Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Proof that there's more than one way to squid 🦑⁠

There's no party like a market squid party! 🦑🙌⁠

A tiny red splash in a world of brown ❤️⁠

Gelatinous zooplankton like this Ptychogastria jellyfish are common in the deep ocean, especially where the water column meets the seafloor. About the size of a quarter, these tiny red jellies use suction cups on some of their tentacles to anchor themselves to the seafloor, while other tentacles around the bell help them detect and capture food.

Shimmering through the darkness 🦑✨️

This long-armed jewel squid (Stigmatoteuthis dofleini) was observed at 840 meters (2,760 feet) on the outer Monterey Canyon. This species is a close relative of the strawberry squid (Histioteuthis heteropsis), but sightings by MBARI's ROVs are much less common. Like the strawberry squid, Stigmatoteuthis has a large left eye and a small right eye. However, unlike the strawberry squid, its appearance is not striking scarlet but rather tinged with silver.

Glass squids live in the boundless waters of the twilight, or mesopelagic, zone.⁠ 🦑💫

Effortlessly working the water column like... 😶‍🌫️

Fishes in the family Macrouridae, also known as rattails, can glimpse even the faintest flickers of bioluminescence—the “living light” produced by deep-sea animals. Their keen eyesight reveals prey, like fishes and squid, darting in the waters above the seafloor.⁠ ⁠ A rattail relies on other senses, like smell and touch, to find a meal too. It has a nose for rotting carrion, and sensitive barbels on its chin detect small crustaceans or worms wiggling in the mud below.

Spend some quality time with this scarlet stunner ❤️✨️⁠

Spotted: Deep-sea besties doing deep-sea things 🐙💞⁠

The silky jelly is one of the fastest swimming jellies, using coordinated jet propulsion to flee danger. 🪼✨️⁠

Our observations of Colobonema in the depths of the Monterey Canyon have helped visualize that escape in finer detail. While at rest, Colobonema spreads out curly tentacles to capture food. But when threatened, the jelly’s bell rapidly contracts, and its shape quickly transforms. The rounded bell becomes almost tubular in appearance, and Colobonema’s coiled tentacles straighten and elongate. Now, a mad dash to safety begins. A single swimming burst can propel the silky jelly more than five body lengths forward.⁠

As they make a quick exit, they drop sticky tentacles to confuse potential predators. We have seen silky jellies with tentacles of varying, uneven lengths. This suggests that Colobonema can grow back their lost tentacles.⁠

We have recorded an extensive archive of deep-sea video that offers insight into more than just animal behavior. Our researchers use this trove of data to understand long-term trends in populations of midwater animals. Comparing thousands of observations of deep-sea jellies reveals how their populations ebb and flow over time.

Mark your calendars—MBARI Open House is back! 🗓️

MBARI's 2026 Open House will be on Saturday, July 11, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This free, family-friendly community event at our research facilities in Moss Landing, California, offers an opportunity to learn about MBARI's latest ocean discoveries and technology innovations.

Happy World Ocean Day! 🌊💙 🪼

For decades, MBARI's underwater robots have explored the ocean’s pelagic realm—one of Earth’s largest, but least-understood, living spaces—revealing the astonishing diversity of animals that live there. Every expedition uncovers new insights about the biodiversity, food webs, and processes that sustain life in the ocean.

As human activities and climate change continue to reshape marine environments, long-term exploration and observation are more important than ever. This #WorldOceanDay, we celebrate the scientists, engineers, communicators, and operations crew working together to advance ocean knowledge and the discoveries that help inform the future of our blue planet.

A new view of life in the deep sea 🪼📸🤖🌊 

An international team of researchers has discovered more than two dozen new marine species during a recent expedition led by Schmidt Ocean Institute and MBARI Adjunct Karen Osborn off the coast of Brazil in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean. 

Scientists aboard R/V Falkor (too) used advanced imaging technologies developed by MBARI's Bioinspiration Lab and other collaborators to study delicate midwater animals in their natural habitat. MBARI's innovative DeepPIV and EyeRIS systems allowed the team to capture detailed 3D visualizations of delicate deep-sea drifters.

Images from Schmidt Ocean Institute’s ROV SuBastian were added to the FathomVerse app while the expedition was still underway to crowd-source identification labels for midwater animals, inviting anyone from around the world to take part in ocean exploration as it happened.

These emerging technologies are transforming our ability to explore the deep, providing researchers with new tools for collecting data about life and ecosystems that remain shrouded in mystery.

MBARI research and technology are answering fundamental questions about the ocean’s depths. The information we collect with our peers will help guide decision-making about the future of the ocean to safeguard life on our blue planet.

Today, FathomVerse is releasing a suite of new features, including a brand new mini-game called Filter, to expedite community-driven analysis of underwater imagery and accelerate ocean discovery. 📱🙌

Developed by MBARI and partners in the FathomNet Program, the FathomVerse app engages ocean enthusiasts around the world to help improve the artificial intelligence tools researchers use to study the ocean.

Serving some major squeeee 😱🥹🥰⁠

Let's hear it for the worms! 🙌🏽⁠

Named for their acorn-shaped front end, enteropneusts are actually more closely related to humans than to worms. They have a rudimentary nerve cord that is similar to ours, and they breathe oxygen using structures similar to a fish's gills.⁠

Acorn worms are also connected to humans through the carbon cycle. They play a significant role in the redistribution of sediment and nutrients in deep-sea communities. ⁠

Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere mixes into the ocean at the surface. Tiny plant-like plankton transform carbon dioxide into organic material and are then eaten by larger animals. As these animals eat, poop, and die, they create a flurry of organic material known as marine snow. The sinking snow moves nutrients and carbon all the way down to the deep seafloor, where bottom-dwelling animals, like acorn worms, enjoy a bountiful feast. This cycle is known as the biological pump.

Earlier this month, a team of @montereybayaquarium biologists completed an expedition to Guide Seamount aboard MBARI’s flagship research vessel David Packard to explore the seamount’s rocky ridges. 

Located approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) offshore of Davenport, California, Guide Seamount is an underwater mountain made up of four parallel volcanic ridges.

Previous MBARI surveys documented the community of marine life that lives on the seamount and in the waters above its summit. After studying this seamount, the team conducted midwater surveys in Monterey Bay and Ascension Canyon. 

With the support of MBARI’s marine operations team, including R/V David Packard crew and ROV Doc Ricketts pilots, the expedition team successfully collected several animals for exhibit at the Aquarium, some species on public display for the first time anywhere in the world.

MBARI and the Monterey Bay Aquarium have a rich history of collaboration. Together, we’re working to raise awareness about life in the deep sea. Learn more on our website.