Magical moments with a splendiferous snailfish, Careproctus melanurus from from @mbari_news
Snailfishes (family Liparidae) are a diverse and thriving group of fishes with over 400 described species.
They have tadpole-like bodies with broad pectoral fins and tiny tail fins. They are found globally in all ocean basins, from shallow intertidal waters to the deepest depths of the ocean.
These flabby, scaleless fishes are well-adapted to various habitats, including rocky outcrops, the muddy seafloor, and even the midwater.
They play an important role as prey and predator in many ecosystems. Most snailfish species are small and feed on tiny invertebrates, but larger species may prey upon other fishes.
MBARI has observed over a dozen species of snailfish in the past 34 years of exploration. We suspect there are dozens more out there waiting to be discovered.
From @mbari_news: Deep-sea anglerfish are strange and elusive creatures that are very rarely observed in their natural habitat.
Fewer than half a dozen have ever been captured on film or video by deep-diving research vehicles. This little angler, about nine centimetres long, is named Melanocetus and lives in the deep dark waters of the Monterey Canyon.
Anglers have a remarkable apparatus on their heads called an esca— a fishing pole with a luminous lure at the tip—which they use to attract their prey.
In the darkness of deep water, they flash this light to attract prey and draw them near the angler's mouth. When a fish or a squid swims up, it is quickly inhaled by the angler's huge mouth and trapped by its long, sharp teeth.
Given the shape of this angler's body, it is clearly not designed for speed. Instead, these are ambush predators, lurking in the darkness to grab an unwary meal.
In their dark habitat, anglerfish rely more on feeling the movements of other animals in the water around them than on vision.
The tiny pale dots you see along the sides of the fish and on its head are organs that can detect the slightest movements and function very effectively in the dark.
When we came upon this specimen, at a depth of about 600 metres, we noted that she had a broken tooth on the left side of her lower jaw.
We have no idea whether it will be replaced by another after it falls off. So far as we know, there is no tooth fairy in the deep ocean.
It's no wonder these little guys are often referred to as the puppies of the sea!
Video: Leanne Aitken via underwaterstuffs
Just wait till the end and you’ll see how chubby this halibut really is.
From: Underwater Paparazzi
Manta cleaning station from @island_divers
From: @mark.smith.photography "Ever filmed a hatchling loggerhead turtle as it makes its way to the ocean? Thinking awww, what a beautiful moment.
"Then the dynamic and unpredictable world of nature sends in the predator. I remember watching this thinking oh my god! This is horrible but it is nature. The turtle survived by the way."
Via @seven_seas_explorer
Octopus love filmed by @peter.a.boshra via @oceanvirals
Shrimp moulting?
Shrimps are invertebrates, and like the majority of invertebrates they have an exoskeleton (a skeleton on the outside) to protect themselves.
Molting is when a shrimp leaves its tight-fitting exoskeleton in order to start growing a new, larger one to live in.
In healthy conditions an adult shrimp will molt every three to four weeks, but younger shrimp will molt more often due how to fast they grow, perhaps every one or two weeks.
Once they've left their hard shell, they will absorb some water to grow a bit larger and then wait for their new shell to harden in the next size up.
Molting is also necessary for breeding to take place, when a female shrimp leaves her hard shell she releases a pheromone encouraging males to mate with her.
Video by @icelandic_fish_tanks via @ocean.portrait
A camper-jelly providing shelter to a baby fish.
If you have ever wondered about the ecological role of jellyfishes in our oceans, here is one of the many important ones they fulfill: being temporary shelter for a number of baby fish species, like these Mediterranean horse mackerels.
These baby fishes find shelter from predators among the central dome and mouth-arms of this Mediterranean jellyfish (also known as the “fried-egg” jelly), as their temporary moving-home travels across the big blue sea.
Caption and shot by: @pelayosalinas via @scubadiverlife
Gentoo Penguins on a small piece of ice in Antarctica.
Video by @silverphotography.ru via @_ocean.life__
Must be spring. From @oceandefender
Under the chaos of the waves at a crowded beach - a seahorse just vibing.
From @kylesoto
@patrickc_la experiencing bioluminescence in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria, and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies.
