The word Pelagic comes from a Greek word meaning "of the sea." It was first used in the middle of the 17th century, but did not become common until the 19th century.

Pelagic means “of or relating to the open or high sea, as distinguished from the shallow water near the coast.” It is most commonly used to refer specifically to animals that dwell in the ocean's pelagic zone.

Pelagic Zone

The pelagic zone, or pelagic realm, refers to open ocean waters at all levels of depth except the lowest benthic and abyssal ocean zones.

Pelagic birds

Pelagic birds, including albatross, puffin, shearwater and petrel, live on the open ocean and spend most of their time flying or floating. They eat fish, plankton and squid.

Pelagic Fish

Pelagic fish include small foragers like herring, sardines and anchovies, as well as large predatory species like tuna, sailfish and sharks.

Pelagic Mammals

Most large marine animals are pelagic, including whales and dolphins. Many species of seals, sea lions and walruses are considered pelagic, spending their lives at sea and coming ashore only to breed.

Other Pelagic Animals

Pelagic reptiles include a variety of sea turtles and sea snakes, as well as jellyfish, rays and microscopic plankton.

Certain of the Pelagic Birds, Fish, Mammals and Reptiles can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -

Aves KZN Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.

Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.

Aves Western Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.

Aves West Coast Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.