Ocean Wonders: Babies of the Briny Blue

Whether they’re as cute as a button or have a face only a parent could love, babies big and small fill the ocean. And if they’re able to survive those perilous first days and weeks of life, they’ll chart a unique path through the sea. So watch this final Ocean Wonders episode to find out why each and every one of these newborns has a birth story worth telling.

Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Ocean Wonders:
- Sexual (i.e. spawning) versus asexual reproduction (fission, fragmentation, polyps)
- Babies born from eggs and live births
- Where are ocean babies born?
- How big or small are ocean babies?
- Some babies look like their adult selves while others look very different
- Some ocean babies are completely independent at birth while others rely on care from one or both parents
- What are the odds that ocean babies will survive to reach adulthood?
- Fish, coral, sea urchin, crab, mussel, anemone, sea cucumber, sea star, sponge, shark, angelfish, octopus, whale, dolphin, seahorse, blue whale, sea otter, plankton, killer whale, sea turtle

This episode is part of our series Ocean Wonders, where we dive beneath the waves to explore the mysteries of life underwater—everything from how sleep and the sense of smell work in the murky depths of the ocean to how animals build homes, survive sickness, and grow to some of the oldest, ripest ages on Earth.

Created by the Hakai Institute
Executive produced and written by Meigan Henry
Edited and narrated by Kristina Blanchflower
Videography by Grant Callegari, Tavish Campbell, Markus Thompson, and Bennett Whitnell
Additional footage provided by Storyblocks, Adobe Stock, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Liquid Guru, Frankincense, Juha Taskinen/WWF, Tom Kirschey, and Terry Farr
Illustrations by Mercedes Minck

This publication is endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a Decade Activity. Use of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development logo by a non-UN entity does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations of such entity, its products or services, or of its planned activities. For more information please access: https://forum.oceandecade.org/page/di...