Ocean Oddities

An 'immortal' jellyfish, a shark that lives for centuries, and a waterfall under the sea.

12 facts · 11 verified · 1 disputed · Updated October 31, 2026 · How we check facts

  1. 01 Verified

    The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever existed.

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    “it is the largest animal known to have ever existed.”

    Source: Blue whale, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  2. 02 Verified

    Greenland sharks may live between 272 and 510 years, longer than any other known vertebrate.

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    “Greenland sharks have the longest lifespan of any known vertebrate, estimated to be between 272 and 510 years.”

    Source: Greenland shark, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  3. 03 Verified

    The 'immortal jellyfish' can, in theory, keep renewing itself indefinitely.

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    “Theoretically, this process can go on indefinitely, effectively rendering the jellyfish biologically immortal, although in practice individuals can still die.”

    Source: Turritopsis dohrnii, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  4. 04 Verified

    Roughly half of Earth's oxygen production comes from the ocean.

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    “Scientists estimate that roughly half of the oxygen production on Earth comes from the ocean.”

    Source: How much oxygen comes from the ocean?, NOAA National Ocean Service. Checked 2026-10-31.

  5. 05 Verified

    Only a tiny fraction of the ocean has been explored.

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    “The ocean is vast, yet only a tiny fraction has been explored.”

    Source: How much of the ocean have we explored?, NOAA National Ocean Service. Checked 2026-10-31.

  6. 06 Verified

    Sea cucumbers breathe through their anus.

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    “so that they "breathe" by drawing water in through the anus, extracting dissolved oxygen from water, and then expelling it.”

    Source: Sea cucumber, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  7. 07 Disputed

    Starfish were long thought to have no brain, but new evidence suggests their body may be 'all-brain'.

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    “Traditionally, starfish were thought to lack a centralized brain. … Recent genetic evidence, however, suggests that the majority of an echinoderm's body is "all-brain".”

    Source: Starfish, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  8. 08 Verified

    Male seahorses carry the eggs until the babies are born.

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    “The male carries the eggs for 9 to 45 days until the seahorses are released into the water fully developed, but very small.”

    Source: Seahorse, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  9. 09 Verified

    Snapping shrimp can stun fish with a blast of bubbles from their claw.

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    “emitting an enormously powerful wave of bubbles capable of stunning larger fish and breaking small glass jars.”

    Source: Alpheidae, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  10. 10 Verified

    The Pacific Ocean is bigger than all of Earth's land put together.

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    “larger than its entire land area combined”

    Source: Pacific Ocean, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  11. 11 Verified

    Underwater, the Denmark Strait has a 'waterfall' over three times the height of Angel Falls.

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    “the Denmark Strait overflow would be the tallest waterfall in the world were it on land, with water falling over 3.5 km (2.2 mi); this descent is over three times the height of Angel Falls”

    Source: Denmark Strait cataract, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

  12. 12 Verified

    There are lakes at the bottom of the sea, called brine pools.

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    “A brine pool, sometimes called an underwater lake, deepwater lake or brine lake, is a volume of brine collected in a seafloor depression.”

    Source: Brine pool, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.

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