Marine Biology is the study of ocean plants and animals and their ecological relationships.

The scientific study of marine biology dates from the early 19th cent. and now includes laboratory study of organisms for their usefulness to humans and the effects of human activity on marine environments.

About 71% of the surface of this planet is covered by salt water. The water depth averages 3.8 km (2.4 miles or 12,500 feet!) with a volume of about 1,370 x 106 km3. Since life exists throughout this immense volume, the oceans constitute the single largest repository of organisms on the planet. These organisms include members of virtually all phyla and are tremendously varied.

We have approximately 1.7 million identified species up to possibly 10 or even 100 million total species on Earth. Of the 1.7 million, if we initially ignore viruses, bacteria, fungi, arachnids, insects and half the protozoans and plant species, we are left with approximately 500,000 species considered "marine".

Marine organisms may be classified (according to their mode of life) as nektonic, planktonic, or benthic. Nektonic animals are those that swim and migrate freely, e.g., adult fishes, whales, and squid. Planktonic organisms, usually very small or microscopic, have little or no power of locomotion and merely drift or float in the water. Benthic organisms live on the sea bottom and include sessile forms (e.g., sponges, oysters, and corals), creeping organisms (e.g., crabs and snails), and burrowing animals (e.g., many clams and worms). Seafloor areas called hydrothermal vents, with giant tube worms and many other unusual life forms, have been intensively studied by marine biologists in recent years.

The distribution of marine organisms depends on the chemical and physical properties of seawater (temperature, salinity, and dissolved nutrients), on ocean currents (which carry oxygen to subsurface waters and disperse nutrients, wastes, spores, eggs, larvae, and plankton), and on penetration of light. Photosynthetic organisms (plants, algae, and cyanobacteria), the primary sources of food, exist only in the photic, or euphotic, zone (to a depth of about 300 ft/90 m), where light is sufficient for photosynthesis.

Since only about 2% of the ocean floor lies in the photic zone, photosynthetic organisms in the benthos are far less abundant than photosynthetic plankton (phytoplankton), which is distributed near the surface oceanwide. Very abundant phytoplankton include the diatoms and dinoflagellates. Heterotrophic plankton (zooplankton) include such protozoans as the foraminiferans; they are found at all depths but are more numerous near the surface. Bacteria are abundant in upper waters and in bottom deposits.

Marine Biology Wikipedia

Two new species of fish found able to regenerate a lost fin   PhysOrg - February 23, 2012
History has shown that many invertebrates are able to regenerate lost limbs. Rare however, are animals with backbones that are able to do so, and when they do exist, they are usually amphibians or a few species of fish that regenerate parts that are mostly made of skin-like material. Thus the discovery of two species of Polypterus bichir, fish found in Africa, that can regenerate a lost side (pectoral) fin in as little as a month has created some excitement in the scientific community.

"Virgin Birth" Record Broken by Hotel Shark   National Geographic - January 10, 2012
She may be confined to a desert hotel, and far from any males, but a zebra shark named Zebedee is record-breakingly fertile. The female shark, which lives in a restaurant aquarium in Dubai's Burj Al Arab, has experienced four straight years of "virgin births" - a feat never before documented among sharks, according to marine biologist David Robinson. Experts at the resort - billed as the world's most luxurious - had seen Zebedee lay eggs before, but had assumed they held no offspring, because she is never in the presence of any male zebra sharks. Hotel staff first discovered she was reproducing asexually in 2007.

A new theory emerges for where some fish became four-limbed creatures   PhysOrg - December 28, 2011
A small fish crawling on stumpy limbs from a shrinking desert pond is an icon of can-do spirit, emblematic of a leading theory for the evolutionary transition between fish and amphibians. This theorized image of such a drastic adaptation to changing environmental conditions, however, may, itself, be evolving into a new picture.

Rare "Cyclops" Shark Found   BBC - October 21, 2011

Talk about a one-of-a-kind discovery - an extremely rare cyclops shark (pictured) has been confirmed in Mexico, new research shows. The 22-inch-long (56-centimeter-long) fetus has a single, functioning eye at the front of its head - the hallmark of a congenital condition called cyclopia, which occurs in several animal species, including humans. Earlier this year fisher

  New Pacific eel is a 'living fossil', scientists say   BBC - August 17, 2011
A newly discovered eel that inhabits an undersea cave in the Pacific Ocean has been dubbed a "living fossil" because of its primitive features. It is so distinct, scientists created a new taxonomic family to describe its relationship to other eels. The US-Palauan-Japanese team say the eel's features suggest it has a long and independent evolutionary history stretching back 200m years.

How plants drove animals to the land   PhysOrg - September 30, 2010
A new study of ancient oxygen levels presents the first concrete evidence that after aquatic plants evolved and boosted the levels of oxygen aquatic life exploded, leading to fierce competition that eventually led some fish to try to survive on land.

Marine viruses changing Earth's system: study   PhysOrg - September 28, 2010
All but overlooked until the past decade, marine viruses far outnumber any other biological entity on the planet. Scientists are only beginning to discover the invisible particles that are the cogs of Earth's system, changing dynamics in food webs, fisheries, even climate.

Marine scientists unveil the mystery of life on undersea mountains   PhysOrg - September 20, 2010
They challenge the mountain ranges of the Alps, the Andes and the Himalayas in size yet surprisingly little is known about seamounts, the vast mountains hidden under the world's oceans. Now in a special issue of Marine Ecology scientists uncover the mystery of life on these submerged mountain ranges and reveal why these under studied ecosystems are under threat.

Genome of Ancient Sea Sponge Reveals Origins of First Animals, Cancer   Science Daily - August 5, 2010
The sponge, which was not recognized as an animal until the 19th century, is now the simplest and most ancient group of animals to have their genome sequenced. All living animals are descended from the common ancestor of sponges and humans, which lived more than 600 million years ago. A sponge-like creature may have been the first organism with more than one cell type and the ability to develop from a fertilized egg produced by the merger of sperm and egg cells.- that is, an animal.

Warming of Oceans Will Reduce and Rearrange Marine Life   Wired - July 28, 2010
The warmth of the ocean is the critical factor that determines how much productivity and biodiversity there is in the ocean, and where. In two separate studies, researchers found that warming oceans have led to a massive decline in the amount of plant life in the sea over the last century, and that temperature is tightly linked to global patterns of marine biodiversity.

Plankton decline across oceans as waters warm   BBC - July 28, 2010
The amount of phytoplankton - tiny marine plants - in the top layers of the oceans has declined markedly over the last century, research suggests. They made their finding by looking at records of the transparency of sea water, which is affected by the plants.

Marine Biodiversity Strongly Linked to Ocean Temperature   Science Daily - July 28, 2010
In an unprecedented effort that will be published online on the 28th of July by the international journal Nature, a team of scientists mapped and analyzed global biodiversity patterns for over 11,000 marine species ranging from tiny zooplankton to sharks and whales. The researchers found striking similarities among the distribution patterns, with temperature strongly linked to biodiversity for all thirteen groups studied. These results imply that future changes in ocean temperature, such as those due to climate change, may greatly affect the distribution of life in the sea.

Creepy Human Fish Can Live 100 Years   Wired - July 21, 2010
A small blind cave salamander, "the human fish," has broken the world's record for longest-lived amphibian. The salamander, which can live to over 100, is endangered, but reaches such advanced ages in zoos and protected environments.

Scientists discover prehistoric fish under Great Barrier Reef   Telegraph.co.uk - July 16, 2010
Ancient sharks, giant oil fish, swarms of crustaceans and a primitive shell-dwelling squid species called the Nautilus were among the astonishing life captured by remote controlled cameras at Osprey Reef. Justin Marshall, the lead researcher, said his team had also found several unidentified fish species, including "prehistoric six-gilled sharks" using special lowlight sensitive cameras which were custom designed to trawl the ocean floor, 4,593ft (1,400m) below sea level.

Warm-Blooded Marine Reptiles at the Time of the Dinosaurs   Science Daily - June 16, 2010
Between 200 and 65 million years ago, fearsome marine reptiles reigned over the oceans. Were they warm-blooded like today's mammals and birds or cold-blooded like nowadays fish and reptiles? For the first time, a study has settled the debate: some large marine reptiles were warm-blooded (in other words, they were endothermic), giving them a considerable advantage to swim fast over long distances and to conquer cold regions.

Deep sea fish 'mystery migration' across Pacific Ocean   BBC - June 3, 2010
Deep sea fish species found in the north Pacific Ocean have mysteriously been caught in the southwest Atlantic, on the other side of the world. It is unclear how the animals, a giant rattail grenadier, pelagic eelpout and deep sea squid, travelled so far. Their discovery 15,000km from their usual home raises the possibility that deep sea currents can transport animals from one polar region to another.

Whales Evolved in the Blink of an Eye   Live Science - June 3, 2010
Whales evolved explosively fast into a spectacular array of shapes and sizes, a new study suggests. Whales' sizes stretch the imagination from the 100-foot (30-meter) long blue whale - the largest animal to have ever existed - to a small species about the size of a dog. Many ideas exist for how whales evolved into different body types, but the new study, published online in the May 19 edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is the first attempt to unravel the mystery.

Nine Fish With "Hands" Found to Be New Species   National Geographic - May 25, 2010

Using its fins to walk, rather than swim, along the ocean floor in an undated picture, the pink handfish is one of nine newly named species described in a recent scientific review of the handfish family. Only four specimens of the elusive four-inch (ten-centimeter) pink handfish have ever been found, and all of those were collected from areas around the city of Hobart (map), on the Australian island of Tasmania.

Census offers glimpse of oceans' smallest lifeforms   BBC - April 19, 2010
An unprecedented number of tiny, ocean dwelling organisms have been catalogued by researchers involved in a global survey of the world's oceans. One of the highlights was the discovery of a vast "microbial mat", covering an area equivalent to the size of Greece. Microbes are estimated to constitute up to 90% of all marine biomass.

Photos: Beautiful Hard-to-See Sea Creatures Revealed   National Geographic - April 19, 2010

First oxygen-free animals found   BBC - April 8, 2010
Scientists have found the first animals that can survive and reproduce entirely without oxygen, deep on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. The team, led by Roberto Danovaro from Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona, Italy, found three new species from the Loricifera group.

Mediterranean Sea: First Animals to Live Without Oxygen Discovered   Science Daily - April 7, 2010

Seeing the songs of whales   New Scientist - January 29, 2010
An obscure mathematical trick transforms whale song into strikingly beautiful patterns.

Surprising Sea Slug Is Half-plant, Half-animal   Live Science - January 14, 2010

A green sea slug appears to be part animal, part plant. It's the first critter discovered to produce the plant pigment chlorophyll. The sneaky slugs seem to have stolen the genes that enable this skill from algae that they've eaten. With their contraband genes, the slugs can carry out photosynthesis - the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy. "They can make their energy-containing molecules without having to eat anything," said Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

  "Bizarre" Octopuses Carry Coconuts as Instant Shelters   National Geographic - December 14, 2009

"Alien" Jellyfish Found in Arctic Deep   National Geographic - December 12, 2009

Shark Fins Traced to Home Waters Using DNA -- A First   National Geographic - December 3, 2009

Creatures Build Thicker Shells as Ocean Chemistry Changes   Live Science - December 2, 2009

Scientists trace shark fins to their geographic origin for first time using DNA tools   PhysOrg - December 1, 2009

Hammerhead Sharks See 360 Degrees in Stereo   Live Science - November 27, 2009

Hammerhead Sharks Have "Human" Vision   National Geographic - November 27, 2009
Hammerhead shark mystery solved   BBC - November 27, 2009

  "Dumbo," Other Deep-Sea Oddities Found   National Geographic - November 22, 2009

  Beyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss   PhysOrg - November 22, 2009

Deep-Sea World Beyond Sunlight: Explorers Census 17,650 Ocean Species on Edge of Black Abyss   Science Daily - November 23, 2009

  Ghostly 'dance of a sea dragon'   BBC - October 29, 2009

  Colossal 'sea monster' unearthed   BBC - October 27, 2009

Real sea monsters: The hunt for predator X   New Scientist - October 27, 2009

Weird New Ghostshark Found; Male Has Sex Organ on Head   National Geographic - September 22, 2009

Bizarre Gelatinous Fish Found in Brazil   National Geographic - September 22, 2009
  Bizarre New Fish Discovered   National Geographic - September 22, 2009

Dangers in the Deep: 10 Scariest Sea Creatures   Live Science - August 29, 2009

Eyeless Creature Discovered in Undersea Tunnel   Live Science - August 26, 2009

First-ever 'Wanderlust Gene' Found In Tiny Bony Fish   Science Daily - August 6, 2009

  Jellyfish help to stir the ocean   BBC - July 30, 2009

  Rare Albino Whale Spotted   National Geographic - July 2, 2009

Blue Whale Discovered Singing In New York Coastal Waters   Science Daily - May 30, 2009

Coral colony as old as the pyramids   New Scientist - March 24, 2009

Oldest Sea Creatures Have Been Alive 4,000 Years   Live Science - March 24, 2009

Spark of Love Found in Fish   Live Science - March 10, 2009

Smallest Whale Shark Discovered   National Geographic - March 9, 2009

  Oldest Fossil Brain Found in "Bizarre" Prehistoric Fish   National Geographic - March 3, 2009
  Oldest fossil brain found in Kansas   PhysOrg - March 2, 2009
Fossil Fish: Oldest Fossil Brain Find Is 'Really Bizarre'   Live Science - March 2, 2009

Seven New Species Of Deep-sea Coral Discovered   Science Daily - March 6, 2009

Blue Whale Birth Caught on Film -- A First   National Geographic - March 4, 2009

  "Psychedelic" Fish Hops on Seafloor   National Geographic - February 27, 2009

Freaky Fish Has Eyes Like Ours   Live Science - February 25, 2009

  Pacific Ocean: Fish With Transparent Head Filmed   National Geographic - February 24, 2009
  Fish Sees Through Its Own Head   Live Science - February 24, 2009
Fish With Transparent Head, "Barrel" Eyes   National Geographic - February 24, 2009

Odd, Identical Species Found at Both Poles National Geographic - February 15, 2009

Ice oceans 'are not poles apart' BBC - February 15, 2009
At least 235 marine species are living in both polar regions, despite being 12,000km apart, a census has found.
Same Species Found at Both Ends of Earth Live Science - February 15, 2009

Five New Pygmy Seahorse Species Found   National Geographic - February 5, 2009

'Seuss-like' Sea Creatures Discovered   Live Science - February 5, 2009

Earliest Animals Were Sea Sponges, Fossils Hint   National Geographic - February 5, 2009

Early Whales Gave Birth on Land, Fossils Reveal   National Geographic - February 3, 2009

A single-celled ball about the size of a grape may provide an explanation for one of the mysteries of fossil history    BBC - November 21, 2008
The forerunners of giant single-celled organisms living on the ocean floor may have left fossil tracks often attributed to more complex creatures.

Killer Whales Target Favorite Fish With Sonar?    National Geographic - November 18, 2008

   Why Do Dolphins Rub Flippers? National Geographic - November 10, 2008

Octopuses share 'living ancestor' BBC - November 10, 2008

Fish With First Neck Evolved Into Land Animal -- Slowly National Geographic - October 15, 2008
Details Of Evolutionary Transition From Fish To Land Animals Revealed Science Daily - October 16, 2008

Shark "Virgin Birth" Confirmed National Geographic - October 10, 2008

100s of New Marine Species Found Off Tasmania National Geographic - October 9, 2008

   'Deepest ever' living fish filmed BBC - October 7, 2008

   Strange New Species Found on Great Barrier Reef National Geographic - September 19, 2008

Hundreds of New Reef Creatures Found in Australia National Geographic - September 19, 2008

Whales Heard Near New York City Live Science - September 17, 2008
The calls of three whale species have been heard in the waters around New York City for the first time.

Fluorescent-Red Glowing Fish Found Live Science - September 16, 2008

Whales Had Legs, Wiggled Hips, Study Says National Geographic - September 11, 2008

   Live fish caught at record depth BBC - July 31, 2008

Human Speech Traced to Talking Fish Live Science - July 18, 2008
Researchers say real fish can communicate with sound, too. And they say (the researchers, that is) that your speech skills and, in fact, all sound production in vertebrates can be traced back to this ability in fish.

Odd Fish Find Contradicts Intelligent-Design Argument National Geographic - July 9, 2008
The discovery of a missing link in the evolution of bizarre flatfishes each of which has both eyes on the same side of its head could give intelligent design advocates a sinking feeling.

Marine worms follow Fibonacci's lead ABC - June 19, 2008
The complicated growth patterns of a group of common marine worms appear to be governed by simple mathematical rules built into their genes, a new report suggests. The report, which appears in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests that the appendages that grow along the bodies of some species of polychaete worms follow a mathematical sequence known as the Fibonacci string sequence.

Polychaetes, sometimes called bristle worms, have a segmented body, each with a pair of fleshy appendages covered in bristles. In one group, these appendages, known as dorsal cirri, grow in characteristic patterns of alternating short and long versions. One of the researchers, Professor Stephen Glasby, a mathematician from Central Washington University, says each species exhibited different sequences. "Different species by and large have different sequences of short and long appendages, and they can be quite complicated," says Glasby. To better understand the numemic nature of the polychaetes, Glasby worked alongside his brother Dr Chris Glasby from the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and Dr Fredrik Pleijel from Gothenburg University in Sweden.

Zeros and Ones

The researchers converted the sequence of long and short appendages into a series of zeros and ones. Next, they entered that sequence into an online database of number sequences. "We typed in the series of zeros and ones, and lo and behold, a number of very simple sequences showed up that matched the dorsal cirri of a large number of worms, one of which was the Fibonacci string sequence," says Glasby.

The Fibonacci string sequence consists numbers where the next number in the sequence is calculated by adding up the previous two numbers - 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8.... "This is an incredibly simple growth rule that explains the sequence of cirri on these species of worms. We looked at a number of worms and for some species the growth of long and short cirri could be explained by other very simple rules," Glasby says. The researchers stress that they have not found a genetic basis for the patterns, but say their work shows how mathematics could provide valuable clues for biologists. "We're trying to find simple mathematical rules that explain the biological observations" Glasby says. "One of the only major hopes for getting a deeper understanding of the genetic code is going to pure mathematics."

Hot Life-Forms Found a Mile Under Seafloor National Geographic - May 23, 2008
Life-forms have been found thriving a mile (1.6 kilometers) beneath the seafloor in hot sediments, a new study says. The finding doubles the maximum known depth for organisms under the ocean bottomÑand may be an encouraging sign for the search for life on other planets

"Reverse Evolution" Found in Seattle Fish National Geographic - May 20, 2008
When a historic cleanup helped clear the waters of a polluted lake near Seattle, a population of tiny, spiny fish called sticklebacks may have "evolved in reverse" to survive. In the 1950s, Lake Washington, an inland lake that parallels Washington State's Pacific Coast, took on 20 million gallons (76 million liters) of phosphorous-laden sewage a day.

Mantis shrimp sees colors invisible to humans and other animals, viewing the world in 11 or 12 primary colors National Geographic - May 20, 2008

The mantis shrimp is known to see colors invisible to humans and other animals, viewing the world in 11 or 12 primary colors, as opposed to our humble 3. Now a new study has found that the shrimp also have optimal ability to see different forms of light polarization directions in which light vibrate

Colossal Squid Has Glowing "Cloaking Device," Huge Eyes National Geographic - May 2, 2008
A colossal squid being defrosted this week in New Zealand is yielding "astonishing" new discoveries. For starters, the giant species has the world's biggest eyes, as well as light-emitting organs that may serve as cloaking devices, scientists say.

Photos: Colossal Squid Revealed in First In-Depth Look National Geographic - May 2, 2008

  Colossal Squid Google Videos

The Freaky Fish of the Congo Live Science - May 2, 2008
In his classic novella "Heart of Darkness," Joseph Conrad's protagonist, Marlow, describes the Congo River as an immense snake "... uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land." A description that, while wonderfully evocative, is also a bit menacing. I am happy to report that my own experiences conducting research in the Congo have been nothing so menacing nor so dark. On the contrary. For the past three years I have Ñ with support from the National Science Foundation and a team of U.S. and Congolese students and colleagues Ñ been exploring and documenting the fish biodiversity of the lower Congo River, which is the head and neck of ConradÕs imaginary snake.

No sex for all-girl fish species BBC - April 23, 2008
A fish species, which is all female, has survived for 70,000 years without reproducing sexually, experts believe.

Rare white killer whale spotted in Alaska MSNBC - March 7, 2008

Genome Of Marine Organism Tells Of Humans' Unicellular Ancestors Science Daily - February 20, 2008

Video: Giant Sea Spiders Found National Geographic - February 19, 2008

Scientists studying Antarctic waters have filmed and captured giant sea creatures, like sea spiders the size of dinner plates and jelly fish with six meter (18 feet) tentacles.

Whales Evolved From Tiny Deerlike Mammals, Study Says National Geographic - December 20, 2007
The nearest ancestors of Earth's largest-ever animals were tiny deerlike creatures that jumped into rivers to flee prehistoric predators, a new study suggests. These semiaquatic, raccoon-size mammals dubbed Indohyus lived in southern Asia some 48 million years ago.

Why Deep-Diving Mammals Don't Black Out Live Science - December 19, 2007
Some seals and dolphins can hold their breath underwater for a cheek-popping hour or more without passing out from lack of oxygen. Definitely don't try this at home. Humans can't make it more than a few minutes without breathing (at least without some sci-fi device). The secret to the superhero animal feat is elevated levels of special oxygen-carrying proteins found in their brains, a new study reveals. But the research leaves puzzles.

Fish-Like Creature Glows in the Dark Live Science - November 6, 2007

As if tiny flashlights were hidden inside its body, a fish-like creature emits fluorescent flecks, a flashing ability previously considered unique to jellyfish and corals. Researchers found that the bodies of amphioxus, also called lancelets, contain green fluorescent proteins that could act as a sunscreen or stress shield that protects the animals from environmental changes.

Ming the clam is oldest mollusc - 400 Years Old BBC - October 29, 2007

A clam dredged up off the coast of Iceland is thought to have been the longest-lived mollusc discovered. Scientists said the ocean quahog clam was aged between 405 and 410 years and could offer insights into the secrets of longevity. Researchers from Bangor University in north Wales said they calculated its age by counting rings on its shell. The clam has been nicknamed Ming, after the Chinese dynasty in power when it was born.

Fish Lives in Logs, Breathing Air, for Months at a Time National Geographic - November 6, 2007

A tiny Western Atlantic fish does something never before seen - It makes like a bird, living in mangrove wood for months at a time.

The mangrove killifish can survive for months in a tree Daily Mail - October 18, 2007

Mangrove Rivulus Wikipedia

It's one of the golden rules of the natural world - birds live in trees, fish live in water. The trouble is, no one bothered to tell the mangrove killifish. Scientists have discovered that it spends several months of every year out of the water and living inside trees. Hidden away inside rotten branches and trunks, the remarkable creatures temporarily alter their biological makeup so they can breathe air. Biologists studying the killifish say they astonished it can cope for so long out of its natural habitat. The discovery, along with its ability to breed without a mate, must make the mangrove killifish, Rivulus marmoratus Poey, one of the oddest fish known to man.

Around two inches long, they normally live in muddy pools and the flooded burrows of crabs in the mangrove swamps of Florida, Latin American and Caribbean. The latest discovery was made by biologists wading through swamps in Belize and Florida who found hundreds of killifish hiding out of the water in the rotting branches and trunks of trees. The fish had flopped their way to their new homes when their pools of water around the roots of mangroves dried up. Inside the logs, they were lined up end to end along tracks carved out by insects.

Although the cracks inside logs make a perfect hiding place, conditions can be cramped. The fish - which are usually fiercely territorial - are forced to curb their aggression. Another study, published earlier this year, revealed how they alter their bodies and metabolism to cope with life out of water. Their gills are altered to retain water and nutrients, while they excrete nitrogen waste through their skin. These changes are reversed as soon as they return to the water. Previously their biggest claim to fame was that they are the only known vertebrate - animal with a backbone Ð to reproduce without the need for a mate.

Killifish can develop both female and male sexual organs, and fertilize their eggs while they are still in the body, laying tiny embryos into the water. They are not the only fish able to breathe air. The walking catfish of South-east Asia has gills that allow it to breathe in air and in water. The climbing perch of India can suffocate in water unless it can also gulp in air.

Manila: Exotic creatures found in 'coral triangle' National Geographic - October 16, 2007

Scientists Discover Rare Albino Ratfish Live Science - September 24, 2007

When Bivalves Ruled The World Science Daily - September 1, 2007
Before the worst mass extinction of life in Earth's history -- 252 million years ago -- ocean life was diverse and clam-like organisms called brachiopods dominated. After the calamity, when little else existed, a different kind of clam-like organism, called a bivalve, took over.

"Extinct" River Dolphin Spotted in China National Geographic - September 1, 2007
A confirmed sighting of a baiji dolphin just months after it was declared "extinct" has prompted scientists to launch an against-all-odds plan to save the last of the rare Chinese river dwellers. A team of marine-life scholars led by Wang Ding, a scientist at China's Institute of Hydrobiology, examined digital video footage recently taken along the eastern section of the Yangtze River. The video provides evidence of the survival of the baiji, or whitefin dolphin, the team confirmed.

Rare dolphin 'sighted' in China BBC - August 29, 2007
The critically endangered Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, has been sighted in eastern China, Chinese media report. Scientists had recently declared that the baiji was probably extinct. An international team of researchers spent six weeks looking for the creature last year without a single sighting. But earlier this month the baiji was spotted and filmed by a local man, and confirmed by Chinese biologists, says official Xinhua news agency.

Colorful Carpet of Cool Sea Creatures Discovered 2 Miles Deep Live Science - August 24, 2007
A submerged mountain ridge beneath the North Atlantic Ocean has revealed a new crustacean species and oodles of other life forms, ranging from polka-dotted glass squid resembling beach balls to grim viperfish with teeth like ice-picks.

Weird Deep-Sea Creatures Found in Atlantic National Geographic - August 22, 2007
Colorful Carpet of Cool Sea Creatures Discovered 2 Miles Deep Live Science - August 24, 2007
A submerged mountain ridge beneath the North Atlantic Ocean has revealed a new crustacean species and oodles of other life forms, ranging from polka-dotted glass squid resembling beach balls to grim viperfish with teeth like ice-picks.

Sharks have fingers? They have genes for digits but turn them off MSNBC - August 17, 2007
The genetic potential to create fingers and toes apparently existed ages before animals even crawled onto land, dating back to the distant common ancestors of sharks and humans, research now reveals. The research focused on a group of genes that control how and where body parts develop in animals, including people. Scientists investigated the activity of these "Hox genes" in embryos of the spotted catshark. Unexpectedly, they discovered that a spurt of genetic activity that helps digits such as fingers and toes develop in limbed animals was seen in shark embryos as well.

Jaws, Teeth of Earliest Bony Fish Discovered National Geographic - August 1, 2007
Fossils of sardine-size fish that swam in ancient oceans are the earliest examples of vertebrates with teeth that grow from their jawbones, according to new a new study. The fish, which lived 420 million years ago, are a "very modest" beginning for the jaw-and-tooth pattern widespread in nature today, said study co-author Philippe Janvier, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.

Fisherman catches 'living fossil' BBC - August 1, 2007
An extremely rare "living fossil" caught by a fisherman in Indonesia is being examined by scientists.

Rare "Octosquid" Captured in Hawaii National Geographic - July 6, 2007

19th century lance found in whale BBC - June 13, 2007
A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt - more than a century ago. Scientists have retrieved a weapon fragment from a whale that suggests it may have swum its first strokes not long after the American Civil War. The fragment is part of a time delay bomb that was introduced in 1879 and manufactured until 1885. Scientists say it is rare to find a whale over 100 years old but believe some may reach 200.

Hammerhead Shark Gave "Virgin Birth" in Omaha Zoo National Geographic - May 26, 2007
A hammerhead shark born in a Nebraska zoo in 2001 was the result of a so-called virgin birth, new DNA evidence shows. The finding marks the first confirmed case of a female shark fertilizing her own eggs and giving birth without sperm from a male, a process known as parthenogenesis.

Researchers discover ancient undersea world Guardian - April 24, 2007
A lost landscape where early humans roamed more than 12,000 years ago has been uncovered beneath the North Sea. A map of the underwater world reveals crisscrossing rivers, giant lakes and gentle hills around which hunter-gatherers made their homes and found their meals toward the end of the last ice age. The region was inundated between 18,000 and 6,000BC, when the warming climate melted the thick glaciers that pressed down from the north. As the waters rose, the great plain vanished, and slowly, the contours of the British isles and the north-west European coastline were established. Now, the primitive landscape is submerged and preserved,tens of metres beneath one of the busiest seas in the world.

New Marine Species Discovered In Eastern Pacific Science Daily - March 9, 2007
Smithsonian scientists have discovered a biodiversity bounty in the Eastern Pacific--approximately 50 percent of the organisms found in some groups are new to science. The research team spent 11 days in the Eastern Pacific, a unique, understudied region off the coast of Panama.

NZ fishermen land colossal 1,000 pound squid BBC - February 22, 2007
New Zealand fishermen have caught what is expected to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid. Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the squid, weighing an estimated 450kg (990lb),took two hours to land in Antarctic waters. Local news said the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was about 10m (33ft) long, and was the first adult colossal squid landed intact. One expert said calamari rings made from it would be like tractor tyres.

Large squid lights up for attack National Geographic - February 14, 2007
Monster-size, deep-sea squid that use their glowing arms to blind and stun their prey have been filmed in the wild for the first time, scientists say. The mysterious creatures were videotaped as they hunted deep in the North Pacific Ocean off southeastern Japan

Rare "Prehistoric" Shark Photographed Alive National Geographic - January 24, 2007
Flaring the gills that give the species its name, a frilled shark swims at Japan's Awashima Marine Park on Sunday, January 21, 2007. Sightings of living frilled sharks are rare, because the fish generally remain thousands of feet beneath the water's surface. Spotted by a fisher on January 21, this 5.3-foot (160-centimeter) shark was transferred to the marine park, where it was placed in a seawater pool. "We think it may have come to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters," a park official told the Reuters news service. But the truth may never be known, since the "living fossil" died hours after it was caught.

Extreme New Species Discovered by Sea-Life Survey National Geographic - December 11, 2006
A host of weird and wonderful discoveries from across the seven seas has been discovered this year, according to a global census of ocean life. Heat-resistant volcanic shrimps, bacteria-farming furry crabs, and a giant species of lobster are among the finds made by marine scientists probing some of the world's deepest and remotest seas.

Prehistoric fish packed a mean bite MSNBC - November 29, 2006

Whale Vocabulary More Elaborate Than Thought Live Science - November 28, 2006

Humpback whales have a type of brain cell seen only in humans, the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins.

Bizarre deep-sea creatures imaged off New Zealand New Scientist - November 27, 2006

'Nymph Of The Sea' Reveals Remarkable Brood Science Daily - November 24, 2006

Geologists have made an unusual discovery from over 425 million years ago ... hard boiled eggs!

Stunning finds of fish and coral BBC - September 18, 2006

Discoveries of hugely diverse fish and coral species in the Indonesian archipelago have amazed researchers. Shark walks on fins ...

Shark Fins and Human Arms Made from Same Genes Live Science - July 26, 2006

Surprising Beauty Discovered on Pacific Seafloor Live Science - June 26, 2006

Hawaii Islands Named World's Largest Marine Sanctuary BBC - June 16, 2006
Surpassing Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) will form part of a 140,000-square-mile (362,580-square-kilometer) protected area nearly the size of California.

Atlantic Ocean has returned with tiny animals which appear new to science BBC - May 5, 2006

A three-week voyage of discovery in the Atlantic has returned with tiny animals which appear new to science. They include waif-like plankton with delicate translucent bodies related to jellyfish, hundreds of microscopic shrimps, and several kinds of fish. The voyage is part of the ongoing Census of Marine Life (CoML) which aims to map ocean life throughout the world. Plankton form the base of many marine food chains, and some populations are being disrupted by climatic change.

African fish leaps for land bugs BBC - April 13, 2006
Scientists have described a fish that can hunt and catch its prey on land. The eel catfish, Channallabes apus, is found in the muddy swamps of the tropics of western Africa. The 30-40cm-long (12-16in) fish is able to propel itself out of the water and bend its head downwards to capture insects in its jaws. The Belgian researchers, writing in the journal Nature, hope this discovery will help to explain how fish moved from sea to land millions of years ago.

Fossil Fish With "Limbs" Is Missing Link, Study Says National Geographic - April 6, 2006
Fossil hunters may have discovered the fish that made humans possible. Found in the Canadian Arctic, the new fossil boasts leglike fins, scientists say. The creature is being hailed as a crucial missing link between fish and land animals - including the prehistoric ancestors of humans.

Arctic fossils mark move to land BBC - April 5, 2006

Fossil animals found in Arctic Canada provide a snapshot of fish evolving into land animals, scientists say. The finds are giving researchers a fascinating insight into this key stage in the evolution of life on Earth.

'Furry lobster' find in Pacific BBC - March 8, 2006

Marine biologists have discovered a crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster or crab covered in what looks like silky fur. Kiwa hirsuta is so distinct from other species that scientists have created a new taxonomic family for it. A US-led team found the animal last year in waters 2,300m (7,540ft) deep at a site 1,500km (900 miles) south of Easter Island, an expert has claimed.

Tiny fish sets new world record BBC - January 25, 2006

Researchers have found one of the smallest known fish on record in the peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Individuals of the Paedocypris genus can be just 7.9mm long at maturity, scientists write in a journal published by the UK's Royal Society. But they warn long-term prospects for the fish are poor, because of rapid destruction of Indonesian peat swamps. The fish have to survive in pools of acid water in a tropical forest swamp.

Seafloor Creatures Destroyed By Ice Action During Ice Ages Science Daily - October 19, 2005
Research by marine scientists reveals that it was a time of mass destruction as whole communities of animals were wiped out by ice sheets scouring the sea floor. In the past it has been thought that these ecosystems somehow dodged extinction by recolonizing from nearby habitats that escaped obliteration. But researchers at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOC) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reveal a bleaker scenario.

Great white's marathon sea trek BBC - October 6, 2005
A great white shark crossed the Indian ocean from South Africa to Australia and back again within just nine months. Nicole logged more than 12,000 miles swimming from Africa to Australia and back, the first proof of a link between the two continents' shark populations, researchers say.

Sea monsters found in desert News in Science - May 25, 2005

Australia is emerging as a missing link in the evolution of giant prehistoric marine reptiles, says a scientist who has discovered what may be a new species of plesiosaur.

Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" Is Size of New Jersey National Geographic - May 26, 2005
Each year a swath of the Gulf of Mexico becomes so devoid of shrimp, fish, and other marine life that it is known as the dead zone.

Whales 'led astray by magnetism' BBC May 13, 2005
Increased solar activity causing disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field may cause whales to run aground in the North Sea, say researchers. Analysis of whales stranded between 1712 and 2003 shows that more are stranded when solar activity is high. Writing in the Journal of Sea Research, scientists propose that whales use the Earth's magnetic field to assist navigation like homing pigeons do. As the Sun disrupts the magnetic field whales can become confused, they say.

Warmer waters 'drive fish north' BBC - May 12, 2005
Many fish species in the North Sea are steadily moving northwards to escape warming waters, researchers report. Commercially important fish such as cod, whiting and anglerfish have shifted significantly north, while some other species moved to colder depths. Scientists warn in Science magazine that some fish may disappear from the North Sea by 2050. They say commercial fisheries will have to take account of global warming as well as dwindling fish stocks.

Fish Diversity Tied to Evolution of Diving Ability Scientific American - March 21,2005
From clownfish to catfish, grouper to great white, the diversity of fish in the sea is nothing short of astonishing. Now scientists have managed to account for this wide assortment, at least in part, by tracing the evolution of the organ that allows the creatures to swim at different depths. To change their buoyancy and move up and down in the water, fish inflate an internal organ called the swim bladder. Some fish, such as herring, must surface and gulp air in order to fill their swim bladders with oxygen. Other fish, which are able to submerge for much longer periods and thus reach greater depths, are able to use oxygen from their blood in order to inflate the swim bladder, thanks to a specific type of protein known as Root-effect hemoglobin.

Unweaving the song of whales BBC - February 28, 2005
For nearly a decade, Cornell University researcher Christopher Clark has been eavesdropping on the ocean, hoping to decipher the enigmatic songs of whales. Using old US Navy hydrophones once employed to track submarines, he has collected thousands of acoustical tracks of singing blue, fin, humpback and minke whales. His bioacoustics lab is now able to pinpoint the location of individual singers, and determine the length of their song. As a result, he's had to redraw the map of whale acoustics. "The range is enormous," explained Dr Clark. "They have voices that span an entire ocean."

Sea Squids Owe Their Glow To Molecule Previously Linked To Whooping Cough Science Daily - January 10, 2005

A molecule that triggers damaging changes in the lungs of children with whooping cough lets a bobtail squid living off the coast of Hawaii acquire the ability to glow, scientists have discovered.

Male Fish Producing Eggs in Potomac River National Geographic - November 3, 2004

Something fishy is happening in the headwaters of the Potomac River. Scientists have discovered that some male bass are producing eggs - a decidedly female reproductive function. In June 2002 reports appeared of fish die-offs in the South Branch of the Potomac River. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources asked U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists to examine fish health in the watershed near the town of Moorefield, about three hours' drive from Washington, D.C.

Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater National Geographic - August 11, 2004
Starting 50 million years ago, modern-looking whales began to evolve from terrestrial wolflike ancestors. Their transition to fully fledged aquatic behemoths took 15 million years. It is one of the best-recorded examples of an evolutionary transition in the fossil record. A well-preserved series of fossils from India and Pakistan have already helped scientists understand how whales rapidly evolved limbs, teeth, kidneys, and other organs to cope with the pressures of the marine environment.

World's tiniest fish identified BBC - July 24, 2004

The smallest, lightest animal with a backbone has been described for the first time, by scientists in the US. The minuscule fish, called a stout infantfish, is only about 7mm (just over a quarter of an inch) long. It lives around Australia's Great Barrier Reef and has snatched the "world's smallest vertebrate" title from the 1cm-long dwarf goby fish. The infantfish, which is no longer than the width of a pencil, is described in the Records of the Australian Museum.

Pollution 'changes sex of fish' BBC - July 10, 2004
A third of male fish in British rivers are in the process of changing sex due to pollution in human sewage, research by the Environment Agency suggests. A survey of 1,500 fish at 50 river sites found more than a third of males displayed female characteristics. Hormones in the sewage, including those produced by the female contraceptive pill, are thought to be the main cause.

Sea 'dead zones' threaten fish BBC - March 29, 004
Sea areas starved of oxygen will soon damage fish stocks even more than unsustainable catches, the United Nations believes. About 75% of the world's fish stocks are already being overexploited, but Unep says the dead zones, which now number nearly 150 worldwide, will probably prove a greater menace.

Eyeless "Ghost Fish" Haunts Ozark Caves National Geographic - October 29, 2003
"It's almost translucent. It has a whitish look, but really almost no color," said David Hendrix. "It has no eyes whatsoever. It does come across as sort of ghost-like." The creature of which Hendrix, manager of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Neosho National Fish Hatchery, in Neosho, Missouri, speaks is no poltergeist. Rather, it's the Ozark cavefish (Amblyopsis rosae).

Single celled organism has been discovered that can thrive at a record-breaking 121 Celsius BBC - August 15, 2003
The single-celled microbe grows at higher temperatures than any other known lifeform, according to scientists in the United States. Strain 121, as it is known, was extracted from water gushing from super-hot springs at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. These hydothermal vents, warmed by molten rock deep within the Earth's crust, teem with strange lifeforms, such as tubeworms and huge clams. The microbe, about a hundred times smaller than a grain of sand, belongs to an ancient group of bacteria-like organisms known as archae.

Whale-Size Mystery Creature Washes Ashore in Chile National Geographic - July 3, 2003
A mysterious, 41-foot-long and 19-foot-wide (12.4-meters by 5.4-meters)gelatinous mass of flesh washed ashore in southern Chile serves as reminder that the sea may be full of creatures yet discovered by humankind. The creature was first thought to be a dead whale when it appeared last week on the coast near the town of Puerto Montt, but scientists who went to inspect the creature determined it was an invertebrate, or spineless, creature

Giant sea fossil unearthed BBC - December 30, 2002

A complete skeleton of the biggest reptile that ever existed has been unearthed in Mexico. The fossilized bones have been identified as those of Liopleurodon ferox, a fierce predator that ruled the oceans about 150 million years ago.