Who is at the top of the ocean food chain?
killer whale
The orca, or killer whale is at the top of the marine food chain. In spite of the fact that they are called “killer whales,” orcas are actually dolphins. Orcas have 4-inch long teeth that they use to feast on other ocean animals, which can include seals, sea lions, sharks, seabirds, fish, and even whales.
What is the food web in the ocean?
Phytoplankton and algae form the bases of aquatic food webs. They are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. Primary consumers are in turn eaten by fish, small sharks, corals, and baleen whales.
Why is the ocean food chain important?
They are the main producers of the carbon all ocean animals need to survive. They also produce more than half of the oxygen we breathe on Earth. The next level of the marine food chain is made up of plant-eaters, or herbivores.
What is an ocean food web for kids?
An ocean food chain shows how energy is passed from one living thing to another in the ocean. Producers make their own food (plankton, algae, seaweed), and consumers eat the producers and/or other consumers to get the energy they need (crabs, shrimp, dolphins, sharks and fish).
Who is king of the ocean?
Orcas hunt marine mammals such as sea lions, seals, walruses and large whales. They even hunt the great white sharks. They are in fact apex predators, i.e. they have no natural predators of their own, except humans of course. Hence they are “kings of the ocean” and sit at the top of the food chain.
How are food chains and food webs different?
A food chain outlines who eats whom. A food web is all of the food chains in an ecosystem. Each organism in an ecosystem occupies a specific trophic level or position in the food chain or web.
How are food webs on land and water different?
Land food chains, also known as terrestrial food chains, usually start with a plant as a producer. Water food chains, or aquatic food chains, can start with an aquatic plant as a producer, but there are also microscopic free-floating cells called phytoplankton that can use sunlight to make their own food as well.
What are some cool facts about the ocean?
10 Unbelievable Facts About the Ocean
- Our oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface.
- The majority of life on Earth is aquatic.
- Less than five per cent of the planet’s oceans have been explored.
- The world’s longest mountain chain is underwater.
What do food webs include?
A food web consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. Each food chain is one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem. All of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web.
What animal rules the ocean?
The “king of the ocean” is a title that applies to any number of more interesting marine animals, depending on whom you talk to. But for many, the great white shark is the undisputed ruler of the seas. Great white sharks instill both terror and awe in most of us.
Who controls the ocean?
Although the oceans are technically viewed as international zones, meaning no one country has jurisdiction over it all, there are regulations in place to help keep the peace and to essentially divide responsibility for the world’s oceans to various entities or countries around the world.