Vertebrates comprise only 2 percent of ocean life.

More than just wales live in the sea

Classifying marine mammals as “also-rans” does not seem to do them justice. The gigantic wales and incredibly vast colonies of seals are far too impressive. Yet these fascinating animals are only considered the “margins” of the ocean population, as a table in the OZEANEUM’s Exploration and Exploitation of the Seas exhibit shows. This is because vertebrates make up only two percent of the biodiversity found in the water. The same can be said of fish. Despite huge schools of fish and a level of diversity of species that seems virtually infinite, fish only account for ten percent of marine species. Life under water is instead dominated by rather unadorned and even invisible species, as seen in the more than 60 inspection glasses.

The impression that the flora and fauna of the seas is mainly composed of visually eye-catching creatures is the result of the approach we take to exploration. The oceans, which cover more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface, are relatively well-known only in their upper, more well-lit zone. The vast majority of our oceans, the deep sea, remains hidden in the darkness. Even microbes and microorganisms belonging to oceanic plankton often escape our notice. It is precisely this inconspicuous life – that of small crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, echinoderms and protozoa – that make up more than two-thirds of marine biodiversity.

This finding has been strengthened in the last decade through a global count of species in the world's oceans. It is not the sea giants that determine life in the oceans, but the diverse world of microbes that have conquered even the most inhospitable habitats of the deep sea. They represent 50 to 90 percent of biomass present in our oceans.