Water, Water, Everywhere

Well, almost everywhere.

About 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, but less than 3 percent of it is fresh water that we can use. About a third of the freshwater is in rivers, streams, aquifers, and springs that are part of our drinking water. Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. The reason that we call it H2O is that there are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in it.

Every living thing needs water. Many of us think water will always be there for us when we want it. Without water, living things would die. You will die if you go without water for more than a week. Plants will die without water and that would kill all of the animals that eat the plants.

The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide ranging of all sea turtles. The adult leatherback can reach 4 to 8 feet in length and 500 to 2000 pounds in weight. Source: FWS

Believe it or not, the water we use today is the same water that was around when the dinosaurs lived. It just keeps on moving in a never-ending water cycle.

Salt water in the oceans makes up 97 percent of the water on Earth. There are five oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and the Antarctic, sometimes called the Southern Ocean.

Some scientists think the world’s largest reptile is the saltwater crocodile or the Komodo dragon. But the leatherback turtle looks like the winner. It can weigh as much as five refrigerators!