Friendly cartoon whale, crab and seahorse on a blue circle

Dive into a make-believe ocean where a seal approves artwork and a clam has a phone. These are silly stories about sea animals, with short answers to read aloud.

Ten jokes from the sea

Why don't crabs give to charity?
They're shellfish.

Why did the octopus beat the shark at cards?
It had eight hands.

What did the seal put on its favourite drawing?
Its seal of approval.

Why did the whale choose the biggest notebook?
It had a whale of a tale to tell.

How do you make a jellyfish laugh?
With ten-tickles.

What do dolphins use to pay for dinner?
Sand dollars.

Why did the clam put a bell beside its bed?
Its shell phone was on silent.

What did the sea turtle say when the music started?
Let's shell-ebrate!

Unpack three punchlines

  • Seal of approval: a seal can mean a stamp or mark, as well as the animal. Giving something your seal of approval means you like or accept it.
  • A whale of a tale: “a whale of” means something unusually big or impressive. Here the storyteller is a whale too.
  • Shell phone: changing “cell” to “shell” gives the phone an ocean twist.

Choose a sea voice

Read the question, leave a short pause, and let your partner guess. Then read the answer and explain the surprising word. The make-believe phone calls and parties are part of the joke, not animal facts.

Keep swimming through fish jokes, shark jokes and turtle jokes. Prefer clues? Try animal riddles.