Did You Know?

Other Facts!

• One oyster can filter 190 litres of water a day! If there is an oil spill or other toxin in the water, shellfish can help keep the water clean.
• Pacific geoduck clams can live up to 156 years! You can count the growth rings on the shell to estimate age, similar to counting the rings of a tree.
• Sunflower stars are the fastest sea stars in the world! Because they have up to 24 arms, they can move an inch per second.
• All of the seaweed in the Salish Sea is edible! You have probably eaten a local species called Nori if you have ever eaten sushi.
• The giant Pacific octopus has three hearts! There is one heart for each gill and one for the body. This is to compensate for poor circulation.
• Leather stars smell like garlic! This is thought to deter predators. The strong odour released is too much for many animals.
• Mussels attach to rocks with strong, sticky threads called byssus threads! The can also use these threads to tie up predatory snails that get too close.
• If you were to put your thumb on a sea otter, there would be more hair under your thumb than you have on your whole body! Sea otters have 1 million hairs per square inch of their body.
• The hooded nudibranch smells like watermelon! Nudibranch translates to “naked gills”. They have finger-like projections on their back for breathing. These increase the surface area for gas exchange.
• A sea pen is a soft coral which can completely withdraw into the ocean bottom when disturbed. Sea pens can also glow in the dark!
• Rockfish give birth to live young rather than eggs! The babies are born tail first, and arrive in groups of around 40 at a time.