Swimming Through the Sea Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tiger Shark

Also known as the "Sea Tiger", a tiger shark may grow to over sixteen feet in length. If you're swimming in the water, though, you'd better watch out! Tiger sharks are second only to great white sharks in recorded attacks on humans. Known for eating just about anything, the tiger shark has sharp, serrated teeth, which are replaced periodically throughout its life.

Answer: Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Found in tropical and temperate waters throughout the world, the giant oceanic manta ray typically lives far away from land, traveling to areas that are rich in its favorite food - zooplankton. Although large in size, it is said to be harmless to humans, as it has no stinging spines.

Answer: Sperm Whale

Found all over the world, the sperm whale has been over-hunted in the past by whalers who sought not only the prized ambergris, but also spermaceti, a waxy substance produced in the whale's head. It was used in making candles and oil for lamps. Ambergris is made in the whale's digestive system, and continues to float on the water after it dies.

Some people explore the beaches, looking for the valuable substance that can wash ashore.

Answer: Manatee

Why are manatees called sea cows? Like cows, they eat plants and are generally gentle creatures. They are equipped with flippers that are used to gather up plants and bring them to their mouth. Manatees like warm temperatures and are known to gather in shallow water.

Answer: Green Moray Eel

The green moray eel really isn't green; it is more brown in color. It is covered with yellow mucus that looks green in the eel's environment. With very strong, sharp teeth, it is normal for the green moray eel to wait for its food to swim by. Eating a variety of food, such as fish, shrimp, squid, octopus, and crab, the green moral eel can grow to a length of eight feet and weigh as much as 65 pounds.

Answer: Caribbean Spiny Lobster

The Caribbean spiny lobster typically lives in reefs or mangroves. Considered to be the most important food export of the Bahamas, there are strict regulations for catching the critters. Divers may catch them by hand (be careful of those spines!) or spear them with a hand spear, but can only use a snorkel while doing so.

In addition there is a limit as to how many may be caught, and they must be a certain size.

Answer: Atlantic Goliath Grouper

Reaching up to eight feet long, and weighing in at over 700 pounds, this ambush predator swallows its food whole! It does not, however, fear people at all, which sometimes can make it a target for spear fishermen. It made the IUCN list of critically endangered species in 2014; since 1993 many nations in the Caribbean have placed a harvest ban on the Atlantic goliath grouper, and numbers have been slowly growing.

Answer: Christmas Tree Worm

Believe it or not, the spirals, also called crowns, on a Christmas tree worm are used for breathing and eating. The worm has a tubular-shaped body with two spirals on the top; they are really the only part of the worm's body that can be seen, as most of its body is in a burrow drilled out of live coral. With crowns that can be a variety of colors, the Christmas tree worm is only about 1.5 inches long.

Answer: Leatherback Sea Turtle

Also called the luth, the leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world. Instead of a shell, its body is covered with a thick leathery skin - hence its name! Found all over the world in tropical and subtropical waters, some of the turtle's most important nesting sites in the Atlantic/Caribbean area can be found in Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago.

They can be seen in the ocean following their favorite meal - jellyfish!

Answer: Lionfish

Considered to be an invasive species in the Caribbean Sea, the red lionfish has been called "one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet". Typically found in the Indo-Pacific region, scientists believe the red lionfish could have been introduced to the Caribbean when an aquarium in south Florida was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

It is believed that their overpopulation may chase some native species away or affect the Caribbean food web.