Green Sea Turtles (”Honu” in Hawaiian) begin their lives as omnivores, but then transition to an all vegetarian diet as they enter adulthood. They eat mostly sea grasses and algae and it is said that herbivorous turtles like these tend to host fewer parasitic organisms such as barnacles living on their shells, as a result of their vegetarian diet. Judging by the beauty and cleanliness of this dude’s shell, I’d say that the theory has some merit - photo taken at Maarehaa Kandu, Indian Ocean
The main difference between soft and hard corals is that hard corals produce and leave behind a rock-like skeleton as they grow, made of calcium carbonate - CaCO3 (the same substance that chalk and Tums is made out of).
It is these calcified skeletons that together make up the primary structure of a coral reef, which can eventually grow to the size of a mountain range. A good example is the Great Barrier Reef, which despite recent mass bleaching is still presently the largest living thing on Earth and is visible from space - photo taken at Foammulah Atoll, Indian Ocean
Marine ecosystems recycle everything and leave nothing to waste, including this Lion’s Mane Jellyfish that wandered too close to a sea anemone that grabbed ahold of it and wouldn’t let go. The sea urchins quickly got in on the action and it was soon over for this poor jelly, who never got to grow to full size.
Speaking of which, the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish is the largest known species of jellyfish in the world. The largest one ever recorded measured over 7 feet across at the bell and its tentacles stretched over 120 feet long, which is pretty incredible for a creature whose lifespan is only one year - photo taken at Salt Creek, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Salish Sea