The Mighty Ocean Oceans are amazing places They cover most of Earth’s surface and are filled with strange and awesome plants and animals Much of the world’s human population live near oceans From fishing to tourism many people rely on oceans for their careers 4
Oceans are home to many different kinds of amazing creatures from sea turtles and sting rays to dolphins and sharks Unfortunately human actions such as pollution and overfishing can cause harm to sea life It is very important that all of us do our part to keep oceans clean and healthy Marine biologists are scientists who study sea life They monitor the health of ocean animals such as sea turtles Keeping records such as an animal’s length and weight help marine biologists find out if animals are growing as they should 5
career 1 career 1 marine veterinarian Marine veterinarians are doctors who treat animals that live in oceans They can specialize in studying marine mammals such as whales seals and sea lions Marine mammals are amazing They are smart love to play and can communicate with each other Killer whales or orcas are a type of marine mammal known for their hunting abilities They often travel in groups called pods Orcas attack their prey such as sea lions seals and salmon by grabbing the animals using their massive teeth They even use their muscular tails to knock prey out of the water in order to stun them 6
Think Like a Marine Veterinarian Occasionally even mighty orcas have trouble Baby orcas can sometimes get separated from their mothers and adult orcas might get sick or hurt These animals must be rescued fed and given medical care until they are healthy enough to return to the wild There are special rescue aquariums that care for sick or injured marine mammals These aquariums often have marine veterinarians working for them Imagine you are a marine veterinarian working for a rescue aquarium An emergency call comes in that reports a baby orca is tangled in fishing nets This is a dangerous situation An orca must come to the surface of the water to take in air much like we do when we are swimming underwater The orca takes in air through its blowhole at the top of its head If the baby orca is trapped and cannot get to the surface it may drown This is an emergency You immediately contact a rescue team 7
