Dive into the top five most popular aquatic animals

Dive into the top five most popular aquatic animals

Throughout time, there have been thousands of incredibly unique aquatic animals. Some of these animals dive down into the depths of the ocean, while others float near the surface. Many of these aquatic animals are gargantuan while others are miniscule in size. They either gobble other animals or peacefully consume plants. In this article, we will explain our thinking behind the definitive top five aquatic animals of all time. 

At the number 5 spot we have the magnificent Sperm Whale. The Sperm Whale is the 3rd biggest whale (52+ feet) after the Blue Whale (90+ feet) and the Finback whale (82+ feet). The sperm whale is found all across the world in extremely deep oceans where they can dive for their food. Additionally, the sperm whale has the largest recorded brain of any animal on Earth making them extremely intelligent compared to other wildlife. According to the National Wildlife Federation, there are 300,000 sperm whales in the world. Sperm whales are incredible divers and have been known to dive up to 3,280 feet down in the ocean and can survive up to 90 minutes without breathing. These interesting creatures lend themselves to popularity because of their immense size. 

“I really love whales in general because they’re really cool and they are the biggest animal in the water,” EIS eighth grade student Quinn Flor expressed. 

To continue, sperm whales are one of the heaviest animals of all time, weighing in at over 90,000 tons. This clearly illustrates why people believe that the sperm whale is the 5th best aquatic animal of all time. 

At the number 4 spot, we have the vicious Great White Shark. Something that makes Great Whites unique is that they are mostly made up of cartilage which is the same substance that makes up noses in humans. The Great White Shark has magnificent eyesight especially during the night time and can even see colors when it is dark.

According to National Geographic, Great White Sharks get their name from their white underbelly. The skin of Great White Sharks are made up of placoid scales which make them extremely rough, giving the skin a feel similar to sandpaper. Sharks have been around in the world for over 450 million years and are still at the top of the food chain in the ocean which proves how vicious they are. Additionally, Great White Sharks have rings on their vertebrates that allow scientists to determine their ages. This shows the reasoning behind why many people believe that the Great White Shark is one of the top aquatic animals ever.

“Great White Sharks are really fearsome and interesting creatures,” EIS custodian Tom Stewart stated. 

For our third member of the top five aquatic animals, we have the dolphin which is clearly one of the most beloved sea creatures. There are 49 different species of dolphins, the most famous of which are the bottlenose dolphin and the Amazon River dolphin. Almost all of these dolphins are incredible swimmers and can hit speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Also, something that may surprise many is that narwhals and orcas are both members of the dolphin family. 

The main reason why dolphins are extremely popular is because they are very gentle and kind to humans, even letting humans swim with them. “I love dolphins because of how cute and friendly they are,”  EIS sixth grader Kaitlin Bassolino declared. 

According to Aquaworld, dolphins have two stomachs, one which is used for digestion and one used for storage of different food. Furthermore, dolphins are considered by scientists to be the smartest of all living animals besides humans! All these reasons reveal why dolphins are one of the most beloved animals ever. 

The number two aquatic animal on our list is the mysterious stingray. Stingrays are very large, flattened fish that are actually extremely closely related to the shark family. While at first glance stingrays may seem harmless, stingrays protect themselves with venomous barbs in their tail that contain enough venom to kill a human. Stingrays rely on this sneaky defense mechanism to defend themselves against their natural predators which include sharks, sea lions, and other large fish.

 According to National Geographic, stingrays rest in the sand while they are sleeping and are nearly covered by the sand completely which allows them to hide from danger. Many people believe that the stingray is very dangerous, but it simply defends itself when it feels threatened. “Stingrays are really cool because they sting and kill a lot of people for defense,” EIS sixth grader Conor Dunn stated. 

Furthermore, stingrays have been living in the world since dinosaurs existed over 65 million years ago!  This displays why the stingray earned the number two spot on our list of the top aquatic animals of all time. 


At the top spot on our ranking we have the humongous Megalodon. Firstly, the Megalodon was one of the largest sea creatures around the world ever and was a member of the shark family. The average length for a Megalodon was estimated to between 18 and 32.5 feet, however some scientists believe that larger Megalodons may have hit lengths of over 65 feet! These large sharks had teeth that grew up to 7 inches long, giving the Megalodon its name which translates to “large tooth” in Latin. 

Several Megalodon fossils have been found across the globe by archeologists and these fossils hint towards the danger and massive size of the feared Megalodon. Megalodons are really scary and are gigantic which is why I like them,” EIS eighth grader Robbie Cook revealed.

 While it is assumed that every Megalodon died out long ago due to frigid water, some scientists actually believe that there may still be Megalodons living in the depths of the ocean. These theories led to the popular movie “The Meg” being created, which eventually gave the Megalodon a huge burst in popularity. This definitively shows why the fearsome Megalodon is the number one aquatic animal of all time.