Sea Creatures

Watch Rare Footage of the Mysterious Ghost Shark Gliding Through the Deep

Researchers spotted the grey-blue creature off the coast of California—far from its usual haunts in the Southern hemisphere

New species of scaleworm, Peinaleopolynoe.

Six New Deep Sea Creatures Just Discovered at Site Slated for Underwater Mining

Seafloor hot springs are rife with life

This year, the Great Barrier Reef was found to be hiding another reef beneath it.

Top Eight Ocean Stories That Made Waves in 2016

2016 wasn't all bad: Stubborn environmental problems were livened up thanks to new solutions, “gee whiz” discoveries and mysterious orbs

The shipworm, scourge of sailors everywhere, is actually a kind of ghostly saltwater clam.

How a Ship-Sinking Clam Conquered the Ocean

The wood-boring shipworm has bedeviled humans for centuries. What's its secret?

Mustard gas from wars past is decaying in the world's oceans—but scientists don't yet know how dangerous it could be. Here, U.S. Navy ship prepare for scheduled deployment in the Pacific Ocean in 2014.

Chemical Weapons Dumped in the Ocean After World War II Could Threaten Waters Worldwide

How worried should we be? Chemists are racing the clock to find out

A rare book depicting the sea monk by Guillaume Rondelet (1507-1566) in the Smithsonian Libraries dates to 1554.

Renaissance Europe Was Horrified by Reports of a Sea Monster That Looked Like a Monk Wearing Fish Scales

Something fishy this way comes

A remote-controlled hexacopter captured this image of two northern resident killer whales photographed from 100 feet. Scientists use the unmanned drone as a cost-effective, non-intrusive method for monitoring the health of whales.

How Drones in the Sky Unlock Secrets of the Sea

Researchers are using aerial technology to track coastal erosion, map coral reefs and even give whales a breathalyzer

Kure Atoll, the northernmost reef in the Hawaiian archipelago, hosts mesophotic reefs with the most species unique to a specific location found in any marine ecosystem on Earth.

Here’s What Scientists Found in Hawaii’s Mysterious “Twilight Zone”

Deep coral reefs reveal their secrets in a study two decades in the making

The rare green sea turtle, shown here on a volcanic beach in the Pacific, made a mysterious reappearance on Bermuda's shores in 2015.

The Strange Reappearance of the Once-Vanished Green Sea Turtle

It's a conservation biology riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a hard shell

A reef off the coast of Bonaire

Jacques Cousteau's Grandson Is 3D Printing Coral Reefs

Fabien Cousteau, descendant of the famous sea explorer, is working on a project to bring 3D printed coral reefs to the Caribbean island of Bonaire

A hammerhead caught on a longline.

Is It Too Late to Save Red Sea Sharks?

With anti-fishing laws virtually unenforced, sharks off the coast of Saudi Arabia are being fished to death

The Billion Oyster Project is trying to help restore oysters to New York City's waterways.

Thousands of Toilets Submerged in NY Harbor Go From Bathroom Throne to Oyster Home

It’s much too soon to eat them, though

An Airbus A300 jumbo jet like this has been sunk off the Turkish coast to create an artificial reef.

Turkey Sunk an Airplane to Turn It Into a Reef

An Airbus jumbo jet will soon become home to all sorts of sea life

These comical looking mollusks are common to the Caribbean. Their eyes poke out on stalks from inside large, pink, beautiful shells, and they move along one “step” at a time, with a lift and a flop, leaving tracks behind in the sand.

An Elegant Tool Called Squidpop That Scientists Want to Crowdsource

The device is so easy to use, researchers are asking for a “squidpop blitz” for World Oceans Day

Collector urchins can protect themselves from the sun by covering themselves with bits of algae, coral and other detritus.

Urchin Sunscreen and Other Ways Animals Beat the Burn

Species have come up with a variety of ways to protect themselves from the sun

The body of a young female beaked whale washed ashore in South Australia

Rare Beaked Whale Washes Ashore in Australia

Sporting unusual teeth, the young female offers researchers a chance to study an elusive cetacean

Healthy purple sea stars, also called ochre sea stars, in a tide pool.

Wasting Disease Clears Way for Young Sea Stars, for Now

Whether or not the devastated populations are on the road to recovery remains uncertain

Deep-Sea Researchers Spot a Mysterious Jellyfish Near The Mariana Trench

The glowing jellyfish was previously unknown to science

Watch a Massive Swarm of Crabs Scuttling Along The Ocean Floor

Marine biologists say this behavior has never been seen before

Each year, thousands of California sea lions flock to the docks at Oregon's Port of Astoria.

An Oregon Port Is Using Inflatable Air Dancers to Scare Off Pesky Sea Lions

The car dealership staple is now a marine mammal scarecrow

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