The MerBabe
One day when the Seahorse was making his rounds looking for pearls, he spotted something unusual on the ocean floor. He swam closer to see what it was.
To his delight, he found a MerBabe sleeping peacefully as, well - as a pearl! She was nestled snug in a shell. She was so precious, he couldn’t resist coming closer. He bent down and lightly kissed her cheek before swimming away.
The Seahorse didn’t realize that his whiskers had tickled the tiny MerBabe awake. She saw him float away on bustling current and followed.
The MerBabe glided along the coral reef, giggling and playing with a School of Fish that darted about in a game of hide and seek. The MerBabe soon lost track of the Seahorse.
Over the next rise, the MerBabe discovered a Galaxy of Starfish. One looked like a gingerbread man from the stories the MerGammy read to her. She wanted to play with him, but he stayed snug up against the coral, so she moved on.
Soon a Swarm of Blue Striped Snappers swam past in a quick game of chase. The MerBabe joined them. She swam as fast as she could, but she couldn’t catch them. Now she was a long way away from the reef where she slept.
Next, she came upon a quiet pool where a Bloom of Jellyfish danced a slow, graceful ballet on the quiet currents. The MerBabe danced with them, drifting about in slowly circles. She soon tired and yawned.
The MerBabe waved goodbye to the Jellyfish and drifted away rubbing her eyes. Soon she saw an Octopus and snuggled up in his lap for a nap. The Octopus stood and rocked the sleeping MerBabe for a long time.
The Octopus rocked so long, that his many arms began to tire. He wanted to find the MerMom and bring the MerBabe home, but he didn’t know where her home was. So, he went to ask the Turtles for directions.
The Bale of Turtles knew the MerBabe’ s reef was far away, so Grandfather Turtle asked the Dolphins to go get the MerMom.
The Pod of Dolphins swam back towards the MerBabe’s reef. They sang a joyous Finding Song so the MerMom would hear and know that the MerBabe was found, and safe.
The MerMom followed the Pod back to the MerBabe. She kissed her awake while the Dolphins sang. “Mom,” the MerBabe whispered, “I had an adventure!”
* * *
Did you know?
The slowest moving fish in the world is a Seahorse. They swim very poorly and move about on the water currents. They swim using fins located on their head, behind their eyes.
There are three types of Clams - soft-shelled Clams, hard-shelled Clams, and surf Clams. Some Clams live in the ocean, and some live in freshwater lakes. They make their home in the sand and mud flats at the bottom of the water. Giant Clams live in coral reefs in the ocean. While most Clams live to be 35 years old, they can live to be more than 150 years old and weigh more than 400 pounds.
Did you know?
Coral Reefs are not plants. They are animals. Their cousins are Jellyfish and Anemones. Coral Reefs keep the ocean clean and provide homes to many fish in the Ocean. Coral Reefs are used as nurseries by the fish to provide food and shelter until the young fish are big enough to move out on their own into the deeper ocean.
Blue-Striped Snappers live in groups called Swarms. They stay close to the Coral Reefs. They have yellow bodies with four blue stripes on each side and white bellies. Sometimes they are called Sea Perch.
Did you know?
Starfish is not actually a fish. They have no brain and no blood. Starfish prefer to live in shallow water. They come in all sorts of beautiful colors and patterns. They live to be 35 years old and can weigh up to 11 pounds. Starfish are also called Sea Stars and are related to sand dollars and sea urchins. A group of Starfish is called a Galaxy.
Jellyfish have lived on the Earth longer than dinosaurs. Jellyfish glide along ocean currents and can glow in the dark. Jellyfish don’t have a solid brain, a heart, bones, or eyes like humans. They are
invertebrates and have a smooth, bag-like body. Jellyfish have nerve nets throughout their body that sense changes around them. Jellyfish clone themselves by dividing into two pieces to create two separate jellyfish. A group of Jellyfish is called a Bloom.
Did you know?
There is no name for a group of Octopuses because you won’t see them in a group. They prefer to live alone. Octopus have three hearts and blue blood. They have eight arms. An Octopus has no bones in its body and can squeeze through very tiny spaces. They are very good escape artists. Their skin can change color to hide them on the ocean floor. Sometimes, an Octopus prefers to walk along the ocean floor.
Sea Turtles have lived on the Earth more than 150 million years. They live in the ocean, but they breathe air. They need to come up out of the ocean to breathe. They can hold their breath for 5 to 7 hours. A Sea Turtle can travel more than 10,000 miles every year. When it is time for them to lay their eggs, turtles will return to find the beach where they were born. A group of Turtles is called a Bale of Turtles.
Did you know?
Dolphins are very friendly, caring, and intelligent. They even give each other names. There are more than 40 types of dolphins in the ocean. The most common is the Bottlenose Dolphin. Dolphins have 2 stomachs. They can swim as fast as 20 miles per hour. Dolphins stay in family units called Pods and will move to new parts of the ocean to find food. Most dolphins live to be 17 years old. But the eldest can live up to 50 years. Small dolphins are 3 to 4 feet long. Large dolphins can be 30 feet long! Orcas (also called killer whales) are actually a type of dolphin.
One day when the Seahorse was making his rounds looking for pearls, he spotted something unusual on the ocean floor. He swam closer to see what it was.
To his delight, he found a MerBabe sleeping peacefully as, well - as a pearl! She was nestled snug in a shell. She was so precious, he couldn’t resist coming closer. He bent down and lightly kissed her cheek before swimming away.
The Seahorse didn’t realize that his whiskers had tickled the tiny MerBabe awake. She saw him float away on bustling current and followed.
The MerBabe glided along the coral reef, giggling and playing with a School of Fish that darted about in a game of hide and seek. The MerBabe soon lost track of the Seahorse.
Over the next rise, the MerBabe discovered a Galaxy of Starfish. One looked like a gingerbread man from the stories the MerGammy read to her. She wanted to play with him, but he stayed snug up against the coral, so she moved on.
Soon a Swarm of Blue Striped Snappers swam past in a quick game of chase. The MerBabe joined them. She swam as fast as she could, but she couldn’t catch them. Now she was a long way away from the reef where she slept.
Next, she came upon a quiet pool where a Bloom of Jellyfish danced a slow, graceful ballet on the quiet currents. The MerBabe danced with them, drifting about in slowly circles. She soon tired and yawned.
The MerBabe waved goodbye to the Jellyfish and drifted away rubbing her eyes. Soon she saw an Octopus and snuggled up in his lap for a nap. The Octopus stood and rocked the sleeping MerBabe for a long time.
The Octopus rocked so long, that his many arms began to tire. He wanted to find the MerMom and bring the MerBabe home, but he didn’t know where her home was. So, he went to ask the Turtles for directions.
The Bale of Turtles knew the MerBabe’ s reef was far away, so Grandfather Turtle asked the Dolphins to go get the MerMom.
The Pod of Dolphins swam back towards the MerBabe’s reef. They sang a joyous Finding Song so the MerMom would hear and know that the MerBabe was found, and safe.
The MerMom followed the Pod back to the MerBabe. She kissed her awake while the Dolphins sang. “Mom,” the MerBabe whispered, “I had an adventure!”
* * *
Did you know?
The slowest moving fish in the world is a Seahorse. They swim very poorly and move about on the water currents. They swim using fins located on their head, behind their eyes.
There are three types of Clams - soft-shelled Clams, hard-shelled Clams, and surf Clams. Some Clams live in the ocean, and some live in freshwater lakes. They make their home in the sand and mud flats at the bottom of the water. Giant Clams live in coral reefs in the ocean. While most Clams live to be 35 years old, they can live to be more than 150 years old and weigh more than 400 pounds.
Did you know?
Coral Reefs are not plants. They are animals. Their cousins are Jellyfish and Anemones. Coral Reefs keep the ocean clean and provide homes to many fish in the Ocean. Coral Reefs are used as nurseries by the fish to provide food and shelter until the young fish are big enough to move out on their own into the deeper ocean.
Blue-Striped Snappers live in groups called Swarms. They stay close to the Coral Reefs. They have yellow bodies with four blue stripes on each side and white bellies. Sometimes they are called Sea Perch.
Did you know?
Starfish is not actually a fish. They have no brain and no blood. Starfish prefer to live in shallow water. They come in all sorts of beautiful colors and patterns. They live to be 35 years old and can weigh up to 11 pounds. Starfish are also called Sea Stars and are related to sand dollars and sea urchins. A group of Starfish is called a Galaxy.
Jellyfish have lived on the Earth longer than dinosaurs. Jellyfish glide along ocean currents and can glow in the dark. Jellyfish don’t have a solid brain, a heart, bones, or eyes like humans. They are
invertebrates and have a smooth, bag-like body. Jellyfish have nerve nets throughout their body that sense changes around them. Jellyfish clone themselves by dividing into two pieces to create two separate jellyfish. A group of Jellyfish is called a Bloom.
Did you know?
There is no name for a group of Octopuses because you won’t see them in a group. They prefer to live alone. Octopus have three hearts and blue blood. They have eight arms. An Octopus has no bones in its body and can squeeze through very tiny spaces. They are very good escape artists. Their skin can change color to hide them on the ocean floor. Sometimes, an Octopus prefers to walk along the ocean floor.
Sea Turtles have lived on the Earth more than 150 million years. They live in the ocean, but they breathe air. They need to come up out of the ocean to breathe. They can hold their breath for 5 to 7 hours. A Sea Turtle can travel more than 10,000 miles every year. When it is time for them to lay their eggs, turtles will return to find the beach where they were born. A group of Turtles is called a Bale of Turtles.
Did you know?
Dolphins are very friendly, caring, and intelligent. They even give each other names. There are more than 40 types of dolphins in the ocean. The most common is the Bottlenose Dolphin. Dolphins have 2 stomachs. They can swim as fast as 20 miles per hour. Dolphins stay in family units called Pods and will move to new parts of the ocean to find food. Most dolphins live to be 17 years old. But the eldest can live up to 50 years. Small dolphins are 3 to 4 feet long. Large dolphins can be 30 feet long! Orcas (also called killer whales) are actually a type of dolphin.