Did You Know?

What will a warming ocean mean for zooplankton communities? “From fish to whales, nearly every predator in the sea eats zooplankton, or eats something that does. Understanding how climate impacts zooplankton can help us predict ecosystem changes to build resilient, climate-ready fisheries and communities.” (NOAA)

Manta rays are impressive in so many ways, including how they coordinate hunting and have complex social interactions. And, did you know that the oceanic manta rays have the largest brain of all fish?

The polychaete body plan is clearly very successful. These segmented worms live in all marine habitats from the sandy beach and muddy shores; from the ocean surface down to the midwater and the deepest ocean hot vents.

BIG NEWS: Nations came together to agree on the first-ever treaty to protect the biodiversity of the high seas.

The deep sea is the largest habitat on earth and despite being species-rich it is the least explored. Scientists estimate that about 90% of species in the oceans are not yet discovered.

Generally the future of the ocean and its inhabitants, due to the climate crisis, doesn’t give us reason for optimism. But there seems to be hope for some cephalopod species to thrive.

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz put sensors on seals that record depth, temperature and salinity while the migrated some 6,000 miles across the North Pacific.

Flatworms are some of the most colorful marine creatures. Their spectacular colors and patterns can be eye popping. Scuba divers and tide-poolers love to take pictures of them for good reason; they are dazzling.

In 2015 a “blob” of warm water, combined with a strong El Niño created extra warm water in the Monterey Bay and slowed the growth of giant kelp. This warming caused sea urchins, who typically thrived in their niches, to proactively search for kelp instead of waiting for it to drift by. This all created what is known as sea urchin barrens.

Octopuses have a relatively big brain just like other smart animals. But their highly complex nervous system evolved independently from vertebrates. Surprisingly, most of the neurons that do the computing for the brain are in the octopus’s arms. And that means they may have essentially nine brains, not one.