Dr Helen Scales

Dr Helen Scales is a marine biologist, broadcaster and science writer. She is the author of Spirals in Time and The Brilliant Abyss.

Recent articles by Dr Helen Scales

A flying fish

How do ‘flying fish’ fly?

A sperm whale swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Why is whale poo good for the planet?

Book with shells. © Getty

Best books on marine and coastal wildlife

Cockleshell on the beach. © Getty

Insects & Invertebrates

Seashells expert guide: what are they, where do they come from, and how are they made?

Common Sydney octopus showing a tentacle and suckers. © cbimages/Alamy

Insects & Invertebrates

Do octopuses ever live together?

Great white shark. © Getty

Is there really no such thing as a fish?

Turritopsis dohrnii. © Yiming Chen/Getty

Insects & Invertebrates

Is it really true that some animals live forever?

Seen from below, the white bellies of lemon sharks help them to disappear in bright sunlight - the blue sky in this photo is misleading. From above, their yellow-tinted skin belnds in perfectly with the mangrove's sandy seabed © Shane Gross

The fascinating world of the lemon shark