Ocean Depths

What exactly are Ocean Depths? Well, you can think about it as a tall building that has different floors. To be more specific, imagine it as a very wide and tall building with five different floors. So what is the exact name for these floors? Ocean Zones! Now, let's find out what the name of each ocean zone is and what kind of animals and plant life live in each.

Different animals and plants live in each zone because all the zones receive a different amount of sunlight. Each  zone is described on the bottom starting from the surface of the ocean to the deepest zone.

The 5 Zones of the Ocean:

1.  Sunlight Zone: (Surface to 656 feet) The sunlight zone gets the most amount of light since it is at the surface. Some of the animals you can find on the sunlight zone are: sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles, sea lions, seals, stingrays and tunas. Some of the plant life you can find on the sunlight zone are: algae, phytoplankton, and coral reefs.
2. Twilight Zone: (lies between 656 feet and 3,281 feet) The twilight zone receives faint sun rays on its layer. Some of the animals you can find on the twilight zone are: swordfish, wolf eel, squids, cuttlefish, clams, gastropods and echinoderms. Plant life does not live in the twilight zone but microscopic bacteria does.
3. Midnight Zone: (lies between 3,281 feet and 12,124 feet) The midnight zone is dark but some visible light may be observed from sea creatures found in this zone. Some animals you can find in the midnight zone are: anglerfish, sea cucumbers, vampire squid, mussels, and tubeworms. There is no living plantlife in the midnight zone.
4. Abyss: (lies between 13,124 feet and 19,686 feet) Temperatures in the Abyss are near freezing point and there is no natural light. Some animals that you can find in the abyss are: Dumbo Octopus, deep sea shrimp, glass sponge, zombie worm, and giant-anemone sucking sea spider. There are also no plants in the Abyss.
5.  The Trenches: (lies between 19,686 feet and 36,100 feet) The Trenches has almost freezing temperatures and very high pressure. Some animals that you can find in the Trenches are: starfish, forams, cusk-eels, and mostly other invertebrates. No plant life lives in the Trenches.

Did you know that 95% of the ocean's depths still remain unexplored? Some ocean depths are quite hard to explore  for scientists because of how high the pressure is. But, we mentioned above some amazing marine animals and you can click here to find out about more!