15 Facts About the Oceans that will Either Pique Your Curiosity or Terrify You!
11 The movie “Alien” was inspired by a transparent deep-sea parasite that eats creatures from the inside out and takes over their bodies.
The parasite is called “Phronima” and is behind the infamous chest bursting xenomorph scene from the 1979 film, Alien. The tiny creatures can found throughout the World’s oceans although don’t like the colder waters of the polar regions.(source)
12 Up to 99% of certain shark species have been eradicated.
There are around 440 known species of shark, although likely a great deal more. Sadly, around 3 sharks are killed every second on average which translates to 73-100 million sharks each year. (source)
13 The largest continuous mountain chain is the Mid-Ocean Ridge which stretches for 40,000 miles.
The Mid-Ocean Ridge rises above the ocean’s surface in a few places, such as Iceland. It is four times longer than the Himalayas, the Andes, and the Rocky Mountains combined. (source)
14 There is an area known as the “White Shark Cafe” where great white sharks congregate.
Great white sharks congregate in a deep area of the Pacific Ocean which has become known as the “White Shark Cafe”. Scientists aren’t certain exactly why the sharks do this, although speculate they are hunting for food or mating.(source)
15 Compared to Mount Everest which has had thousands of people successfully reach the summit, only two people have ever descended the planet’s deepest point – the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench.
If Mount Everest was dropped into the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench, it’s summit/peak would still be more than a mile underwater. The Challenger Deep lies 200 miles (233 km) southwest of the U.S. territory of Guam and is nearly 7 miles (11 km) deep.(source)
We’ve explored more of space than our own oceans. We’re not even sure what’s down there….
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