades 5–6
| Length | 7.9 ft (2.4 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 2.5 tons (2.3 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 14 mph (22 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Ocean sunfish are the heaviest bony fish in the world, yet they begin life as tiny babies. Their teeth are joined together into a beak, and their thick, rough skin helps protect them. They travel through open water in warm and mild seas, diving down deep to find jellyfish and coming back up to warm. Floating trash can harm them, because a plastic bag can look like a jellyfish, so keeping the sea clean helps sunfish.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries, Olympic Coast, sanctuaries.noaa.gov/pgallery/pgolympic/living/living_10.html, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Acadia National Park, nps.gov/articles/ocean-sunfish-gentle-giants-now-found-in-acadia-s-waters.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/story/solar-powered-fish-jellies-their-bellies-molas, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the lined seahorse
Hippocampus erectus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 2.2 to 7.3 in (5.5 to 19 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 4 years |
Read about it
Seahorses are bony fish, though they look like no other: they have no scales, and their skin is stretched over rings of bony plates. They swim upright using a tiny fin on the back that flutters very fast, so they are slow and rely on hiding, sometimes changing color to match the seagrass. The mother puts her eggs into the father's belly pouch, and he carries them until the tiny seahorses are ready, then pushes them out. Lined seahorses are listed as vulnerable, mainly because seagrass beds are being lost and many are caught for pets and dried medicine, so people protect their seagrass homes.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, Fishery Bulletin (PDF), spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/01baumfi.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the moon jellyfish
Aurelia aurita · Grades 5–6
| Length | 12 in (30 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
A jellyfish is not a fish. It is related to sea anemones and corals, and it is almost all water. A moon jelly starts life as a tiny polyp stuck to a rock, and the polyp makes little jellies that swim away. Tiny spots around the edge of the bell sense light and tell the jelly which way is up.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Fort Matanzas National Monument, nps.gov/foma/learn/nature/jellyfish.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the american lobster
Homarus americanus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 35 in (90 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 44 lb (20 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 100 years |
Read about it
American lobsters are crustaceans, cousins of crabs and shrimp. They live in dens among rocks and come out at night to look for food, tasting and smelling the water with tiny hairs on their feelers and legs. Most lobsters are greenish-brown, but a few are born bright blue. Fishers catch lobsters in traps, and rules tell them to put back lobsters that are too small and any mother carrying eggs, so there will always be more lobsters.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species fact sheet, American lobster, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1087, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/american-lobster, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the sperm whale
Physeter macrocephalus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 40 to 52 ft (12 to 16 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 15 to 45 tons (14 to 41 tonnes) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 60 years |
Read about it
Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales, with teeth only in the lower jaw, and their brain is the biggest of any animal. Mothers, aunts and calves live in close family groups, while older males often travel alone in colder waters. Each family has its own pattern of clicks, like a family dialect. Whalers once hunted sperm whales for their oil, and they became rare; today they are protected, and scientists use underwater microphones to listen to them.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sperm-whale, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas · Grades 5–6
| Length | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 1.6 tons (1.4 tonnes) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 90 years |
Read about it
Belugas travel in groups called pods, and in summer many pods gather in shallow bays and river mouths. Unlike most whales, they can nod and turn their heads, because their neck bones are not joined together. A thick layer of blubber keeps them warm in icy water, and they find breathing holes in the sea ice. Some beluga groups have become rare because of changing sea ice, noise from ships and pollution, so people set up protected waters where they can feed and raise their calves.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the california sea lion
Zalophus californianus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 5.9 to 7.5 ft (1.8 to 2.3 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 240 to 701 lb (109 to 318 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 20 to 30 years |
Read about it
California sea lions are marine mammals: they breathe air, stay warm with a layer of blubber, and feed their pups milk. In the water they steer with their back flippers and flap their front flippers like wings, and their whiskers help them sense fish in dark water. On crowded beaches each mother finds her own pup by its call and smell. Laws that protect sea lions in the United States have helped their numbers grow.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/california-sea-lion, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the harbor seal
Phoca vitulina · Grades 5–6
| Length | 4.9 to 5.9 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 181 to 284 lb (82 to 129 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 25 to 30 years |
Read about it
Harbor seals live on cool coasts all around the Northern Hemisphere, in more places than most other seals. In tests, a seal wearing a blindfold could still follow the path of a fish just by feeling the water with its whiskers. When a harbor seal dives, its heartbeat slows down and its body saves oxygen, so it can stay under while it hunts. Seals need quiet beaches to rest and care for their pups, so it is best to watch them from far away and never let dogs near.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/harbor-seal, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the loggerhead sea turtle
Caretta caretta · Grades 5–6
| Length | 30 in to 3.5 ft (76 cm to 1.1 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 201 to 351 lb (91 to 159 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 70 years |
Read about it
Loggerheads are known for their long journeys, riding ocean currents when young and swimming back to coastal waters when older. Scientists follow them with satellite tags to learn where they travel. Bright lights confuse hatchlings, so beach towns in Florida turn their lights down during nesting season. Volunteers walk the beaches in the morning to find and mark nests, so that they stay safe.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/loggerhead-turtle, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the blue crab
Callinectes sapidus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 9.1 in (23 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 5.3 oz (150 g) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 3 to 4 years |
Read about it
Blue crabs live in bays and river mouths, where fresh river water mixes with salty sea water. Their scientific name, Callinectes sapidus, starts with a word that means beautiful swimmer. Baby blue crabs drift in the sea and look nothing like their parents, then settle into grassy beds and marshes that hide them while they grow. Crabs are food for many animals, and fishers catch them in traps, so people protect marshes and seagrass and set limits on how many crabs may be caught.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
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Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blue-crab, checked 2026-10-30