1. Sea Turtles
Plastic bags may seem tasty to unsuspecting turtles, but over 50% of our sea turtle population ingests significant amounts of plastic, causing lasting consequences. Numbers are rapidly declining due to straws getting stuck in their noses, restricting airflow, and blockages in their digestive tracts.
2. Sea Birds
Unfortunately, every sea bird on Earth ingests plastic. With so much plastic floating in the oceans, hungry sea birds are accidentally swallowing the trash and feeding it to their chicks, causing major problems for their health and nutritional intake. A recent study found that sea bird populations declined by 67% between 1950 and 2010. Alarmingly, unless something big is done about ocean plastic soon, our sea birds are facing extinction.
3. Seals and Sea Lions
When fishing nets and marine debris get caught in our beloved sea animals, they get into a real fight. Seals and dolphins get caught up in trash, which affects their ability to swim, hunt for food, escape predators, digest nutrients, and reproduce. Ingesting plastic that appears to be a food source causes serious digestive and toxicity issues for our beloved marine mammals.
4. Fish
That face wash you use could be doing more damage than you think. Scientists have found that fish are becoming toxic by ingesting tiny microbeads. Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic found in face washes and cosmetics. They end up in waterways, harming fish’s digestive tracts, and are full of toxic chemicals. That’s not good news for our planet’s fish population — or for fish lovers as a menu item. [1]
5. Whales
These majestic creatures are truly a sight to behold. Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever lived and can grow up to 90 feet long and weigh as much as 24 elephants! [2] Some whales, like killer whales, can live up to 100 years. Recently, more and more whales have been beaching themselves and vomiting up plastic waste. Ocean plastic seems like a tasty morsel to a whale. If we don’t change our plastic ways soon, these majestic creatures will be a rare sight to see roaming our oceans.