Lesson 53 Vocabulary
English word English Definition English Example sentence
1 a coral reef an underwater structure made of coral, a colony of coral The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is one of the world's most famous coral reefs.
2 a kelp forest an area underwater that is full of tall seaweed plants Kelp forests are very dark, because the kelp blocks out the sun; however, otters love to hang out in them.
3 waves bumps or small hills on the surface of water The waves were very high, so the small boat was tossed around.
4 a current an area of water that moves in a certain direction, like a river The current took the boat and carried it out of the bay and into the ocean.
5 to come in of water, to rise in level due to the pull of the moon The tide came in and destroyed my sand castle.
6 a tide pool a puddle or pool of water left over after the tide becomes lower Many sea creatures live in tide pools, even though the tide pools are usually quite small.
7 salt water water that has a high concentration of salt, such as ocean water I like swimming in the ocean, but the salt water sometimes burns my eyes.
8 a narwhal a small whale with a giant horn coming out of its head Narwhals look so dangerous with that big spike on their heads.
9 a dugong a large sea animal that looks like a cow, with a forked tail Dugongs are big, but they are very gentle.
10 a shark a dangerous fish that eats other fish Sharks attack many people every year around the world.
11 an elephant seal a large seal with an inflatable nose If you go to the west coast of America, you can see many elephant seals.
12 a manatee a large sea animal that looks like a cow, with a flat tail Manatees sometimes get hit by boats; many manatees have scars on their backs due to this reason.
13 a stingray a flat, plate-like sea creature with a pointy tail Stingrays are beautiful; I like to watch them swim.
14 a walrus a seal that has big long teeth and is very friendly The walrus looked like an elephant with its big front teeth.
15 a shipwreck a boat that has sunk and is found on the ocean floor The Titanic sunk in the ocean, now it is a shipwreck.
16 marine life the general word for all living things that live in the ocean Marine life is an important source of food for humans.
17 mussels a kind of shellfish with a brown or purple shell Mussels are a famous food in France, as well as certain parts of America.
18 krill a small shrimp-like animal Whales eat krill; that is one of their main food sources.
19 a clam a shellfish in which both shells are the same size Clams are delicious if you barbecue them.
20 abalone a shellfish with an ear-shaped shell which is very shiny on the inside Abalone were a major food source for some American Indian tribes.
21 a school of fish a group of many fish swimming together The school of fish darted back and forth to avoid the shark.