Featured Creatures

One of the most abundant creatures in the aquatic world is the tiny crustacean called a copepod. Most live as plankton in the open ocean. But they also live in the deepest ocean trenches, freshwater streams and lakes, in caves, and really anywhere there’s water — from frigid to very hot. 

Ammonites may be the most familiar fossil to us — aside from dinosaurs.What are those spiral rocks that seem to come in every size? Ammonites were molluscs, specifically cephalopods, most closely related to octopus and squid living today.

We’d like to introduce you to an animal we don’t explore much at Shape of Life: Bryozoans. Bryozoans, also known as Ectoprocta, and commonly referred to as moss animals (bryophytes are mosses) have been around since the Cambrian.

photo by Cheryl MooreheadWalking the beach you may be lucky enough to find an intact sand dollar. These are the bleached exoskeleton of dead animals. What do you know about live sand dollars? Notice the five-rayed star on the top of your sand dollar. Sand dollars are echinoderms, related to sea stars and sea urchins. Like all echinoderms, their bodies are based on five-part symmetry (watch our video on the body plan of these animals: Five part symmetry).

You may remember seeing an anglerfish in the movie Finding Nemo. It definitely made an impression on us.Learn more about how the freaky Anglerfish lures is prey.

If you have ever looked at a chiton glued tightly to a rock, you might have wondered about its life. This well-armored creature’s body is covered by an overlapping eight-part shell (called shell valves), which protects its soft molluscan body.

Watching water striders skimming on the water is mesmerizing. People call these bugs many names based on how they move on the water: water striders, water skippers, pond skaters, water skeeters, water skippers, and even Jesus bugs (because these bugs do walk on the water). 

The giant hydrothermal vent tubeworms aren’t called “extremophiles” (they live in extreme environments) for no reason. Colonies of these tubeworms live on hydrothermal vents spewing hot, mineral-rich water that, in some places, can reach an astounding 350 degrees Celsius (660 degrees Fahrenheit).

The climate crisis is impacting so many beloved and iconic animals including penguins. Everything we read sounds dire for many penguin species. A new scientific study “found that if climate change continues at its current rate, emperor penguins could virtually disappear by the year 2100 due to loss of Antarctic sea ice.

Climate Crisis and the American LobsterThe American lobster, an icon for our seafood in the U.S., may be in trouble because of climate change. How is this coveted epicurean pleasure threatened?Warming water appear to be particularly impacting the early life stages of American lobster. Before they're even able to move to cooler waters, Larval and juvenile lobsters, even more sensitive to water temperatures, don't stand a chance as they're too young to move to cooler waters.