William J. Cromie
Evolution simply means that plants and animals change slowly over millions of years and as a consequence new varieties of life arise. Mutations or changes in the DNA gene material produce new characteristics within a species. The Living World of the Sea, 1966.
William J. Cromie is also the author of Exploring the Secrets of the Sea, and numerous periodical articles
Had the ancients who named our planet known that 71 percent of its surface is covered by water, they probably would have called it "Oceanus" instead of Earth. Ibid.
No other planet in our solar system, as far as is known, has an ocean. Ibid.
There are deserts and jungles in the ocean just as on land. Coastal areas of the sea correspond to jungles. They are densely populated because of the drainage of "food" materials from the land and the mixing of the water from top to bottom by winds, currents and tides. Ibid.
Since mild and uniform conditions prevail over vast areas for long periods, sea creatures are not required to make severe and frequent adjustments to their surroundings as many land creatures must do. Ibid.
The amount of salt in the sea, its salinity, depends on the difference between evaporation and precipitation. Diluted by rain, snow and melting ice, polar seas are freshest. The saltiest part of the ocean lies in the subtropics around 30o North and South&endash;areas of intense evaporation and sparse rainfall. Ibid.
A comparison of ocean water and animal blood reveals a startling similarity. Jellyfish, lobsters, sharks, some fishes, frogs, dogs and humans all have body fluids containing the same salts in much the same proportions as sea water. Ibid.
No one knows with much certainty how much plant life there is in the World Ocean, but it undoubtedly represents the bulk of all living matter on Earth. Hundred, thousands, and at times tens of millions of cells may be present in a single quart of water. Ibid.
Sharks are infamous for their ravenous appetites and catholic diet. Although almost all species prefer fresh, oily fish, they also gobble squid, seals, sea birds, other sharks, turtles, crabs, lobsters, garbage, humans and in one case, a crazed elephant that ran into the sea. Ibid.
Between March and May thousands of gray whales travel along the United States coast from shallow, sheltered waters around Baja California to their summer homes in the cold, lush waters of the Bering Sea. Ibid.
. . . the best months for whale watching are from late December to March when the barnacled grays move in the other direction, southward close along the Oregon and California coasts on the 6,000-mile trek to their Mexican breeding grounds. Ibid.
Whales cannot keep up with man's depredations because of their slow rate of reproduction. Mamma whale usually has only one calf at a time with more than a year between births. Female whales have twins about as often as humans (one in 80 to 87 births) and bear between 6 and 15 young in a lifetime of 15 to 30 years. Ibid.