BLACK-LIP OYSTER: This oyster can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, the western and eastern Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific.

CLAM: Even brown bears like to eat clams. In the Alaskan mudflats, bears will dig for the Pacific razor clams buried in the mud.

COMMON SEA FAN: Sea fans can grow large enough to make a comfortable bed for any mermaid!

COMMON SEA SQUIRT: The sea squirt passes several quarts of water per hour through its body. It filters out plankton and leaves the water much cleaner.

CONCH SHELL: The most well-known conch is the queen conch, which has a lovely, large shell.

DOLPHIN: The common dolphin is very active and acrobatic. It can swim twenty-five miles per hour!

EYELIGHT FISH: This small fish has a large light organ under each eye that can be turned on and off using a black membrane like an eyelid.

FRY: Small fish are called fry.

HAGFISH: The hagfish can produce enough slime to fill a bucket in just a few minutes! It has special slime pores on both sides of its body.

HERRING: This fish has a silvery body and forked tail.

HUMPBACK WHALE: Humpback whales grow to be fifty feet long and weigh up to thirty-three tons. They live in every ocean, except in the extreme north and south.

JENNY HANIVERS: Fake mermaids were nicknamed Jenny Hanivers many years ago.

KELP: “Kelp” usually refers to the many kinds of brown seaweed.

LIZARDFISH: This fish loves deep water and has a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth. Even its tongue has teeth!

MANTA RAY: The manta is the biggest ray. It eats plankton and small fish. It is also known as the devil ray. They grow up to twenty-six feet across and can weigh four thousand pounds.

MOLLUSK: This group of marine animals includes oysters, sea slugs, and octopuses.

NAUTILUS: This living fossil uses jet propulsion to swim, forcing water out a tube to move in any direction.

OCTOPUS: The Dumbo octopus likes deep water and eats worms and snails.

OYSTER: The Atlantic thorny oyster has a spiny shell to protect it from predators.

RIBBON WORMS: Most ribbon worms live under rocks.

SABLEFISH: Sablefish live on continental slopes. These are areas where the sea floor slopes.

SEA GRAPES: Sea grapes are a type of seaweed. It anchors to a rock or sand and has round sacs that look very much like grapes.

SEA SLUG: The sea hare, a type of sea slug, releases purple or white ink into the water if someone bothers it.

SEAWEED: Seaweed does not have roots, but can make its own food.

SHARK: Sharks do not have a single bone in their bodies.

VAMPIRE SQUID: This is the only squid that lives its entire life in deep water. If an enemy approaches, it flashes its light organs and ejects glowing mucus.

VORTEX: This is a whirlpool. The Old Sow Whirlpool is one of the biggest in the world.

‘The Secret Sea Horse’ Excerpt

The Worst Thing