Marine Biology

The Mariana Trench is the deepest place in the ocean and contains some fascinating animals. NOAA has made some exciting discoveries about life in the trench.

Coral bleaching is an event in which corals lose their pigment and main source of food. It often causes corals to die. Oxybenzone in sunscreens may contribute to coral bleaching.

Marine compounds that were once known to be toxic to humans have now become life-saving drugs. Many of these are used either as anticancer drugs or to relieve pain in cancer.

The mucus that covers fish has several functions, including protection from multiple dangers and serving as food for young fish. The substance may also be useful for us.

Octopuses have fascinating abilities. Some have fins that help them move. Others demonstrate intelligence. The genome of one species is very unusual.

Pacific white-sided dolphins are intelligent and very social animals. This article describes the lives of the wild dolphins and of some rescued animals in captivity.

There are many fascinating and beautiful types of mollusks. This page is packed with pictures and facts on the kinds you can easily find, plus some that you might want to avoid at all costs.

The unexplored bottom of the ocean floor is home to a plethora of weird and creepy sea creatures who never see the sun. In this Hub I list ten of them, and explain exactly what makes them so creepy.

Lobsters are interesting animals to observe and study in a natural setting. They are popular food items, but the way in which we kill them is controversial.

The lamprey is a frightening eel-like parasite, but could they really attack humans? Here's a look at this monster of nightmares.

Pyrosomes are strange creatures that swim in the ocean and are bioluminescent. They are undergoing a puzzling population increase off the west coast of North America.

Bowhead whales live in the Arctic, break through ice to breathe, and sing intriguing and beautiful songs. They have a large head with a huge, bow-shaped mouth.

Two amazing phenomena in nature are the annual migration of millions of red crabs on Christmas Island and the "everlasting" Catatumbo lightning in Venezuela.

Top predators, such as sharks, are vital to the health of all ecosystems, but they are being hunted and killed close to extinction.

The frilled shark is a strange, deep water shark with a wide head, a huge mouth, and a long, eel-like body. It’s caught as bycatch and is near threatened.

Some sharks produce beautiful patterns of light in a process called biofluorescence. The light emission may have important functions.