Ocean food web diagram
Printable ocean food web diagram · 1 page
Explore science programs
See all science curriculum →Compare listed prices and grade ranges. Save favorites on this device; directory inclusion does not imply funding approval. Confirm current prices and availability with the provider.
A complete North Pacific ocean food web on one page. At the bottom are the producers: phytoplankton, the tiny drifting algae that feed most of the ocean, and giant kelp. Krill eat phytoplankton; herring, squid and even blue whales eat krill; tuna, harbor seals and great white sharks eat the fish and squid; and orcas sit at the top. The kelp forest chain runs up the side: sea urchins graze kelp, sea otters eat urchins, and orcas sometimes eat otters.
Every arrow points from a food to the animal that eats it. Build these chains yourself in the food chain game, or print the draw-the-arrows food web worksheet and switch it to the ocean.
Tips for using it
- Find the longest chain on the page. It runs from phytoplankton through krill, herring, squid, tuna and shark to the orca.
- Count the arrows into the orca and the blue whale. Which one depends on a single food?
Variations
All science printables- Labeled animal cell coloring page
- Animal cell worksheet (label the parts)
- Arctic food chain and food web diagram
- Labeled chloroplast diagram printable
- Desert food web diagram
- Printable labeled diagram of Earth
- Food chain worksheet (cut and paste)
- Food web worksheet (draw the arrows)
- Forest food chain and food web diagram
- Printable labeled diagram of Jupiter
- Label the animal cell worksheet
- Label the layers of the Earth worksheet
Questions
What is at the bottom of the ocean food web?
Phytoplankton, microscopic algae and bacteria that make food from sunlight near the surface. Seaweeds such as kelp are producers too in shallow water.
Why are sea otters important to kelp forests?
Sea otters eat sea urchins. Without otters, urchins can multiply and eat kelp forests down to bare rock, so otters protect the whole kelp food web.