You know what your hump day needs? Some absolute stunning photos of deep-sea animals. Look at this one. Look at that one. You gotta get yourself some of these deep-sea animals. A team of scientists recently wrapped up a 40-day research voyage (jealous!) from the Salas y Gómez Ridge to Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island. Situated off the coast of Chile, this ridge is teeming with biodiversity and is being considered for designation as a high-seas marine protected area. Led by Drs. Erin E. Easton from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Javier Sellanes from the Universidad Catól ..read more

So, you’ve decided you want to become a marine biologist? Well, grab your snorkel, strap on your flippers, and prepare for a wild ride through the salty depths of academia! But fair warning: if you’re expecting your days to be filled with dolphin cuddles and underwater tea parties with mermaids, you might want to reel in those expectations. Becoming a marine biologist is more than just playing with Nemo and friends—it’s about diving deep into the unknown, navigating through murky research waters, and occasionally dodging the territorial advances of a particularly grumpy octopus. So, if you’re ..read more

A new species of deep-sea cucumber has over 100 feet in alternating two or three rows. This means of course that when it plays the This Little Piggy nursery rhyme it needs to repeat it 25 times. The multi-footed walking banana is called Oneirophanta idsseica and discovered at depth up to 3.8 kilometers deep in the South China Sea. At nearly 30 centimeters long and 10 wide, the new species is also a bit of a chonker. Xiao, Yunlu, and Haibin Zhang. ” Three new species and one new record of Deimatidae (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea, Synallactida) discovered in the South China Sea a ..read more

Delving into the evolutionary past of the enigmatic deep-sea vampire squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, has long been a pursuit shrouded in mystery. However, recent discoveries, such as a remarkable specimen unearthed from the Early Jurassic of Luxembourg, are shedding new light on the early anatomy of vampyromorphs. Enter Simoniteuthis michaelyi, a newfound taxon that has captured the attention of researchers worldwide. This remarkable creature, based on a nearly complete pen accompanied by a head-arm complex, is a brilliantly preserved fossil. What makes Simoniteuthis truly intriguing is its ..read more

I never thought that when I wrote this post over ten years ago, the story would go viral. In it I detail, how a Cretaceous coastline transformed into fertile “Black Belt” region of the American South, ultimately affecting voting patterns in South. In this brief PBS feature, evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton and I delve into this extraordinary journey. The post How An Ancient Ocean Shaped US History first appeared on Deep Sea News ..read more

In the profound darkness of the ocean’s depths, organisms face a choice concerning their visual capabilities. Some species evolve specialized eyes that grow to astonishing sizes, as seen in creatures like the giant squid or owl fish. Alternatively, there’s the option to abandon the concept of eyes altogether. It’s the latter scenario that introduces us to an intriguing case: the “blind lobsters,” a peculiar group of 38 lobster-like crustaceans known as Polychelidae. These creatures exclusively inhabit the deep sea, dwelling at depths exceeding 5,000 meters (16,000 feet). Members of this group ..read more

Schmidt Ocean has posted new 4K video of a suite of amazing organisms from seamounts of the coast of Chile. I, however, strongly feel the video should have been accompanied by Chilean music. So set the Schmidt video to mute and play this instead or go here to this rather busy remix. The post Seamounts of the Southeast Pacific first appeared on Deep Sea News ..read more

“Tomopterids are pelagic polycheate (segmented worm) with paddle-like parapodia that propel them through the water column. They are relatively common in the deep mesopelagic, or twighlight zone, and can live down to about 2,500 meters (8,200 feet). Many Tomopterids are only a centimeter or two long, but some can also get to be quite large—up to 30 centimeters (12 inches!). They are voracious predators, using their speed and agility to capture and consume a variety of midwater organisms. Tomopterids are one of a few organisms observed spewing yellow bioluminescent mucous, presumably to deter p ..read more

A post in a nightmare fueled lifestyle in a nightmarish hell scape…or a nice story of parasitic nematodes find in fishes at hydrothermal vents over at Parasite of the Day To land-dwelling humans, deep sea hydrothermal vents would seem like a vision of hell, amidst the crushing darkness you have plumes of superheated water, mixed with noxious sulfides, erupting from fissures on the seafloor. But for many deep sea animals, this “hell” is in fact a vibrant oasis in the middle of the abyss. This lively habitat is made possible thanks to bacteria that are able to extract energy ..read more

After being away for four days, I’m finally returning home, uncertain about the condition of my house after Hurricane Ida ravaged my hometown. The aftermath is grim with downed power lines, roofs torn off houses, cars submerged in the bayou, and blue tarps covering damaged roofs. This devastation occurred in August 2022 when Category 4 and briefly Category 5 winds battered Houma, Louisiana. Those categories, the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale, were introduced by the National Hurricane Center in the 1970s. Originally the scale was meant to convey both wind and water destruction but was simplif ..read more