Leopard Seals Suction Feed on Krill Like Whales
The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), one of Antarctica’s apex predators, kills penguins and smaller seals in a violent yet efficient manner. However, it seems that…
Marine Biology News
Captive Beluga Whale Was Able to Mimic Speech
When a beluga’s caretakers heard noises that sounded like garbled phrases emanating from its enclosure, they realized that the whale might be imitating the voices…
Data Shows Humans as Leading Cause of Whale Deaths
An analysis of four decades worth of data indicates that most whale deaths in the oceans are caused by humans and that attempts to prevent…
Great White Shark Have a More Varied Diet Than Previously Thought
It might seem that Carcharodon carcharias choose seals and sea lions as their preferred prey, but studies indicate that great white sharks consume different prey…
Film Reveals How Vampire Squids Eat
Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the vampire squid, which technically isn’t a squid at all, is a cephalopod that lives 3,000 feet deep in warm waters. In the…
Genetic Variability Helps Sea Urchins Cope with Environmental Changes
The current rising acidity in the ocean is supposed to have dire consequences for organisms like coral, but there are some sea urchins that have…
Pacific Islanders Weapons Indicate That Three Shark Species Disappeared
The analysis of the weapons used by the indigenous people of the Gilbert Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, which primarily use shark teeth, indicate…
Adult White Killer Whale Spotted in the Wild for the First Time
There have been sightings of white whales sporadically over the last few decades, but the only white killer whales (Orcinus orca) were young, including one…
Relationships of Male Dolphins from Shark Bay Determined by Slow Swimming
In Shark Bay, Australia, the male dolphins are well known to marine biologists for their messy social entanglements. These relationships are so unique, that they’re…
Black Band Disease Puts Great Barrier Reef at Risk
The Great Barrier Reef is under attack by a disease and new data shows that the Black Band Disease can migrate at a rate fast…
Colossal Eyes Give Giant Squids an Advantage When Fighting Sperm Whales
The world’s biggest squid species have developed over time huge eyes to give them advanced warning of approaching sperm whales. Colossal (15m) and giant squid…
Bottlenose Dolphins Use Signature Whistles to Greet Others
Bottlenose dolphins can understand the meaning and order of words, which can be conveyed through human hand gestures. It appears that now humans are also…
Marine Bacteria Use Bioluminescence to Lure Zooplankton and Fish
Many creatures in the sea glow in the depths of the deepest trenches of the oceans. Bioluminescence is even observed in some marine bacteria, which…
Study Shows That Cephalopods Travel Faster in Air Than in Water
A new study, using high-speed photography, shows that squids can save energy by flying rather than swimming. Some species of Cephalopoda can launch themselves into…
Researchers Discover ‘Supergiant’ Amphipods in the Kermadec Trench
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) discovered ‘supergiant’ amphipods while exploring the Kermadec Trench, north…
Jellyfish Bloom in Marine Ecologies As Ocean Health Declines
Last year, surfers were surprised at the amount of stinging moon jellyfish, some of which reached the size of bicycle wheels, which washed towards shore…
Jacques Cousteau Predicted Detrimental Change in Coral Reefs
Jacques Cousteau warned that humans were having a negative impact on coral reefs. Some three decades later, ecologist and biology professor Phil Dustan has witnessed…
Mesodinium Chamaeleon Is A Unique Life Form That is Half Plant Half Animal
In nature, you’ll find animals that undergo vast transformations, becoming almost unrecognizable in their new forms. Examples like caterpillars becoming butterflies and tadpoles becoming frogs…
