Manta Claus

Foolish humans! They know nothing of the precious gift of plankton! But you do because you’re reading this comic which has a plankTON of ocean facts!! Plankton are super diverse and are considered to be one of the most abundant organisms in the ocean! Plankton can be categorized in many different ways and just one of those ways distinguishes phytoplankton (plant-like plankton) from zooplankton (animal plankton). So, not all plankton will necessarily look like Plankton from Spongebob who is actually based on a copepod (a planktonic crustacean). Zooplankton can be an important food resource for filter feeders like manta rays, whale sharks, mussels, barnacles, and more! Also, the larval stages of many ocean animals are considered to be plankton as well. While zooplankton tend to get everyone's attention, phytoplankton are also just as cool to look at and important too! Phytoplankton come in all different shapes and sizes and some even form long chains (talk about ocean bling!). Some phytoplankton can even get into the Christmas spirit and light up with bioluminescence! But most importantly, phytoplankton provide most of the world's oxygen…even more than trees in the forests of the world! Just another reason to be grateful for the ocean that seems to just keep on giving!

Happy Holi-rays everyone!

From Jules of the Sea

Art by @coolbonesman