Definition

• A saltwater habitat is an environment based in saltwater than can support life. (This is unlike deep, currentless parts of the ocean where nothing can live.) These life-supporting saltwater habitats are sometimes referred to as "marine." A wide number of creatures, especially fish and crustaceans like shrimp, call these habitats home, as do many birds that depend on saltwater environments for survival as well.
  
  

Saltwater Plants

• Many different varieties of plants live in saltwater habitats. These saltwater plants do not need to worry about gravity or overcrowding, and as long as they float near the sunlight they have enough energy to grow. Saltwater plants can take all the nutrients they need out of the water, but the salt itself is deadly to them, as they cannot absorb it into their tissues without it killing them. As a result, the plants have developed waxy leaf structures to block out the salt, and use internal systems that quickly move all salt content in the water out through their stems before it can damage them.
  
  

Ocean Areas

• Ocean areas are the largest type of saltwater habitat. There are two distinct types of ocean areas: the deeper areas where creatures cluster around vents or swim in the vast ocean currents from one place to another, and the lighter, shallow seas where sunlight can reach the surrounding ground and encourage the growth of many creatures. The famous coral reefs around the world are located in these shallow seas.
  
  

Tidal Areas

• Tidal areas are parts of the shoreline where ocean currents constantly wash up on the shore, then leave again to expose the areas to dry land. This is known as the intertidal zone, and many unique creatures live here, along with a variety of shore birds that feed on them. Barnacles, snails, crabs, sea stars and many other creatures live in this constantly fluctuating area.
  
  

Estuaries

• Estuaries are where freshwater, like streams and rivers, meet the ocean and create a combination of both salt and fresh water habitats. These areas tend to be calmer than tidal habitats, but support its own range of unique creatures and plants. Many insects, worms and snails live in the swampy estuaries, and famous waterfowl like egrets and herons depend on estuaries for much of their food.