Whale Dissection. Marine Life of 2010. Census of Marine Life. It is the world's largest census, but hasn't been completed yet and probably never will be. The Census of Marine Life, an international project involving hundreds of researchers, has recorded some 185,000 different species so far, from tiny single-cell creatures to the blue whale. The majority of life on our planet swims or crawls in the oceans. The "Catalogue of the Seas" produced by the census won't be published until October. But much of the research can already be accessed in the scientific journal PloS ONE, published by the Public Library of Science, a non-profit organization of scientists. "This is the first time that all the information we have on the oceans can be found in a single publicly accessible source," Patricia Miloslavich of Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, one of the main authors of the census and the regional coordinator for the Caribbean, said in a statement.
What Lives in the Sea? But the researchers have come up with some illuminating findings: Siphonophores. Explore the Abyss. 15 Deadliest Beach Creatures. Keep away from any of these 15 deadly creatures when you next visit the beach. 1. Portuguese Man-of-War Jellyfish Not a true jellyfish, the Portuguese Man-of-War is a siphonophore – a colony of organisms living together. Found mainly far out in the sea, it can be seen swarming or floating with thousands of organisms grouped together. Dermochelys coriacea, commonly called leatherback sea turtles, feed on these sea creatures. Source 2. The Marble Cone snail shell looks beautiful but the sea creature inside is deadlier than any other possible beach inhabitant listed here. Source 3. Ocean-going trawlers are where most sea snake bites occur since the snake can be hauled in along with desirable catch. Source 4. The marine snail which inhabits cone shells are found in reefs all around the globe. Source 5.
The Dornorn, commonly called the “stonefish” is among the most venomous beach creatures on the planet. Source 6. Source 7. Source 8. 9. This huge hornet can reach three-inches in length. Source 10.