Directions: Oceans cover nearly three quarters of the planet earth! And deep below the surface, there lives an entire world of weird, wonderful creatures. Learn more about them with the interactive hunt, below. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, or on the reproducible provided by your teacher.

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Name: ___________________________________________

1. Ocean depths are divided based on how far down sunlight can reach. The first layer is the sunlit zone , which extends to 200 meters below the surface. This is where we find the most familiar _________________________ .

 
Find the answers at: www.oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/deepsea/deepsea.html

 

2. Below the sunlit zone is a region of the sea that is so dimly lit, scientists call it the twilight zone! Reaching as deep as ______________ below the surface, this zone receives some light from the sun, but not enough for _______________.

 
Find the answer at: www.mos.org/oceans/life/index.html

 

3. Many of the creatures that live in and below the twilight zone can create their own light from a _______________ reaction in their bodies called ____________________. In the deepest part of the ocean, this eerie glow is the only light.

 
Find the answer at: www.seasky.org/monsters/sea7a3.html

 

4. Most twilight zone fish look very ferocious and scary because they have _________ _______________________ and expandable ________________________________ to catch their prey, which can be several times bigger than they are!

 
Find the answer at: www.oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/deepsea/meso.html

 

5. One of the fiercest deep-sea predators is the viper fish. It has fang-like teeth that are so large they poke out of its mouth. It hunts prey by dangling a glowing ___________ (an organ attached to its _______________) in front of its mouth.

 
Find the answer at: www.seasky.org/monsters/sea7a1d.html

 

6. Another famous resident of the twilight zone is the angler fish, which also hunts with a glowing lure. It gets its name from the way it waves the lure back and forth—like a _________________! Some call this fish the ______________________.

 
Find the answer at: www.seasky.org/monsters/sea7a1m.html

 

7. About 1,000 meters below the surface, there is no sunlight. Nearly all the creatures here in the midnight zone have strangely shaped, glowing bodies. Amazingly, giant ______________________ sometimes dive here searching for food.

 
Find the answer at: www.seasky.org/monsters/sea7a4.html

 

8. One of the strangest midnight zone creatures is the gulper eel. It is sometimes called a(n) ________________________ because of its giant, hinged mouth and pouch-like _________________. It also has a long tail that looks like a whip.

 
Find the answer at: www.seasky.org/monsters/sea7a1j.html

 

9. Many of the scariest-looking deep-sea creatures are surprisingly small—except for the giant squid! This monstrous invertebrate can grow to as long as ___________. It grasps prey with ____________________ attached to its tentacles.

 
Find the answer at: www.seasky.org/monsters/sea7a1a.html

 

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