Free the Ocean Trivia

100+ Free the Ocean Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: September 5th, 2024

Dive into the mission with Free the Ocean Trivia! Test your knowledge of the efforts to protect our oceans from plastic pollution and environmental threats. Learn fascinating facts about marine ecosystems, endangered species, and the global impact of plastic waste on our seas. Whether you're an eco-warrior or just starting to care for our planet, this trivia will challenge and inspire you to take action in the fight to save the oceans. How much do you know about preserving our blue planet?

Marine Life Basics

Question: What is the largest marine animal?

Answer: Blue Whale

Question: What species of tuna is highly prized?

Answer: Albacore

Question: What is the world's oceans largest living reptile?

Answer: Estuarine Crocodile

Question: Which fish is known for its vibrant orange and white stripes?

Answer: Clownfish

Question: What is a common food source for many marine animals?

Answer: Plankton

Question: What is the name of a daily trivia question related to marine life?

Answer: Today’s trivia removing plastic

Question: What is a major issue affecting the ocean and marine life?

Answer: Plastic pollution

Question: Which marine mammal is known for its vocal and social behavior?

Answer: Dolphin

Question: What is the main function of gills in fish?

Answer: Breathing

Question: Which marine organism is known for its ability to camouflage by changing color?

Answer: Octopus

Question: What marine animal is affected by single-use plastics in the ocean?

Answer: Sea Turtle

Question: What type of whale is the Blue Whale?

Answer: A baleen whale species

Question: What fish can inflate itself as a defense mechanism?

Answer: Pufferfish

Question: Which marine creature is a major contributor to oceanic oxygen production?

Answer: Phytoplankton

Question: What type of fish has both eyes located on one side?

Answer: Flounder

Question: What is the world’s largest flatfish?

Answer: Halibut

Question: What is the most intelligent invertebrate found in the sea?

Answer: Octopus

Question: What marine mammal is known for its tusks and whiskers?

Answer: Walrus

Question: What marine organism plays a big role in the removal of plastics from the ocean?

Answer: Parley Global Cleanup Network

Question: Which marine mammal has long, wide pectoral fins?

Answer: Humpback Whale

Question: What creature is known as a “sea cow”?

Answer: Manatee

Question: What is the common feature of echinoderms like starfish?

Answer: Radial symmetry

Question: What fish species is known for its elongated body and large head?

Answer: Hake

Question: What is the primary function of plankton in the world’s oceans?

Answer: Primary producers

Question: Which marine animal is affected by plastic waste in the ocean?

Answer: Sea Turtle

Marine Invertebrates and Microorganisms

Question: What type of marine invertebrate feeds by straining seawater with its feathery tentacles?

Answer: Fan Worm

Question: What tiny crustacean is an important food source for marine animals?

Answer: Krill

Question: What marine mollusk has a distinctive spiral shell?

Answer: Conch

Question: Which marine organism produces oxygen and sequesters carbon?

Answer: Phytoplankton

Question: What type of marine life forms the general foundation of the ocean food chain?

Answer: Plankton

Question: Which marine organism contributes significantly to the recycling of nutrients on the ocean floor?

Answer: Microorganisms

Question: What ancient marine microorganisms make up about 70% of marine biomass?

Answer: Microbes

Question: What is the primary role of viruses in marine ecosystems?

Answer: Regulating saltwater ecosystems

Question: Which deep-sea fish has long, sharp teeth and an illuminated bell-shaped lure?

Answer: Viper Fish

Question: What is the common name for the tiny, two-shelled crustacean called an ostracod?

Answer: Seed Shrimp

Question: What marine organism has a transient anus that forms only when it needs to defecate?

Answer: Sea Walnut

Question: What is the primary role of bacteria in the marine carbon cycle?

Answer: Recycling carbon on the ocean floor

Question: What is the world’s largest known bacterium?

Answer: Thiomargarita namibiensis

Question: Which marine invertebrate is known for having a protective cover of bacteria?

Answer: Pompeii Worm

Question: What marine archaea is known for producing methane?

Answer: Methanosarcina barkeri

Question: What organism makes up the largest portion of the marine biomass?

Answer: Microorganisms

Question: Which marine bacteria is the most abundant in the ocean?

Answer: Pelagibacter ubique

Question: What is a common shape for many archaea?

Answer: Flat and square-shaped

Question: Which ancient marine microorganism is known for being an extremophile?

Answer: Thermophiles

Question: What is a major challenge faced by sea life on the ocean floor?

Answer: Plastic pollution and plastic waste

Question: What type of bony fish is known for its ability to survive on the sea floor?

Answer: Flounder

Question: What marine invertebrate is affected by plastic pollution?

Answer: Coral polyps

Question: Which sea creature is a venomous marine reptile?

Answer: Sea Snakes

Question: What is the estimated number of marine species documented as of 2023?

Answer: More than 242,000

Question: Which marine microorganism is essential for nutrient cycling in the ocean?

Answer: Microbes

Marine Vertebrates and Evolution

Question: What event is thought to have triggered the Cambrian explosion?

Answer: Accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere

Question: Which marine animal is closely related to dolphins but with a different-shaped nose and teeth?

Answer: Porpoise

Question: What is the earliest animal genus found in the fossil record?

Answer: Dickinsonia

Question: Which marine mammal is known for its long tusks and whiskers?

Answer: Walrus

Question: Which group of marine animals returned to the ocean after evolving on land?

Answer: Sea snakes, sea turtles, seals, manatees, and whales

Question: What is the term for the common ancestor from which all life on Earth descended?

Answer: LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor)

Question: What is the estimated age of the Earth?

Answer: 4.54 billion years

Question: What type of marine animal is known for having a distinctive quilted appearance in fossils?

Answer: Ediacara biota

Question: What early marine organism is thought to be an ancestor of mollusks?

Answer: Kimberella

Question: What whale species is the Blue Whale part of?

Answer: Baleen whales

Question: What marine vertebrate is known for having a large brain and complex social behaviors?

Answer: Dolphin

Question: What is the estimated number of marine species documented as of 2023?

Answer: More than 242,000

Question: Which marine invertebrate is considered the most basal animal?

Answer: Sponges

Question: What is the primary characteristic that distinguishes animals from plants?

Answer: Lack of cell walls

Question: What marine organism is known for its biradial symmetry?

Answer: Ctenophores

Question: What group of marine invertebrates is known for their hard exoskeleton?

Answer: Arthropods

Question: What marine animal evolved from single-celled eukaryotes?

Answer: Protists

Question: What is the earliest evidence of life on Earth found in Western Australia?

Answer: Microbial mat fossils

Question: What marine organism is thought to have a cooperative association with algae to form chloroplasts?

Answer: Cyanobacteria

Question: Which marine animal is most likely to ingest single-use plastics in the ocean?

Answer: Sea Turtle

Question: What is the primary purpose of the Parley Global Cleanup Network?

Answer: Plastic removal from the world’s oceans

Question: Which marine invertebrate is known for having a ribbed oval shape?

Answer: Dickinsonia

Question: What marine invertebrate is most at risk from the plastic problem?

Answer: Coral

Question: What marine organism is known to be affected by plastic pollution?

Answer: Fish

Question: Which organization founded by Mimi Ausland focuses on plastic waste removal from the ocean?

Answer: freetheocean.com

Marine Ecosystems and Environment

Question: What percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans?

Answer: 71 percent

Question: What is the deepest underwater location on Earth?

Answer: Challenger Deep

Question: What is the average salinity of Earth’s oceans?

Answer: 35 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater

Question: What is the primary source of salts in the ocean?

Answer: Weathering and erosion of rocks on land

Question: What is the term for the process where carbon is sequestered in the deep ocean?

Answer: Biological pump

Question: Which planet's moon is thought to have a saltwater ocean beneath its ice surface?

Answer: Europa (Jupiter's moon)

Question: What is the estimated volume of Earth's world ocean?

Answer: 1.332 billion cubic kilometers

Question: Which ocean phenomenon causes significant weather shifts like the El Niño-Southern Oscillation?

Answer: Oceanic temperature distribution shifts

Question: What percentage of Earth's water is saline?

Answer: 97.5 percent

Question: Which type of water contains 69% of Earth's fresh water?

Answer: Ice in ice caps and glaciers

Question: What marine organism is responsible for protecting shorelines by creating new land?

Answer: Coral

Question: What type of ecosystem is primarily formed by marine organisms like coral?

Answer: Reefs

Question: What process involves the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients by marine microorganisms?

Answer: Nutrient recycling

Question: Which marine environment is known for having the largest reservoir of dissolved atmospheric gases?

Answer: The oceans

Question: What is the main role of seawater in the world's climate?

Answer: Acting as a large heat reservoir

Question: What marine process involves the downward flow of organic material to the deep ocean?

Answer: Biological pump

Question: Which moon of Saturn is believed to have an underground ocean supporting life?

Answer: Enceladus

Question: What is the name of the cycle that describes the continuous movement of water on Earth?

Answer: Water cycle

Question: What is the common term for the interconnected ocean system on Earth?

Answer: World ocean

Question: What is the main influence of ocean currents on global weather patterns?

Answer: Regulating temperature distribution

Question: What percentage of the ocean’s volume is made up of living space on Earth?

Answer: 90 percent

Question: What is a major environmental issue impacting marine life and ecosystems?

Answer: Single-use plastics

Question: What type of products can help reduce the impact of plastic waste on the ocean?

Answer: Plastic-free products

Question: Which country is known for its efforts in plastic waste removal, especially along its coastlines?

Answer: United States

Question: What organization works with a global community to combat plastic pollution in the oceans?

Answer: Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii