Melissa Hobson
Marine science and conservation writer
Melissa Hobson, doing business as The Ocean Writer Ltd., is a marine science and conservation writer based in Hastings. She has written about the ocean for outlets including BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, National Geographic, New Scientist and the Guardian. Visit Melissa’s website at melissahobson.co.uk or follow her on LinkedIn.
Recent articles by Melissa Hobson
"Suddenly one shot to the surface... I'd never seen anything like this before"
A diver in the Maldives was lucky enough to film the exact moment a eagle ray decided to shoot up to the surface in a magnificent breach.
Which absorbs more carbon – forests or oceans?
Forests store a remarkable amount of carbon, but which stores more – forests or oceans?
“Seriously underestimated.” Shark experts looked into the eyes of this deep-sea giant and were stunned by what they saw
Researchers have long thought that Greenland sharks have poor vision but a new study reveals the opposite.
“It took me a few seconds to register what I was seeing.” Diver makes incredible discovery in Australian kelp forest
Researcher Océane Attlan just found a fish so rare it has only been recorded once since it was first discovered.
Why scientists just drilled 1,000m to the bottom of the ‘Doomsday Glacier’
Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and South Korea wanted to see inside the 40-mile-wide Antarctic glacier to learn more about why it's melting so rapidly.
Elusive tentacled animals that "avoid sunlight like the plague" spotted off coast of Norway
OceanX explorers filmed the drifting red helmet jellyfish in the deep waters off the Scandinavian coast.
Do crocodiles get a taste for human flesh?
When saltwater crocodiles become a risk to people’s safety, they are often killed or taken into captivity. Is this fair? Do they really develop a preference for human meat?
"Never seen before.” Scientists make astounding discovery on Australian island
Researchers in Australia found an endangered species of lamprey far outside its usual range and hope this could help them better understand how to protect it.
Researchers sink listening devices 1,100m deep off the Louisiana coast and hear the sounds of an elusive animal
Scientists used 3D acoustic technology to learn more about the diving behaviour of beaked whales – this is what they found.
“Lifted her enormous foot.” Herd of elephants stomps towards photographer's camera in Kenya, then this happens
A wildlife photographer set up his camera and moved away to give the elephants plenty of space. But the curious herd had other ideas for his camera...
The US Navy detected a strange sound in the ocean. These scientists think it could be coming from the loneliest animal on the planet
Known as the “loneliest whale in the world”, the mystery 52-hertz whale sings at a different frequency from other baleen species – could it be lonely?
Do sharks develop a taste for human flesh after a first bite?
Humans aren’t natural prey for sharks and it’s incredibly unlikely that sharks get a taste for humans after a bite
It's 6 metres long, ugly with translucent skin and looks like a goblin with a witch’s nose and has the strangest jaw ever seen. Oh and it lives deep in the ocean too
This jaw-dropping shark is pink, nightmarishly ugly and can slingshot its jaw out of its face when it’s hungry
1,000 giant fish are mysteriously circling in this South African estuary. Scientists may finally know why
Researchers believe they may have worked out why giant trevally swim upstream in the Mtentu Estuary and circle in vast numbers.
A 136kg body part was just found floating in the ocean in Hawai'i
Whale placentas only float on the surface of the ocean briefly, so collecting them for scientific study is incredibly rare.
“I can’t express to you how rare this behaviour is”: 'tail walking' dolphin filmed in California
In this rare behaviour, the dolphins push themselves vertically out of the water and ‘walk’ along using their tail.
Scientists take DNA from 623 beluga whales in Alaska. What they discover surprises them all
Researchers in Alaska have discovered that beluga whales have lots of different partners and this “mate switching” could be vital for helping populations survive.
Crocodile experts are gathering eggs from nests in Laos. This is why
Critically endangered Siamese crocodiles are getting a head start in Laos thanks to local conservation teams.
Drone captures incredible whale hunting behaviour in Canada. Experts think they've only just learned how to do it
Scientists believe that Alaskan humpback whales are teaching Canadian populations to bubble net feed.
These students dropped a baited camera into the Atlantic Ocean. "All went quiet…" then this showed up
The students were blown away by the marine life on their field trip in the Azores, a remote archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean.
'Walking sharks' found off Australian coast. A closer look reveals extraordinary new discovery
The find suggests that epaulette sharks, known for their unusual ability to 'walk' along the seafloor, could be more resilient to environmental threats than we thought.
Spy camera dropped into sea off Washington coast and left there for more than 100 days. This is why
Researchers placed the camera next to a tidal turbine to see how animals interact with the equipment in the water.
There's a weird fish in Washington with a huge hole in its head. Scientists think they've figured out why
Researchers studying rockhead poachers from Deadman Bay think they may have solved the mystery of the fish's odd bowl-shaped head.
Researchers strapped cameras to penguins in Antarctica and followed them into the deep. What they filmed is incredible
Scientists put tiny cameras on penguins’ backs in efforts to gather evidence to support new marine protected areas in Antarctica.
