Far below the sunlit surface of the Southern Ocean lives an animal with eyes unlike anything else known in nature. The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) possesses enormous, forward-facing eyes, and …
Some sharks kill prey by overpowering it. The cookiecutter shark uses a very different strategy: it takes a piece and leaves the victim alive. A typical cookiecutter shark bite is …
A pistol shrimp is only a few centimeters long, yet it can produce an underwater sound powerful enough to compete with some of the loudest biological noises in the sea. …
Few courtship displays are as instantly recognizable as a blue-footed booby lifting one brilliant turquoise foot after another in an exaggerated high-stepping dance. The performance looks comical to human observers, …
Above certain coral reefs, manta rays perform an unusual daily ritual. Instead of feeding or migrating, they slow down, hover over particular coral outcrops, and allow tiny fishes to swim …
Table of Contents Despite its dramatic name, the vampire squid is one of the most peaceful animals in the deep ocean. In fact, many fascinating vampire squid facts reveal a …
Table of Contents The remarkable phenomenon of puffin mate fidelity has made Atlantic puffins one of the most beloved seabirds in the world. Every spring, these colorful birds travel back …
Table of Contents The extraordinary process of tube worm chemosynthesis challenges one of the oldest assumptions in biology—that nearly all life ultimately depends on sunlight. Giant tube worms thrive thousands …
Table of Contents One of the most fascinating examples of sea otter tool use comes from a simple rock. While many animals occasionally use objects to solve problems, sea otters …
The ocean is full of remarkable survival strategies, but few are as surprising as the discovery that elephant seals regularly fall asleep while diving hundreds or even thousands of feet …