Today's Catch
Nov 16, 2012
Credit:©1999 MBARI
The dumbo octopus ( Grimpoteuthis ) is a deep sea animal that lives on the ocean floor at extreme depths of 9,800 to 13,000 feet. They are small animals, around 8 inches tall, and have a pair of fins located on their mantle—their namesake—and webbing between their arms. Grimpoteuthis swim often hover just above the seafloor looking for snails, worms, and other food. Watch rare (and beautiful)...Read more
Nov 15, 2012
Credit:Jeff Dawson
The feathery strands at the back of this nudibranch’s ( Chromodoris willani ) body are no mere adornment: they’re its gills! Nudibranchs, shell-less snails or sea slugs, are named for these tufted gills, as "nudibranch" comes from Latin and Greek words meaning "naked gills." They're known for their bright coloration , and this species, found in Western Pacific Ocean coral reefs , ranges from dark...Read more
Nov 9, 2012
Credit:Courtesy of Danielle Dixson, Georgia Institute of Technology
One of the first signs of a sick coral reef is seaweed creeping across the corals, stealing their precious sunny real estate. Healthy corals, however, aren't completely hopeless: in some reefs, small fishes, such as this broad-barred goby ( Gobiodon histrio ), help eat the seaweeds away. But how do corals contact the fish to ask for cleaning services? By sending out a chemical signal .Read more
Nov 8, 2012
Credit:Owen Sherwood
Ultraviolet light illuminates the growth rings in a cross-section of a 44-year-old deep-sea coral ( Primnoa resedaeformis ) collected off the coast of Newfoundland at about 1,300 feet (400 meters). Similar to tree trunks, cross-sections reveal coral-growth rings that can be used to determine their age—and information about climate . Because coral growth depends on temperature, sunlight, and...Read more
Nov 6, 2012
Credit:Robert L. Pitman, NOAA Fisheries, USA
Killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) have something in common with humans: early menopause. Read Smithsonian marine scientist Nancy Knowlton's blog post to find out more.Read more
Nov 5, 2012
Credit:Hans Hillewaert, WoRMS for SMEBD
Like other cephalopods, the common cuttlefish ( Sepia officials ) is no dummy. But while octopuses are quick to learn manual tasks like opening jars, cuttlefish have a different skillset: the social. Unlike other cephalopod species, cuttlefish are very social and interact with each other frequently, like humans, and have sophisticated communication ability. Read more about cephalopod intelligence...Read more
Nov 2, 2012
Credit:© OCEANA Carlos Minguell
Dead man’s fingers ( Alcyonium digitatum ) are soft corals named for their appendage-like appearance when thrown ashore by storms. The finger-like clumps of coral polyps come in various shades of pink, orange, white, grey, or yellow and are found along the northern Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. View other images of Baltic Sea life in a photo gallery of Oceana’s 2011 expedition .Read more
Nov 1, 2012
Credit:Marco Faasse, World Register of Marine Species
This ctenophore (a stingless jellyfish-like animal) is native to the east coast of North and South America. In 1982, it was discovered in the Black Sea, where it was transported by ballast water . It subsequently spread to the Caspian Sea. In both places it multiplied and formed immense populations. The sea walnuts contributed to the collapse of local fisheries because they feed on zooplankton...Read more
Oct 31, 2012
Credit:NOAA, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
The ghoulish “blob sculpin” ( Psychrolutes phrictus ) , a deepwater fish found off the Pacific coast of the U.S. from the Bering Sea to Southern California, can grow to about 70 cm (more than two feet) in length and eats small invertebrates. See more bizarre-looking ocean life in a slideshow of the scariest monsters of the deep-sea and learn more about the deep ocean in the Deep Ocean Exploration...Read more
Oct 26, 2012
Credit:
What do you get when you mix together a hurricane, the remnants of a wintry midwestern storm, and cold Arctic air? The " Frankenstorm ," which is what the US National Weather Service renamed Hurricane Sandy as it approached the US east coast during the week before Halloween in 2012. The combination of strange weather conditions may result in a powerful storm not unlike a nor'easter, with powerful...Read more