Marine Habitats

Kelp Forest habitat found in cold water right offshore, sea otters anchor themselves in this brown algae and eat the sea urchins that could devastate this habitat if unchecked

coral reef formation and area formed by calcium carbonate excretions, in the photic zone and tropical latitudes, provides a home for 25 percent of marine fish species (lots of biodiversity), many organisms here, including sponges, sharks, parrotfish, eels, and even sea turtles

sandy beach habitat along coastlines formed from sand deposits, harsh place to live because of the shifting tides, animals like ghost crabs and beach hoppers live here, most of food is organic debris (dead fish, loose seaweed) that washes ashore

rocky shore habitat subjected to the battering of waves and periodic exposure to air, has limpets, sea stars, mussels, and sea urchins, along with seaweed/algae, divided into definite zones based on tide changes

mangrove swamp has a dense canopy, along tropical coastlines, protects coastlines against erosion and storms, can find snails, raccoons, pelicans, and even crocodiles here

salt marsh area where cord grass is abundant, detritus is plentiful, and oysters, crabs, and small fish thrive in these "nurseries", GA has one of the most productive ones in the world

hydrothermal vent a deep sea oasis of life, formed around mid-ocean ridges where cold water seeps into the rocks and is heated to degrees C, bacteria make food through chemosynthesis, feeding tubeworms, mussels, crabs, shrimp, etc.

tide pool where water collects in a small depression, many animals here can burrow down in the sand to camouflage themselves and to prevent drying out, like the rock crab

mud flat habitat with a flat expanse of mud deposited by slow moving water, bacteria live in the mud decaying matter, many clams, crabs, and snails live here

oceanic—photic zone open ocean area where light penetrates and photosynthesis can occur, lots of plankton, as well as many fish, squid, whales, and jellies

oceanic—midwater realm, twilight zone zone between photic and aphotic, where little light penetration occurs, many animals tend to be black or red in color and have large, sensitive eyes, comb jellies and others migrate to the photic zone at night to feed

oceanic—aphotic zone, deep sea bottom word meaning no light, this area includes most of the ocean where food falls from above and the organisms are quite strange, growing slowly because of the extreme pressure

subtidal area from the low tide level to the edge of the continental shelf always submerged underwater, animals found here can include sand dollars, brittle stars, angel sharks, worms, and stingrays