This file includes Amoebas, Beavers and Muskrats, Clams, Crabs, Crawdads, Dolphins and Porpoises, Fish, Lobsters, Octopus, Otters, Penguins, Platypuses, Seahorses, Seals, Sharks, Walruses, Whales, and miscellaneous.

Also see Reptiles and Amphibians, Wild Animals, Dragons and Dinosaurs, Insects, Misc Animals, Farm Animals and Fishing.

Page Toppers

• Aquatic Ambiance
• At the Aquarium
• Bless the Beasts and Children
• Wild Thing

Quotes

• The people who live inside the country tend to know the least (about aquatic sea life). They may never have seen dolphins or sunsets over the ocean. So it's exactly the reason why an aquarium needs to be in the middle of the country, to educate the citizenry. (Jeff Swanagan)
• The true peace of God begins at any spot a thousand miles from the nearest land. (Joseph Conrad)
• The world turns softly. Not to spill its lakes and rivers, the water is held in its arms And the sky is held in the water. What is water, that pours silver, And can hold the sky? (Hilda Conkling)

Songs about Aquariums

• Aquarium, The - Elton John (1999)
• Aquarium Adventure - Laura Hall (2005)
• At the Aquarium - Bill Dougal (2008)
• I Went to the Aquarium - Johnette Downing (2005)
• Off to the Aquarium - Bruce Rowland (2008)
• Visit the Aquarium - Jazzlevision (2004)
• World's Largest Aquarium, The - Owen Gilbride (2008)

Songs about Things Aquatic

• Aquatic - Omnimotion (2002)
• Aquatic Ambiance - The Oneups (2008)
• Aquatic Dreams - Ranni Johns (2007)
• Aquatic Suite - Carlos Slivskin (2007)

Amoebas

Amoebas at the start were not complex--then they tore themselves apart and started sex. (Arthur Guiterman)

Amoeba

(song by Weird Al Yankovic)

The Amoeba is so small you need
A microscope to see one.
It hurts the eyes, but I'll concede,
I'd rather see than be one.
They never sing or laugh or talk
Or eat fondue or quiche.
And if you take one for a walk
You need a tiny leash.
I know the thing must have a brain
Although I couldn't tell you where.
It sure must be an awful pain
To be so unicellular.

Songs about Amoebas

• Ambient Amoeba - Art Giraffefungal (2006)
• Amoeba - Paula Pryce (2008)
• Amoeba Hop - Christine Lavin (1986)
• Amoeba's Dance - Herbie Nichols (1997)
• Hence, the Amoeba - Fly Eye (2008)
• Lesser Than an Amoeba - Dodecaphonic (1995)
• Sociable Amoeba - Chenille Sisters (1990)

Beavers and Muskrats

Quotes

• A beaver does not, as legend would have it, know which direction the tree will fall when he cuts it, but counts on alacrity to make up for lack of engineering expertise. (Ann Zwinger)
• The symbol of Canada is the beaver, that industrious rodent whose destiny it was to furnish hats that warmed better brains than his own. (Ray Daniels)
• To err is human. To eat a muskrat is not.

from Over in the Meadow

(author unknown)

Over in the meadow,
In the reeds on the shore
Lived an old mother muskrat
And her little ratties four
"Dive!" said the mother;
"We dive!" said the four
So they dived and they burrowed
In the reeds on the shore.

Songs about Beavers

• Beaver, The - Suzin Green (2005)
• Beaver and the Rabbit, The - Marmaduke Duke (2005)
• Beaver Creek - Tony Ellis (1987)
• Bull and the Beaver, The - Merle Haggard and Leona Williams (1978)
• Busy as a Beaver - George Leduc (2008)
• Eager Beaver - Tony Evans (2006)
• How the Beaver Got Sharp Teeth - Luann Adams (2004)
• Jerry's Beaver Hat - Brian Taheny and Andrew Collins (2007)
• Sadder and Wiser Beaver, The - P. Cook and A. Bennett (1989)

Songs about Muskrats

• Muskrat - John Neville (2007)
• Muskrat Coat, The - Badlymistaken (2005)
• Muskrat Love - America (2007)
• Muskrat Ramble - Storm Front (2006)
• Muskrat Song - Kevin Locke (1996)

Clams

Page Toppers

• Clam Bake
• Clam Digging
• Happy as a Clam
• Happy as a Clam at High Tide
• I Dig Clams

Songs about Clams

• Acres of Clams - Charlie King (1977)
• Blue Mussel Blues - The Wilderbeats (2003)
• Clam Bake - The Casual Flyze (2009)
• Clam Chowder - Soul Vibrations (2005)
• Clam Digger - Fallen (2006)
• Clams Have Feelings, Too (Actually They Don't) - NOFX (2000)
• Happy as a Clam - Nowhere Fast (1999)
• Quahog - David Polansky (1998)

Crabs

Hermit's House

(Gail Nettles and Kitty Ainsworth)

Hermit the crab
Had a cute little home,
He carried on his back
Wherever he did roam.

But one day he woke up
And his home was too small,
So he had to go shopping
In the underwater mall.

He found an empty shell
That comfortably would fit.
He moved right in--
His new home was a hit!

Scurry Scurry Hermit Crab

(author unknown)

Look for food that you can grab.
Search for shells that fit just right,
Hide in them when it is night.
Scurry, scurry hermit crab,
Look for food that you can grab.

Songs about Crabs

• Crab and the Egret - Spirit of the East (2005)
• Crab Canapé - Lou and Peter Berryman (2004)
• Crab Legs - Geyser (2006)
• Crab Pot - The Bobbers (2004)
• Crab Walk - Jimmy Schoettle (2008)
• Crabs Walk Sideways and Lobsters Walk Straight - Wayfarers (1963)
• Horseshoe Crab - Geoffrey Lee (2004)
• Sand Crab - The Knights (2005)

Crawdads

Crawdad Song

You get a line and I'll get a pole, Honey,
You get a line and I'll get a pole, Babe.
You get a line and I'll get a pole,
We'll go down to the crawdad hole,
Honey, Baby mine.

other verses:

Sittin' on the bank til my feet get cold,
Watchin' that crawdad dig his hole.

Standin' on the corner with a dollar in my hand,
Standin' there waitin' for the crawdad man.

Yonder comes a man with a sack on his back,
Packin' all the crawdads he can pack.

The man fell down and he broke that sack,
See those crawdads backing back.

I heard the duck say to the drake,
There ain't no crawdads in this lake.

What you gonna do when the lake goes dry,
Sit on the bank and watch the crawdads die.

Songs about Crawdads

• Crawdad - Don Hughes (2006)
• Crawdad Fishing - Mike Anderson (2008)
• Crawdad Hole - Cactus Country Band (2006)
• Crawdad Song, The - Kenny Vernon and LaWanda Lindsey (1971)

Dolphins and Porpoises

Dolphins

(Helen H. Moore)

Dolphins, dolphins in a pod,
Their squeaking language sounds so odd.
To us, that is,
but maybe we
sound odd to dolphins in the sea.

Songs about Dolphins

• Blue Dolphins and Grey Whales - Lynn Brown (2007)
• Dolphin Song - Michael Mish (2004)
• Dolphins, The - It's a Beautiful Day (1969)
• Dolphins and Sharks - Jesse Cutler (2008)
• Dolphins and Whales - Hank Harry (2006)
• Dolphins Dancing - Mark Weakland (2001)
• One Green Dolphin Street - Ray Bryant (1967)
• Whales and Dolphins - Sounds of the Earth (2007)

The Porpoise

(Ogden Nash)

I kind of like the playful porpoise,
A healthy mind in a healthy corpus.
He and his cousin, the playful dolphin,
Why they like swimming like I like golphin.

Songs about Porpoises

• March of the Porpoise - Aurora Foxx (2007)
• Porpoise Dance, The - Jeff Neiblum (2006)
• Porpoise Song - The Monkees (1968)
• Porpoises - Tom Smith (1997)

Fish

Page Toppers and Quotes

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
• Something's Fishy
• There is a natural hootchy-kootchy motion to a goldfish. (Walt Disney)

If I Were a Fish

(author unknown)

If I could have a single wish
I'd dearly wish to be a fish
Swimming in the deep blue sea

But if I were a fish I think
I'd have no chocolate milk to drink
None of my favorite songs to sing
No playing on a tire swing
I couldn't hug my family
And I know they would surely miss me!

So though a fish's life sounds cool
I'll stick to swimming in the pool.

Fish

(author unknown)

How I wish
I were a fish!
My day would begin
Flapping my fins.
I'd make a commotion
Out in the ocean.

It would be cool
To swim in a school.
In the sea,
I'd move so free,
With just one thought,
Don't get caught.

Goldfish

Pretty little goldfish
Never can talk.
All it does is wiggle
When it tries to walk.

Fish

(Arthur S. Bourinot)

The little fish are silent
As they swim round and round.
Their mouths are ever talking
A speech without a sound.

Now aren't the fishes funny
To swim in water clear
And talk with words so silent
That nobody can hear?

Songs about Fish

• 1-2-3-4-5, Once I Caught a Fish Alive - David Jack (1998)
• Alone With a Fish Dinner - Brian Buchignani (2008)
• Angel Fish - Dave Martone (2008)
• Another Fish Story - Away Team (2000)
• At the Aquarium - Bill Dougal (2008)
• At the Codfish Ball - Marylee (1986)
• Barracuda - Heart (1977)
• Big Fish - Jessica Hoop (2004)
• Big Fish, Little Fish - Karl Williams (1999)
• Big Fish, Small Pond - Bison (2007)
• Blue Fish - Jonathan Sigel (2004)
• California Fish Fry - Alan Barnes All Stars (2004)
• Catfish John - The Jerry Garcia Band (1976)
• Catfish Pond - Catfish Hodge (1996)
• Fish, The - Bobby Rydell (1961)
• Fish Ain't Bitin' - Ben Winship and David Thompson (2002)
• Fishin' Fever - Arthur Smith (1961)
• Fishin' in the Dark - Emerson Drive (2004)
• Five Pound Bass - Robert Earl Keen (2003)
• Mudcat - Bill Doggett (1965)
• Sam, the Herring - Lew Bedell (1997)
• Sardine Song - Marylee (1986)
• Saturday Night Fish Fry - Frankie Ford (1961)
• Tennessee Fish Fry - Daryl Sherman (2005)
• Three Little Fishes - The Andrews Sisters (1973)
• Too Many Fish in the Sea - The Marvelettes (1964)
• Tuna Fish Promenade - Mothers of Invention (1971)

Lobsters

Quotes about Lobsters

• The idea that school-children are happy is of a piece with the idea that the lobster in the pot is happy. (Henry Louis Mencken)
• If you work on a lobster boat, sneaking up behind someone and pinching him is probably a joke that gets old real fast.
• A woman should never be seen eating or drinking unless it be lobster salad and champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands. (Lord Byron)

The Lobster Quadrille

(Lewis Carroll)

"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail.
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance--
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France--
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"

Songs about Lobsters

• Clumsy Lobster - Ernest Saint Laurent (2004)
• Crabs Walk Sideways and Lobsters Walk Straight - Wayfarers (1963)
• Lobster Dinner - John Lenehan and David Snell (1999)
• Lobster Fisherman - John Mock (2008)
• Lobster Tail - Craig Morrison (2008)
• Rock Lobster - The B52's (1978)

Octopus

The Octopus

(Ogden Nash)

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus;
If I were thou, I'd call me Us.

Songs about the Octopus

• Angry Octopus - Lori Lite (2006)
• Dance of the Octopus - Gary Burton (2001)
• How Many Arms Does an Octopus Have? - Mr. Billy (2003)
• Octopus - Viktor Mastoridis (2006)
• Octopus's Garden - The Beatles (1969)
• Ollie the Octopus - Bill Dougal (2008)
• Shy Octopus - Twin Sisters (2008)

Otters

Mrs. Potter, the Otter

(author unknown)

Down by the river, there lived an otter,
Who was known as Mrs Potter.
Every day she looked for eels,
And cooked them for her husband's meals.
One day he said, "I'm tired of this,
Can't you find another dish?"
So off she went and did not stop,
Until she found a sweetie shop.

In she went, and gave her money,
To the man who thought it funny.
"Goodness me! Are you an otter?"
"Yes," she said, "I'm Mrs Potter."

Home she ran with bags of sweets,
To give her husband lots of treats.
He ate them all, and did not stop,
Till he was filled from toe to top.

Songs about Otters

• Busy River Otter - Sally Albrecht and Andy Beck (2006)
• California Sea Otter - Banana Slug String Band (1995)
• Oliver Otter - Donna Lisa (2004)
• Opera Singing Otter - Jill and Michael Gallina (1994)
• Oscar the Sea Otter - Lori and J.D. Uponen (2006)
• Otter - Patrik Carrera (2008)
• Otter in the Water - Jack Pearson (2006)
• Otter Lullaby - Marylee (1986)
• Otter's Pool, The - Cantiga (2004)
• Playful Otter - Sergei Movikov (2007)

Penguin

(I know Penguins are birds but it seemed more logical to put them here.)

Penguin

(Meish Goldish)

I know a bird
That cannot fly;
Penguin is its name.
It cannot fly,
But it can swim
With speed that wins it fame!

I know a bird
That lives on ice
And waddles to the sea.
It looks so cute
In its black and white suit,
As handsome as can be!

A Question About Penguins

(author unknown)

When do penguins change their clothes?
They must have others I suppose.
Can it be they're always dressed
In party clothes, that can't be messed?
Gathered in suits of black and white
Perfect for some formal night--
Do they expect a king or queen
To grace their distant glacial scene?
It would make me feel much better
If I knew each one owned a sweater.

Songs about Penguins

• Drunken Penguin - Bent Fabric (1965)
• Mr. Penguin - Bill Crosby (2006)
• Penguin, The - The Beau Hunks (1995)
• Penguin Parade - Banana Slug String Band (1995)
• Penguin Party - Uncle Eye (1999)
• Penguin (Tuxedo Bird), The - The Crawlers (1965)
• Penguins - Lyle Lovett (1994)
• Penguins Rock the World - Eric Maring (2004)

Platypuses

The Platypus

(Oliver Herford)

My child, the Duck-billed Platypus
A sad example sets for us:
From him we learn how Indecision
Of character provokes Derision.
This vacillating Thing, you see,
Could not decide which he would be,
Fish, Flesh, or Fowl, and chose all three.
The scientists were sorely vexed
To classify him; so perplexed
Their brains that they, with Rage at bay,
Called him a horrid name one day--
A name that baffles, frights, and shocks us--
Ornithorhynchus Paradoxus.

Songs about the Platypus

• Crazy Mixed-Up Platypus - Stephanie Bennett (1990)
• Gus the Platypus - Rosenshontz (2004)
• Parker, the Platypus - Joe Melillo (2008)
• Platypus - Triptych (2003)
• Platypus Song, The - Mark Weakland (2001)

Seahorses

Seahorse

(Blake Morrison)

O under the ocean waves
I gallop the seaweed lanes,
I jump the coral reef,
And all with no saddle or reins.

I haven't a flowing mane,
I've only this horsey face,
But under the ocean waves
I'm king of the steeplechase.

Songs about Sea Horses

• Magical Sea Horses - Jazzlevision (2004)
• Sea Horse, The - Flanders and Swann (1964)
• Sea Horse Procession - Zusaan Fasteau and Don Garrett (2003)
• Sea Horses - Rick Wakeman (1990)
• To a Sea Horse - Moondog (1955)

Seals and Seal Lions

The Seal

(Claire Boiko)

I could squeal
about the seal.
He's sleek and swift and wet.
He can balance a ball--
If it doesn't fall!
And sing--if he doesn't forget!

He's soft to feel
The lovely seal,
And just as black as jet.
His favorite dish
Is a wiggly fish.
Oh, what a charming pet!

Please Remove Seal

(Jack Prelutsky, from A Pizza the Size of the Sun)

PLEASE REMOVE SEAL BEFORE USING THIS PRODUCT,
the sign on the box clearly read.
I don't have a seal, but I'm taking no chances--
I'll toss out my walrus instead.

Songs about Seals

• Big Sea Lion - Good Dog (2002)
• Grey Seal - Elton John (1973)
• Sea Lion - Sage Francis (2005)
• Sea Lion Shuffle - Marylee (1986)
• There's a Seal at the Zoo - Bobby Susser (1997)

Sharks

Shark

(Helen H. Moore)

I went to the aquarium,
And in a tank so dark,
I saw a smooth and swimmy shape,
And knew it was a shark.

I went to the aquarium,
And through a wall of glass,
I saw that shark and thought--
Oh! What a lot of teeth he has!

He swam around so quietly,
He swam around so quick--
I'm awfully glad,
That his tank had
That wall of glass, so thick!

Songs about Sharks

• Baby Shark - Larry N. Swenson (1999)
• Dolphins and Sharks - Jesse Cutler (2008)
• Eaten By Sharks - The Flying Luttenbachers (2007)
• Feeding the Sharks - Ground (2007)
• Great White Shark - William Goldstein (1997)
• Shark Attack - Split Enz (1980)
• Swimming With the Sharks - Joe Grushecky (1987)
• Tiger Shark - Nani Wolfgramm (1995)
• When Sharks Attack - Leona Naess (2008)
• White Shark - The Greenery (2008)

Walruses

The Walrus

(Jack Prelutsky, from Talking Tigers, Poems to Share)

The widdly, waddly walrus
has flippery, floppery feet.
He dives in the ocean for dinner
and stands on his noggin to eat.

The wrinkly, crinkly walrus
swims with a debonair splash.
His elegant tusks are of ivory
and he wears a fine walrus mustache.

The thundery, blundery walrus
has a rubbery, blubbery hide.
He puffs up his neck when it's bedtime
and floats fast asleep in the tide.

Songs about Walruses

• Are You the Walrus? - Furthermore (1999)
• I Am the Walrus - Scenario (2007)
• Ride the Walrus - Lokbra (2006)
• Walrus - Dark Orchid (2003)
• Walrus and the Carpenter, The - Joan Viskant (2000)
• Weight Lifting Walrus, The - The Gallinas (1994)
• Where's the Walrus? - Stefan Kaske (1996)
• Worried Walrus - O.O.K. (2001)

Whales

What is a Whale?

(author unknown)

A whale is not as small as us.
Most whales are bigger than a bus!
A whale is not like a fish in the sea.
A whale breathes air like you and me.
A whale can't walk upon the ground.
A whale must swim to get around.
A whale is a mammal just like me.
But its home is in the deep blue sea.

Songs about Whales

• Baby Beluga - Raffi (1980)
• Beluga - Darryl Saffer and Mindy Wilder (2000)
• Blue Dolphins and Grey Whales - Lynn Brown (2007)
• Dance of the Whales - Freeze Frame (2006)
• Don't Kill the Whale - Yes (1978)
• Dolphins and Whales - Hank Harry (2006)
• Great White Whale - Secret and Whisper (2008)
• Narwhal - David Polansky (1998)
• Narwhal Toothache - Kevin Neidig (2008)
• Save the Whales - Silent Harmony (1999)
• Whale Sanctuary - Ken Davis (2006)
• Whale Tale - David Ashley (2007)
• Whale Watching - Marylee (1986)
• Whales and Dolphins - Sounds of the Earth (2007)
• Whales Dance - Quiet Force (1990)
• Whales in Fog - Ozone Player (2000)
• Whales Speak, The - Jack Andrews (2008)
• Whales' Reverie - Kali Z. Fasteau (2002)
• While Watching Whales - Jazzlevision (2004)
• White Whale - Invisible Man (2007)
• Wisdom of the Whales - Gioari (2004)

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