Deep-sea terrors
the term for an organism that makes its own light, which many deep-sea fish do.
bioluminescence
This ocean creature can shed its skin, leaving behind a "ghostly" white shell called an exuvia.
Crab, lobster, or shrimp
Most common color of a healthy coral reef
brown
This animal can "play dead" by expelling its internal organs.
Sea cucumber
This fish can inflate its body into a spiky ball when threatened.
Pufferfish
This large, often scary-looking fish is known for having a glowing lure on its head to attract prey.
Anglerfish
Unlike bony fish, a shark's skeleton is made entirely of this flexible material.
Cartilage
This common marine animal is often called a "vampire" because it sucks blood from other fish.
Lamprey
This type of mimicry allows a creature to look like something else, often something dangerous or scary.
Camouflage
This famous tiny, colorful octopus in the Pacific can deliver a bite that is almost always fatal to humans.
Blue-ringed octopus
This is the world's largest invertebrate, famously depicted fighting ships in old myths.
Giant squid
This large, gentle sea mammal is sometimes confused by lonely sailors for a mermaid or a ghost in the fog.
Manatee
What is the dark, inky liquid a squid or octopus squirts out to confuse predators?
Ink
This marine mammal uses its powerful tail to slap large schools of fish, stunning them so they can be eaten easily.
Humpback whale
Closely related to the scorpionfish, this master of camouflage is considered the world's most venomous fish.
Stonefish
This small, clear, gelatinous animal can sting you and looks like a floating bag of goo.
Jellyfish
This is the primary white structure often found washed up on the beach that comes from a type of squid
Cuttlebone
The color of an octopus's blood, which uses a copper-based molecule to carry oxygen.
Blue
This large, slow-moving predator is known for smelling even a tiny amount of blood from far away.
Shark
This is the specific neurotoxin found in the pufferfish, which makes it deadly if not properly prepared for sushi.
Tetrodotoxin (TTX)
This deep-sea fish, known for its tiny eyes and huge teeth, is one of the scariest-looking predators in the deep ocean.
Viperfish
A school of fish may perform a synchronous, swirling movement known by this term.
bait ball
The eerie, pale glow sometimes seen on the surface of the ocean at night, often called the "Milky Sea," is caused by billions of these tiny, single-celled organisms.
Dinoflagellates (algae/plankton)
This fish adaptation allows large schools to suddenly flash their silver or bright sides all at once, momentarily blinding or confusing a predator.
Predator dazzling
This highly potent neurotoxin is the active ingredient in the poison cone snails use to instantly paralyze and catch their prey.
Conotoxin