Deep Sea

Vampyroteuthis infernalis or Vampire Squid

It's (very dramatic) scientific name means "vampire squid from hell". However, the vampire squid is not actually a squid! It's actually the only animal in the Vampyroteuthidae family! It's separated into its own family because it can't change color or produce ink. Instead, it turns itself "inside out" (as shown above) to deter predators.

Proportionally, vampire squids also have the largest eyes compared to their body size! They eat mostly zooplankton, marine snow, and other organisms waste. They grow to be about the size of a football and live to be around 8 years old.

Ocellated Frogfish (Fowlerichthys ocellatus), family Antennariidae, East Timor

 Kuwait, 2022.

This photo was taken at the remote oil rigs site in Kuwaiti waters, east of Qaruh Island. The inactive oil rigs have come to represent an important artificial reef in Kuwait, attracting divers and fishers alike.

Photo by Suliman Alatiqi

The Prince Albert II Of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photographer Of The Year 2023

Puffer fish

Some puffer fish are perfectly fine to eat. Others are among the most poisonous potential meals on Earth, thanks to their store of that now-familiar neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. 

Zooplankton are tiny crustaceans that occupy a variety of roles in Great Lakes food webs, from open water filter feeding to benthic decomposers 🩵

Rolling into the weekend like…

Rattail fish are very curious and will investigate any disturbance on or around the seafloor. Those enormous eyes give the rattail an edge. They can glimpse even the faintest flickers of bioluminescence—the “living light” produced by deep-sea animals. Keen eyesight reveals prey, like fishes and squid, darting in the waters above the seafloor. 

Hold onto your shorts, deep-sea squad! It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year—the MBARI best of 2022 is live!⁠

From shark fly-bys and googly-eyed squid to toothy-grinned fishes and corals the size of trees, MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles encountered many spellbinding scenes in the deep this year. These mesmerizing moments bring the diversity of life in the deep sea through our screens into our hearts. As we continue to explore the largest—and least known habitat—on our planet, we promise to share our discoveries with you. Head over to our YouTube channel to see the full video.

POV: When you’re in the middle of the anchovy school. 😲⁠ 

When most people think about marine life in Monterey Bay, they think of large animals such as whales, sea lions, and pelicans. But none of these charismatic creatures would be here if not for millions of smaller animals, such as anchovies and krill.⁠ ⁠