The ocean is HUGE.  Scientists have studied it for years and years and we still don’t know about everything that is out there.  But yesterday a huge step was taken in marine studies when a Census of Marine Life was finally completed consisting of maps and books and bringing the count to exactly 201,206 marine species.  Granted there most likely is much more than just 201,206 species living in our oceans, but this is a big step for marine scientists!  This project cost $650 million and took the efforts of more than 600 groups including non-profit organizations, governments, universities, and private foundations (the Sloan Foundation being the founder).

Not only is this marine census a huge feat for the scientific community, but the census will help to provide even more information to future studies about the mysterious depths.   Check out the Census of Marine Life website to see how the project got started and learn more about their plans for the future.