Sea habitats fact sheet Most sealife need a special place to live. The home where animals and plants live is called habitat. The sea covers two thirds of the world and has many different places where sea plants and animals live. Shallow sea In shallow sea the sunlight can be used by seaweed and seagrass to make food. Seaweeds and seagrass can hang on to rocks or the sand so they are not washed away by waves or the current. Many animals like living on and among seaweed and seagrass. Deep sea In the deep sea it starts to getting very dark at the depth of 60 metres. Plants can’t grow on the ocean floor because it is totally black. Plants need to float near the surface where there is sunlight. Most of the food on the ocean floor has fallen down from the surface. Cool water In the southern seas the water is cool or cold. Most of the plants and animals that live in the cool sea can’t live to warm or topical waters. Tropical water This coral reef can only live in shallow warm tropical waters. Warm tropical seas has its own kind of plants and animals. Rockpools In rockpools seaweeds have strong places they can hang onto so they don’t get washed away by waves. Snails can also hang on and crabs have places to hide among the rocks. Rockpools can have many different kinds of seaweeds and animals. Sandy bottom It is difficult for seaweeds and animals to hang on when the bottom of the sea is sandy. Plants and animals can get washed away or covered in sand when the water gets stirred up by waves and currents. Mangroves Mangroves are special trees that live on the edge of the sea. Their roots are covered by the sea at high tide. Many animals including fish use these mangroves to feed and find protection. Many baby fish spend the first few years of their lives living among the mangrove trees. Seagrass Many small animals and fish find seagrass their perfect home. They have a place they can hide and hang onto. With many different animals and other plants living among the seagrass there is always plenty of food to eat. Seaweed Forests of seaweed like this are another important home for animals. You can see many types of seaweed in this photo. Many animals like snails and limpets like eating seaweed. Other animals hide among the seaweed for protection. Stormy places Some coasts have no protection from storms. Storms can affect where plants and animals live. After big storms a lot of seaweed is ripped from rocks and the sand and end up on the beach. Many small animals can also die on the beach. Fragile seaweeds and animals need to live in places where they are protected from storms.