Ocean life: the marine Age of Discovery About 226,000 marine
species have been identified and described so far. These are but
a small portion of the total: researchers estimate that the
ocean may be home to 700,000 marine species, and likely not more
than a million, according to a study published online in Current
Biology today and coordinated by Ward Appeltans of the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. The study
draws its conclusions from the World Register of Marine Species
(WoRMS). Well-known marine animals, such as whales or dolphins
represent a tiny fraction of marine biodiversity. Fish species
only represent two to three per cent of all living things in the
ocean. While many species have yet to be discovered, the
knowledge base is expanding faster than ever before and
researchers estimate that the vast majority of unknown species
may be found and documented by the end of this century. More
marine species have been discovered in the past decade than ever
before with an average of 2,000