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Antarctic krill are small, shrimp-like creatures that gather in enormous swarms that can turn patches of the polar ocean pink. They form the foundation of the Antarctic food web, providing essential nutrition for whales, seals, penguins, and many fish in the cold polar waters.

Habitat: polar ocean

Clownfish are brightly coloured fish famous for their special relationship with sea anemones, which protect them from predators within coral reefs. They never travel far from their anemone homes and help keep them clean by removing parasites and debris.

Habitat: coral reef

Corals may look like colourful rocks or plants, but they are actually tiny animals that build massive reef structures by secreting limestone skeletons. They form the foundation of coral reef ecosystems, providing food and shelter for countless other marine creatures.

Habitat: coral reef

Cuttlefish are intelligent relatives of squid that can rapidly change their skin colour and texture to blend into their surroundings. They are often found hiding among seagrass beds where they hunt small fish and crustaceans.

Habitat: seagrass meadow

Dumbo octopuses get their name from their ear-like fins that resemble the Disney elephant, helping them navigate the deep, open waters far from shore. They hover above the seafloor using their fins and arms, hunting for small animals in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Habitat: open ocean

Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species, standing nearly four feet tall, with special adaptations that allow them to survive the harshest Antarctic winters. Their streamlined bodies make them excellent swimmers in the frigid polar oceans where they dive up to 500 metres deep to catch fish and squid.

Habitat: polar ocean

Green turtles are large sea turtles that get their name from the greenish colour of their fat, which comes from their diet of seagrass and algae. They spend much of their adult life grazing in shallow seagrass meadows, acting like underwater lawnmowers as they help maintain healthy seagrass ecosystems.

Habitat: seagrass meadow

Humpback whales are massive mammals known for their spectacular leaping displays and complex songs that can travel for miles through the open ocean. They migrate thousands of miles each year between cold feeding grounds and warm breeding waters, following ancient ocean highways.

Habitat: open ocean

Lugworms are cylindrical burrowing worms that create distinctive spiral-shaped casts of sand on beaches around the world. They process sand as they eat, extracting nutrients and oxygen while creating pathways for water to flow through sandy shores.

Habitat: sandy shore

Oystercatchers are striking black and white shorebirds with bright orange bills perfectly adapted for prying open shellfish on sandy and rocky shores. They can often be seen patrolling the shore at low tide, probing the sand with their bills to find buried clams and mussels.

Habitat: sandy shore

Polar bears are the largest land predators on Earth, spending much of their lives on sea ice where they hunt for seals in the Arctic's polar waters. Their white fur provides camouflage on ice, while their thick layer of fat and water-repellent coat protects them from the extreme cold of their polar ocean habitat.

Habitat: polar ocean

Reef sharks are streamlined predators that patrol coral reefs in search of fish, octopuses, and shellfish. They play an important role in keeping coral reef ecosystems healthy by controlling the populations of other fish.

Habitat: coral reef

Sea stars (or starfish) use hundreds of tiny tube feet under their arms to slowly move across sandy ocean floors in search of clams and oysters. They have the remarkable ability to push their stomachs outside their bodies through small gaps in shells to digest prey without needing to open the shell completely.

Habitat: sandy shore

Seahorses are fish with horse-like heads and curled tails that allow them to anchor themselves to seagrass blades to avoid being swept away by currents. They are masters of camouflage, changing colour to match the seagrass where they live and hunt tiny organisms.

Habitat: seagrass meadow

Striped marlins are among the fastest fish in the sea, using their long, spear-like bills to stun prey as they race through the open ocean. Their beautiful blue stripes help them blend into the deep blue waters where they hunt schools of smaller fish.

Habitat: open ocean