Floating in the Gloom

[blanklystaringatwalls]

oh goodness! oh dear!! oh no!!!

[montereybayaquarium]

What bin does it go in? ♻️🌿🗑️

The Monterey Bay Aquarium teamed up with Trinity to find out what bin everyday waste items belong in: recycle, compost, or trash. ♻️🌿🗑️

As she puts her sorting skills to the test, we’re also focused on how we can get plastic out of our system—before it becomes waste in the first place. This Plastic Free July, we’re reminded that reducing the waste we create, reusing what we can, and properly disposing of what’s left helps prevent plastic pollution from reaching marine habitats and the animals that depend on them. 🌊 

For more sustainability tips, sign up for the Aquarium’s ocean action emails.

[mbari-blog]

Meet one of the ocean's biggest surprises. 🌊

Big red jellies can reach more than a meter (three feet) across. These jellies are covered in tiny, harpoon-like stinging cells that stun prey. Unlike most jellyfish, big red doesn't have long trailing tentacles. Instead, a cluster of finger-like oral arms beneath its bell helps it capture food.

Big red was first discovered off the central California coast in 1988, by MBARI staff. This jelly has been spotted across the Pacific Ocean, from Baja California to Hawaii to Japan.

The fact that an animal this large, with such a wide range, remained undiscovered for so long is a reminder of how little we've explored the deep sea—and how many incredible discoveries are still waiting to be found.

[thedeepsharks]

[th-orne]

eastern emerald elysia, elysia chlorotica

(inaturalist)

[miamaimania]

Colpophyllia natans — close-up of a brain coral colony, its maze-like ridges and polyp texture

[xanaxfarts]

Red-Lined Bubble Snail

[echinoderm-of-the-day]

Pseudonepanthia troughtoni

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

[jumpintothewaves]

Old Man of the Sea

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.

[mbari-blog]

The deep sea's most graceful commuter 💫⁠

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.

[echinoderm-of-the-day]

Ophiothrix suensonii

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

[cosmonautroger]

jellyfish babies

[dailycephalopods]

Daily Cephalopod #224

[mbari-blog]

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.

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.

[decapod-of-the-day]

Decapod of the day: Panulirus versicolor | Painted Spiny Lobster

(source)

[mbari-blog]

Spend some quality time with this scarlet stunner ❤️✨️⁠

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.

[marine-gifs]

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