Floating in the Gloom

Image source: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/336323966

Northern sea otters can be found in the cold ocean waters of Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, and the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia. They can live to be 15-20 years old - sometimes longer in captivity. As they age, northern sea otters begin to lose pigment in the fur around their face, making them look like a silver haired old seaman. Their nickname, the old man of the sea, references the Ernest Hemingway book, The Old Man and the Sea. As far as I know, Hemingway and sea otters have no connection.

This Grimpoteuthis octopus propels itself through the water using the rhythmic movement of its large fins and webbed arms. Those ear-like fins have earned this group the nickname "dumbo octopuses." Typically found on or near the deep seafloor, dumbo octopuses use finger-like cirri lining their arms to help detect and capture small crustaceans, worms, and other prey.

Image source: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120560932

jellyfish babies

Daily Cephalopod #224

Animals like the long-armed jewel squid are a reminder that the deep sea still holds countless mysteries. By exploring and documenting life in the deep, scientists can better understand the biodiversity and ecosystems that shape our ocean world.

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Red disk jellies (Poralia rufescens) are found worldwide and grow to about 25 centimeters (nearly 10 inches). They live deep below the sea surface to thousands of meters and are usually seen floating near the seafloor, where prey accumulates as a result of ocean currents. They use those trailing tentacles to catch their next meal, often smaller jellies or arrow worms.

A sailfish. Filmed in the eastern Pacific. From Blue Planet - Open Ocean (2001).

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photograph by Halvard Aas Midtun

Astropecten marginatus

2019-03-21

Manta ray By: Rick Sammon From: The Zoogoer 1994

Tonya Doughty