2. Ocean Habitats
• Ocean animal habitats are divided into layers
or zones according to the amount of sunlight
each receives.
3. Zones
The Sunlight Zone (Light
Zone)
• 0 feet – 600 feet Starfish
• Receives the most light
The Twilight Zone
• 600 feet – 3,000 feet
Squid
• Receives very little light
The Midnight Zone (Dark
Zone)
• 3,000 feet – 15,000 feet
• Only light produced by
bioluminescence
Angler Fish
4. Ocean Life
Watch video of ocean life:
http://www.mbayaq.org/video/video_slippersnail_feeding_qt.asp
5. Coral Reefs
• Corals are small, soft-
bodied animals that live
in shallow waters of the
oceans (Light zone).
• They develop a rock
skeleton that forms a
hard shelter for the tiny
corals.
• The rock makes up
coral reefs.
6. Helpful Coral Reefs
• Coral reefs protect the
shoreline from tropical storms &
makes safe harbors for ships.
• Fish and lobsters thrive on the
reefers provide food for people.
• Many tiny fish hide in reefs.
They can find food there and
bigger fish also swim around
reefs for their food.
7. Coral Reefs in Danger!!
• More than 35 million acres of coral reef have
been destroyed because of humans!
Human Contact Touching Reefs, even slightly, can
harm them. Boats and dropped
anchors can cause severe
damage. Frequent human contact
kills the reefs over time.
Fertilizer/Pollution Fertilizer runoff, pesticides and
other chemicals can poison reefs.
Cyanide Fishing Some fishermen stun fish by squirting
cyanide, a very toxic poison. The
poison does not kill, but disorients the
fish in the coral where they hide.
Cyanide kills coral polyps and the
algae and other small organisms
necessary for healthy reefs. Cyanide
Coral Polyp
fishing is common in the South
Pacific and Southeast Asia.
