Go on a Sea Kayaking Adventure and See if You Can Identify All the Marine Animals You Find!

Although the pygmy species of the blue whale primarily lives in the Indian Ocean, the larger version prefers living in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Weighing up to 200 tons, this magnificent mammal's heart can be as large as a family vehicle and its tongue can weigh has much as a full-grown elephant. Blue whales survive primarily by eating schools of krill, and they sit on the world's list of endangered species.

The extremely social bottlenose dolphin is a true sight to see playing off the coast. Not only can they swim almost 20 miles an hour, but they also use echolocation to navigate and to hunt. Although they can dive over nearly a mile deep into the ocean, they prefer to stay closer to the surface to have easy access to air. The bottlenose dolphin's respiratory system can allow them to stay under water for up to 15 minutes, but they do enjoy frolicking with their mates on the surface.

With a brain weighing an average of 17 pounds, the sperm whale is an avid squid connoisseur. In fact, female sperm whales can consume between 700 and 800 of them every day! Sperm whales can hold their breath for up to 90 minutes, and they can dive over 3,500 feet deep.

Despite its name, the starfish is not a fish at all. Instead, they are more closely related to sand dollars. A uniquely shaped creature, most of the 2,000 of the species only have five arms.

Growing up to 13 feet and weighing up to 1,300 pounds, the manatee's egg-shaped head is only one of its noticeable features. Manatees are not very territorial, and they are only seen in groups, called an aggregation, when it's time to feed on a large supply. They are especially social when mating time comes; a female can be pursued by up to 10 bulls. Now on the endangered species list, the manatee is more closely related to elephants than other marine animals.

With their ability to dive up to 330 feet deep, sea otters need all the help they can get to stay warm in the waters of the North Pacific. One of the only marine animals without blubber, the sea otter sports the thickest coat of all. Although they live most of their lives in the water, Sea otters can often be found lounging on floating kelp forests. When it's really cold, the use the kelp like a blanket and wrap themselves with it while they float along.

If you encounter a school of jellyfish, you might want to avoid falling our of your kayak! With over 10,000 species of jellyfish in the world's oceans, you never know if you will encounter the stinging variety. No matter which kind you come across, take heart in knowing that jellyfish do not have brains. Instead, they have a webs of nerve nets that control their responses to their environment.

While most seals prefer colder climate, the monk seal loves the warm beaches of places like Hawaii and the Mediterranean. Named for their monk-like cowl, the monk seal loves to spend time diving around coral reefs for spiny fish and eel. For a up to six weeks, the dedicated mother monk seal will stay with her babies and fast.

Generally found off the coast of Hawaii and the Caribbean, ahi tuna are also called yellowfins. Sometimes weighing up to 300 pounds, the ahi is a popular fish for eating. Tourists also enjoy ocean journeys that show off the colorful body of the fish through the glass bottoms of sight-seeing boats.

Living up to 70 years and weighing in at over 900 pounds, the dugong is one interesting marine animal! This cousin of the manatee has its origins in the elephant family. With its rounded head and tapering body, the dugong has been observed walking on its flippers as it feeds. Although the dugong prefers to munch on sea grasses, it has also been known to give pursuit to jellyfish and sea squirts.

Across the world, there are over 1,000 species of anemone. These invertebrates are highly toxic to their prey, and a few species have toxins that can be lethal to humans. Closely related to coral and jellyfish, the innocent-looking anemone feeds primarily on fish, mollusks, and other small prey by shooting toxin-filled filaments into them.

One of the most easily recognizable fish in the temperate oceans, the blue marlin is considered a Japanese delicacy. Though female blue marlin can weigh nearly 2,000 pounds, the average fish weighs up to 400 pounds and grows to around 11 feet long. Known to put up a ferocious fight on a fisherman's hook, the blue marlin's cobalt and silver colorings make it one of the most intriguing fish in the ocean.

Although the longsnout seahorse's tail is curly, it's best recognized by its equestrian-shaped head. The longsnout seahorse reaches sexual maturity when it grows to around 3 inches in length, and top out at a maximum of around 7 inches.

The manta ray's graceful wingspan can reach up to 20 feet across, but unlike other ray species, its tail does not have a a barbed spine. By filter-feeding a steady diet of plankton and other small marine animals, the manta ray can live up to 20 years. The manta ray's size is its best defense. Its only known predators are larger shark species and humans.

Growing up to 6 feet in length, the humphead wrasse is the most expensive coral fish on the market. Preferring to live near coral reefs and off the coast of East Africa, the humphead wrasse loves to feed on hard-shelled creatures like mollusks and crustaceans.

Part of the sea slug family, the nudibranch is one of Mother Nature's most colorful carnivores. Measuring from 1/4 inch to 12 inches in length, the nudibranch sheds its shell after surpassing the larva stage. With a unique ability to mate with any member of their species, the oblong-shaped nudibranch loves to feed on sponges, corals, and barnacles.

The ocean sunfish might be a bony fish, but its odd shape makes it resemble a blob more than a fish. Also called the Mola Mola, the ocean sunfish can grow up to 14 feet high and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. In order to shed the skin parasites they often find themselves infected with, the ocean sunfish will leap up to 10 feet out of the water. It has also been know to sunbathe at the top of the water, and appreciates the help of small birds in removing their infestation.

Even though the clown triggerfish measures only 20 inches on average, its brightly-colored spots and highlighted lips make it unmissable. Preferring warm, tropical waters and coral reefs, Clown triggerfish have a special ability to hide in rocks and crevices. Once a sufficient hiding spot has been found, the clown triggerfish can trigger its fins to lock them into place. They further secure themselves by biting into rocks or coral to prevent being taken by predators.

While northern elephant seals prefer to lounge on islands of the California coast, southern elephant seals live in the frigid Antarctic waters. Although females of the species are much smaller than males, mature male elephant seals can way up to 8,000 pounds! The male of the species also possesses the extended nose that resembles and truck and gives it its name.

When the leafy seadragon mates, the male of the species carries offspring in a specially designed pouch. Preferring to live of the the coast of Australia, leafy seadragons are adorned with leaf-shaped appendages that help them easily blend in with seagrasses.

Growing only up to 22 inches in length, the cookecutter shark gets its name from the cookie-shaped wounds it inflicts on its prey. Sometimes called the cigar shark because of its shape, the grayish brown cookiecutter sucks food into its lips and then spins it until it's time to minister a fatal chomp. Living near islands in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, these sharks are not considered edible by humans.

The Dumbo octopus does, in fact, get its name from Walt Disney's film because of its pronounced ear fins. Ranging in shades from yellow to red, the Dumbo octopus is rarely seen because it can live at depths of up to 23,000 feet. With 37 different kinds of Dumbo octopus in the world's oceans, the males are easily identified by the long suckers on their 8 tentacles. Not one to believe in chewing their food, the Dumbo octopus prefers to swallow its prey whole.

Only measuring 3/4 of an inch at full adulthood, emperor shrimp are known to develop symbiotic relationships with creatures such as the nudibranch and the sea cucumber. Emperor shrimp are one of the few marine animals that can do quite well in a home aquarium as long as they live with one of their closest friends. Feeding on foods like smaller shrimp and fry, the emperor shrimp are found primarily in the Indo-Pacific area of the world.

Only measuring one to two inches across at full grown, fiddler crabs make better pets than food. Although they can live in well-maintained aquariums, they prefer freshwater with a lot of salty properties. In the wild, they are known to be found near places where freshwater meets the sea. Fiddler crabs love the water, but they love land just as much. When kept at home, it's important to remember that the fiddler crab needs just as must dry land as it does water to swim.

The vampire squid are cephalopods that prefer to live in warmer waters at up to depths of 3,000 feet. With 8 webbed arms, the vampire squid is most recognizable because of its black or red color.

Despite its name, the cuttlefish is not a fish at all. This three-hearted creature is more closely related to the octopus, and is quite the shape shifter. Not only does the cuttlefish have the ability to change appearance to camouflage itself, but the male of the species will also pretend to be female to get past other males hoping to mate. Incredibly smart despite its size, the cuttlefish has been known to distinguish a box with more food during lab studies.

Found especially easy on the British Columbian coast and considered a delicacy, the geoduck is the largest burrowing variety of clam. Although geoducks are fully mature at about 10 years old, shells have been found indicating that they can live up to 150 years!

Living in the coastal reefs of the Caribbean, queen parrotfish are named after their sharp, fused teeth. Often coming in shades of blue, green, and orange, queen parrotfish can grow up to 1.2 meters in length. It is a vegetarian that prefers to scrape plants from the coral, and it secretes a mucus cocoon at night to help protect itself from predators. It is most easily recognized by its turquoise lipstick.

Although it's best to see a horseshoe crab on a moonlit beach during mating season, they are found in most of the world's oceans. The female horseshoe can lay up to 90,000 eggs in one year, and the baby crabs will shed their shell approximately 16-17 times during their lifetimes.

Although the sarcastic fringehead only grows up to 10 inches long, its enormous mouth is the stuff nightmares are made of. With razor sharp teeth, sarcastic fringeheads bump into each other in an open-mouthed kiss to establish dominance.

Although the lamprey begins its life in freshwater, it migrates to the ocean when it reaches around 10 years old. Once full maturity is reached, the lamprey will return to freshwater shores to spawn where it can deposit up to 100,000 eggs. Lampreys are considered a delicacy in some European countries; however, they are also known for threatening other populations of fish with their funnel-shaped, tooth-laden mouths.

Although isopods closely resemble ticks or pillbugs, they are crustaceans. Their segmented bodies come in both brown and lilac, and they are often found feeding on dead animals falling from above them. Growing up to 14 inches in length, isopods begin their lives as one of the largest eggs in the marine ecosystem. When they hatch, they resemble a fully-grown isopod, and they will molt several times during their lives as they grow.

Ranging between 5 and 6 inches when full grown, the grunion flocks the the California shore line to mate every year. This thin, gray fish is one of the few that comes ashore to mate, and females of the species can mate up to 8 times per year. When they return to the sea, they prefer to live at a depth of up to 18 meters.

After being considered a shark for years, the shovelnose guitarfish was actually discovered to be closely related to skates and rays. With a ray-shaped head and a shark-shaped body, the dark gray shovelnose guitarfish prefers to live on the bottom of the sea.

When harp seals are young, they are known for their big black eyes and their fluffy, white coats. Although they can dive and hunt for up to 15 minutes at a time, the harp seal spends a lot of time lounging on icy shores or slabs of ice floating by.

Living in the Indian and Pacific oceans, stonefish are the most venomous fish on the planet. With 13 spines instead of a dorsal fin, stonefish can inject their attackers with lethal toxins. Although they only weigh up to 5 pounds, stonefish are covered in scaly dark skin that make them nearly impossible to see among the rocks of a shore.

Also called the pufferfish, Fugu is known as a delicacy in Japan. However, with one fish's ability to poison up to 30 humans, it's best to let the professionals handle them. Although most Fugu species are small, they can grow up to 24 inches long. When the Fugu feels endangered, it will suck water into its over-sized stomach and make itself an inedible ball to avoid attack.

Prized for tasting like goose liver pate, the goosefish is sometimes called the monkfish. Found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, the goosefish prefers to stay close to the bottom. With its backwards-facing teeth, the goosefish has a healthy diet of other fish and sand eels. This brown or green fish will occasionally head toward the surface to prey upon birds.