• Poll
  • Map
  • Words

Did it surprise you to learn how important mussels are to keeping our oceans clean and clear?

Play Sound
A - Oh boy did it ever!
B - No, I knew all that already
C - Um, what’s a mussel?
102 Likes 7347 Views
Autoplay on
Play Video
Like
Favourite

Does this important job surprise you?

Play again

Links


Activities

Mussel

 

A dark blue, black, or brown shellfish that has two long oval shells. You will find them on the rocky shore, clumped together and attached to rocks. Mussels are ‘filter feeders’ that play an important role in the health of our oceans.

Eagle ray

 

The eagle ray, or whai keo in Māori, is a large, diamond-shaped ocean creature with long pointed pectoral fins, a long tail, and a distinct head.

Orca

 

Orca, or maki and kākahi in Māori, are also known as ‘killer whale.' They are a large black and white 'toothed whales' that are actually the largest member of the dolphin family. Orca are apex predators, which means no other animal in the sea hunts and eats them. They have a large dorsal (back) fin and live in groups that hunt seals, fish, and penguin together. They can be found all over the world, including in New Zealand waters.

Harvesting

 

Taking food to be eaten. Usually harvesting takes place at a certain time of year, when that food is ripe or able to be taken without negative effects on an ecosystem.

Ecosystem

 

A group of plants, animals and other living things that live in the same place and help each other to survive.

Ray

 

A fish with a flattened diamond-shaped body, and a long, poisonous, barbed spine at the base of it's tail.

Click for more words!
Learn to Draw
Interviews with Experts
Hauraki Gulf
YOE adventures
Riley can't find the ocean here!
Sea of Hope
SeaLegacy's Sea of Hope episode
Hope story - Brydes whales saved!
Learn to Draw - Bronze Whaler
Are shipwrecks good or bad?
Why shouldn’t we buy tortoiseshell?
Islands in the Hauraki Gulf
What sea animal eats like a cow?
What’s a marine current?
Riley visits a marine reserve!
What do pipis and cockles do?
Aihe (dolphin)
Have you ever met a stingray?
Which ray is the best swimmer?
Kauri & Tohorā
Is that an underwater robot?
Riley explores a coral reef
Learn to Draw - Hutton's Shearwater
Learn to Draw - Short-finned Eel
National Geographic legends
Fish Dad jokes #2
Orca Dad jokes
What is orca chocolate?
How fast does giant kelp grow?
What are threats to seabirds?
Kiwi vs. petrel
Can rays see electricity?
Has it been too long?
Seaweed Dad jokes
Human Dad jokes
Learn to Draw - Dusky Dolphin
Speedy boats ...
Top tips on saving our oceans
A swimming crab, WHAT?
What is this creature?
What does a shark eat?
What does endemic mean?
How Dad saved a dolphin!
Help us save our oceans?
Meet the largest dolphin in the sea
Whakamutua te whakamahi kirihou
Which is the easiest piece of rubbish to pick up?
What do turtles use their back flippers for?
What's so special about turtle shells?
Fur seal Dad jokes
What is an apex predator?