Summary List Placement A mako shark captured and then released by researchers on North Carolina's Outer Banks made an angry U-turn and bit their boat multiple times.  James Sulikowski of the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab at Arizona State University said the shark didn't do much damage, though, the News And Observer reported. He said the event was "pretty awesome." "We were excited to see it being released in great condition, then to see it turn around in typical mako fashion and bite the boat was spectacular," he said. "It was making a statement: 'You caught me, now I'm goin ..read more

A floating plastic island in the San Francisco Bay could offer key insights in the fight against sea-level rise. The island provides a habitat for marine animals. As more creatures attach to the island, the structure could help calm ocean waves, thereby protecting coasts from flooding. The technology could eventually be used to build floating cities, but that reality is a long way off.  Visit Businessinsider.com for more stories. A tiny fiberglass island is bobbing up and down in the San Francisco Bay right now.  From far away, it looks like a beluga whale poking through the water. Up close ..read more

A team of marine biologists have tagged a bluntnose sixgill shark in its natural, deep-sea habitat using a submersible.  Scientists had previously managed to tag the sharks closer to the surface, but this time, the group used a submersible to tag a male shark on its own turf.  Footage from the submersible dives provides a rare look at a bluntnose sixgill shark (though not the one that was tagged). Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.   Down in the deep ocean, where the sun's rays don't penetrate, there dwells a beast so perfectly efficient it has remained practically unchanged for 2 ..read more

Scientists at the University of St Andrews trained seals to copy songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and the "Star Wars" theme as well as human vowel sounds. Researchers Amanda Stansbury and Vincent Janik from the Scottish Oceans Institute raised three young grey seals from birth to study speech disorders. They were amazed how well the seals were able to copy what they heard. "Copies were not perfect but given that these are not typical seal sounds it is pretty impressive," said Stansbury. "Our study really demonstrates how flexible seal vocalizations are." Visit INSIDER's homepage for ..read more

Scientist Roger Hanlon believes humans have a lot to learn from marine animals like octopuses and squid. The animals' unique skin can absorb and manipulate light into a variety of colors and patterns. By artificially replicating these patterns, Hanlon told the crowd at TED, humans could develop camouflage clothing or cosmetics that change color based on our surroundings. Though the applications are more tenuous, Hanlon said the technology could potentially treat melanoma or vitiligo in the far future. Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories. If scientist Roger Hanlon seems a little ob ..read more

The deepest part of our planet is the Mariana Trench, which stretches some seven miles down into the depths of the Pacific Ocean. This dark and deep world is home to many denizens that are a far cry from the cuddly marine life found closer to the surface. One such resident is a new group of bacteria that degrade hydrocarbons — molecules that are found in everyday crude oil and gas. A new study reveals that these hydrocarbon-eating bacteria are more abundant in the Challenger Deep (the deepest part of the Mariana Trench) than anywhere else on the planet. These oil-eating microbes could help ..read more

Some of the most terrifying sea creatures live deep down in the ocean — and there could be thousands more that we have yet to discover.  If you dive 140 meters underwater, you could see a magemouth shark and 300 meters down, you might find a Japanese spider crab.  The blobfish is found 900 meters underwater and was voted the world's ugliest animal by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society. Watch the video above to see more of the scariest animals of the deep ocean. Do you like to swim in the ocean? It's great until you feel something brush your feet. Sure, it's probably a scrap of seaweed. But ..read more

The world's oceans cover 71% of the planet's surface, yet we've more thoroughly mapped the surface of Mars than we have the ocean floor. At the recent opening of an exhibit about exploring unseen parts of the ocean at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Investor Ray Dalio put the ocean's immensity into perspective.  "The deepest part [of the ocean] is about as high as the highest land," Dalio, who funds ocean exploration through his philanthropic organization, said. All that water is full of things to discover. Earth's oceans contain fascinating geology and life in unlikely places ..read more

Australian researchers are researching humpback whales' health by analysing spray from their blowholes.  The scientists developed a waterproof drone to collect the mucus at sea. They say they have successfully sampled 59 whales without upsetting any. Watch the video of the drone in action below.  Australian researchers have built a drone to hunt and collect the snot of humpback whales as they pass Sydney. Vanessa Pirotta from Macquarie University says the microbiota living in the blow mucus can tell a lot about the health of the humpback whale population. Humpback numbers have been recoveri ..read more