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A Yellow Tang Marine life is concerned with the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the ocean. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy. For this reason marine life encompasses not only organisms that only lives in a marine environment, but also those whose lives revolve around the sea. At a fundamental level, marine life helps determine the very nature of our planet. Marine organisms produce much of the oxygen we breathe and probably help regulate the earth's climate. Shorelines are in part shaped and protected by marine life, and some marine organisms even help create new land. Marine biology covers a great deal, from the microscopic, including plankton and phytoplankton, which can be as small as 0.02 micrometres and are both hugely important as the primary producers of the sea, to the huge cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which reach up to a reported 33 metres (109 feet) in length in the case of the blue whale. Read more... Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. Antarctic krill are shrimp-like invertebrates that live in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000 - 30,000 animals per cubic metre. They are herbivorous feeding directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their pelagic (open ocean) life cycle. They grow to a length of 6 cm, weigh up to 2 grams, and can live for up to six years. They are a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and are likely to be the most successful animal species on the planet in terms of biomass (approximately 500 million tonnes). More on Antarctic krill They have large brown eyes and a translucent reddish shell. Female Krill can lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time. And they are used to produce krill oil and krill meal which is used for animal feed. As a prey, they are important part of the marine ecosystem, acting as a food source to predators like Wild Salmon. Krill can survive for a long period without foods, but they will become shrink in length. Ed Ricketts studied zoology at the University of Chicago and was influenced by his teacher, W. C. Allee, but Ricketts dropped out without a degree. He was fictionalized by his friend John Steinbeck as the character, "Doc", in the novels, Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, as "Doc Burton" in In Dubious Battle, "Casy" in The Grapes of Wrath and "Doctor Winter" in The Moon is Down. Steinbeck also co-wrote the narrative portion of Sea of Cortez with Ricketts, and later wrote a short remembrance of Ricketts in an introduction to the Viking edition published as The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1951, reprinted by Penguin and cited below). From 1927 to 1948, Rickett's Pacific Biological Laboratory at 800 Ocean View Avenue in Monterey was a salon of sorts, where writers, artists and other luminaries would gather. Bruce Ariss, Joseph Campbell, Henry Miller, John Steinbeck, Lincoln Steffens, and Francis Whitaker were just some of the visitors who flocked to Doc's lab. More on Ed Ricketts First animals that spent their entire lives without any oxygen (anoxic waters) were discovered in depths of Mediterranean Sea. They belong to three new species from phylum Loricifera (one of new species pictured). Triggerfishes are the brightly coloured fishes of the family Balistidae. (pictured) Marked by lines and spots, they inhabit warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific. Marbled hatchetfish are the only known fish that can actually fly by jumping into the air and moving their fins. The sea otter often keeps a stone tool in its armpit pouch. Some cichlid fish, crocodiles and frogs keep their eggs or young in their mouths or stomachs. The Horseshoe crab has blue, copper based blood. Template:/box-header Have a look at the Marine life WikiProject and sign up. Here are some tasks you can do, as organized by The Marine life Wikiproject: Collaboration of the week: Marine life article assessment Copyedit/extensive work: Ctenophora (phylum) Expand: Macrocystis pyrifera, Corallimorpharia, Corallimorphidae Requests: Caesioperca, Caprodon, Plectranthias, Lepidoperca Stubs: Sea apple, Tube-dwelling anemone, Corallimorphus, Corallimorphus niwa, Corallimorphus profundus Other: See the projects page Images: Upload any non-copyrighted marine life images to Wikimedia Commons Featured Articles/Good Articles: Other: Add {{Portal|Marine life}} to related articles Photo credit: Gerd Alberti and Uwe Kils The Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. Antarctic krill are shrimp-like invertebrates that live in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000 - 30,000 individual animals per cubic meter. Although the uses for and reasons behind the development of their massive black compound eyes (pictured above) remain a mystery, there is no doubt that Antarctic krill have one of the most fantastic structures for vision seen in nature. Krill can shrink in size from one molt to the next, which is generally thought to be a survival strategy to adapt to scarce food supplies (a smaller body needs less energy, i.e., food). However, the animal's eyes do not shrink when this happens. The ratio between eye size and body length has thus been found to be a reliable indicator of starvation. More on the antarctic krill Biology Cetaceans Fish Sharks Gastropods Crustaceans Template:/box-header The Wikiproject associated with this portal is the Marine Life WikiProject Other WikiProjects include: Biology Oceans Tree of Life Birds Mammals Cetaceans Fishes Sharks Fisheries and fishing Amphibians and Reptiles Plants Cephalopods Gastropods Monotremes and Marsupials Aquaria AZA Member Zoos and Aquariums Botanists Cetaceans Dolphin Species Ecologists Ecoregions Mangrove Ecoregions Marine Aquarium Fish Species Porpoise Species Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance Ramsar sites in Scotland Ramsar Wetland sites in Pakistan Shark species Ramsar wetlands of Thailand Regional Bird Lists Regional Mammals Lists United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species Whale Species Zoos Template:/box-header Major Fields of Marine Biology: Marine Biology - Ecology - Zoology - Animal Taxonomy Specific Fields of Marine Biology: Herpetology - Ichthyology - Planktology - Ornithology Biologists: Zoologists - Algologists - Malacologists - Conchologists - Biologists - Marine Biologists - Anatomists - Botanists - Ecologists - Ichthyologists Organisms: Plants: Algae - Brown Algae - Green Algae - Red Algae - Sea Vegetables - Invertebrates: Cnidarians - Echinoderms - Molluscs - Bivalves - Cephalopods - Gastropods Fish: Fish - Bony fish - Lobe-finned fish - Ray-finned fish - Cartilaginous fish - Electric fish - Fish diseases - Rays - Sharks - Extinct fish - Fictional fish - Fisheries science - Fishing - Fishkeeping - Live-bearing fish Reptiles and Amphibians: Marine reptiles - Sea turtles - Mosasaurs - Sauropterygia Mammals: Marine mammals - Cetaceans - Pinnipeds - Sirenians Miscellaneous: Aquaria - Oceanaria - Agnatha - Endangered species - Aquatic biomes - Ecozones - Aquatic organisms - Cyanobacteria - Dinoflaggellates Template:/box-footer Ocean zones: Photic zone • Aphotic zone • Pelagic zone • Neritic zone • Littoral zone • Sublittoral zone • Benthic zone Plants and Algae: Algae • Brown algae • Red algae • Green algae • Seagrass • Phytoplankton Invertebrates: Squid • Cuttlefish • Crabs • Lobsters • Starfish • Sea Urchin • Jellyfish • Portuguese man o' war • Corals • Tunicates Fish: Lampreys • Jawless fish • Cartilagenous fish • Bony fish • Sharks • Rays • Skates • Coelacanths • Lungfish • Placodermi • Lobe-finned fish • Ray-finned fish • Sturgeons • Gars • Eels • Herrings • Salmon • Trout • Lancetfish • Anglerfish • Toadfish • Cods • Flyingfish • Seahorses • Flatfish • Scorpionfish • Cichlids Reptiles: Crocodiles • Alligators • Caiman • Gharial • Turtles • Sea turtles • Leatherback turtle • Marine iguana • Sea snakes Birds: Penguins • Sea gulls • Kittiwakes • Albatrosses • Sea ducks • Cormorants • Sea eagle • Guillemots • Puffins • Auks • Terns • Gannets • Osprey • Razorbill • Oystercatchers Mammals: Monotremes • Marsupials • Cetaceans • Whales • Dolphins • Porpoises • Pinnipeds • Walruses • True seals • Fur seals • Sea Lions • Sirenians • Manatees • Dugongs • Polar bear  • Sea otter • Marine otter • Blubber Represents a Featured article, Represents a Good article The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: What are portals? 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