Marine Animals
"Balloons don’t get much bigger than a gas-filled whale": Just why do whales explode?
Just why do whales explode? What causes these giants of the sea to fill ip with gas when they die? Stuart Blackman explains
Giant 'phantom' animal filmed swimming over the seafloor in Antarctica
A remotely operated vehicle stumbled across the creature – which can reach lengths of up to 10 metres – on an eight-day expedition near the Bellingshausen Sea off Antarctica.
Time-lapse camera records elusive tentacled animal 5,000m deep in Atlantic Ocean
The footage gave researchers new insights into a type of deep-sea creature only previously captured through still photography.
“Utterly spectacular”: incredibly rare 'pack ice' killer whale filmed swimming in Antarctic snow
Pack ice killer whales are a unique type of orca that live in Antarctica – and there are fewer than 100 left.
Underwater vehicle stumbles across never-seen-alive 'glass' animal in Antarctic abyss
The tentacled denizen of the deep was found drifting through the darkness 687 metres beneath the surface.
Dragon of the abyss: this rarely seen deep-sea creature is like a shadow with fangs
Dragonfish are often very dark in colour, making them almost invisible to prey in the deep ocean.
When researchers sunk baited cameras into Timor-Leste’s deep ocean for the first time, they made a stunning discovery
The cameras recorded the first-ever live footage of one of the rarest deep-sea animals in the world.
These 15 magical photos show just how uniquely beautiful octopuses can be
Striking images that show different species of octopus in new light, capturing their full, tentacled majesty
An armoured sea creature is hiding in plain sight on the deep, dark walls on Monterey Canyon
Tough scales protect it from predators, while long, sticky tentacles help it ensnare prey.
Colossal squid filmed alive in deep ocean for the first time ever
The incredible footage of a colossal squid in its natural environment was captured in the South Atlantic Ocean 100 years after the species was identified.
These marine mammals are one of the strangest and rarest in the ocean - sometimes diving more than 2.5km down?
"We were amazed to observe a cuttlefish waving back" – video experiment stuns scientists
The researchers observed what happened when cuttlefish watched videos of, and listened to recordings of, fellow cuttlefish performing special arm wave signs.
David Attenborough narrates amazing BBC footage of hermit crabs lining up to swap homes - who said moving was stressful?
David Attenborough narrates this brilliant depiction of hermit crabs shopping for shells
"So weird. So unreal”: diver films fantastical creatures crawling along seafloor
These extraordinary animals come in a range of colours and patterns so wide that people are surprised they’re even real.
Cataclysmic volcanic eruption in Hawai'i triggers astonishing explosion of life 1,200 miles away
When Hawai‘i’s Kīlauea volcano erupted in May 2018, it wasn’t just the island that felt the impact, say scientists in a new study.
"Insanely lucky" drone pilot catches rare glimpse of ancient animal in Australia
The endangered sea creature has only been sighted around 60 times in New South Wales – this lucky photographer caught three different individuals on film.
Peculiar sea creature that looks like a spotty golf ball filmed near Vancouver Island after season-long search
These strange red animals are hard to find because they hide in rocks and kelp – but that didn't stop this underwater videographer from trying.
When marine biologists peered into this shark egg, they were utterly astonished by what they saw
The researchers documented the first confirmed case of identical twins in small spotted catsharks.
These strange, blubbery giants weigh up to a tonne and can grow as long as a car – awe-inspiring Arctic powerhouses that can crush anything in their path
All you ever wanted to know about walruses
“This is what a turtle eruption looks like – wait till the end!"
Watch the magical moment baby green turtles erupt from their nest on Heron Island in Australia.
Ocean photographer films "beyond mesmerising" natural spectacle in underwater cave
A photographer has shared dazzling footage from his daily visits to see thousands of fish swim together “in perfect synchronicity”.
When great white sharks vanished from False Bay, it triggered something disturbing
There has been a dramatic ripple effect since the apex predators disappeared from the 30km-wide bay on the southern tip of South Africa, say scientists.
In 2013, dozens of dolphins mysteriously died in Florida – scientists just figured out why
Researchers have finally solved the decade-long puzzle of why so many of Indian River Lagoon’s dolphins died in a single year.
Are blubber and fat the same thing? Why blubber is always fat, but fat isn’t always blubber
We take a look at blubber – what is its purpose and why don't you see any furry marine animals?