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.

Watch heart-stopping footage of rescuers racing to save a sea lion being strangled by plastic before it's too late...

Rescuers saved a sea lion that had become tightly entangled in plastic packaging

Diver drops into Caribbean Sea at night, then tentacled animal rises from depths with unusual things inside it

The surprising sight was filmed on a night dive off the Mexican island of Cozumel.

Hundreds of dolphins are dying young – and scientists say the signs are alarming...

Population growth of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay has slowed

Underwater robot embarks on "historic mission" to circumnavigate globe. What it finds could be crucial

The subsea glider is sailing around the world to collect important ocean data that could help refine long-term climate projections, say researchers.

Heaviest jellyfish on Earth filmed off Washington coast

The lion's mane jellyfish has an estimated maximum weight of more than 1,000kg. This videographer found one on a night dive in the Salish Sea.

Night diver has "shock of lifetime" as immense animal swims out of darkness in Australia

While trying to capture a male weedy seadragon protecting his eggs, this photographer was surprised when an enormous creature appeared behind it.

“One of the ocean’s best kept secrets”: adorable pygmy seahorse filmed hiding in coral reef

A diver in the Philippines caught a rare glimpse of a pygmy seahorse sheltering among the coral.

"We believe this is the first time it has been attempted." Why scientists plan to freeze butterfly eggs in -196C liquid nitrogen

Researchers want to use a technique known as cryopreservation to boost numbers of one of Britain's rarest butterflies.

Iguana filmed “blowing snot rockets" in Galápagos

Unlike other lizards, marine iguanas can forage at sea – and have a clever strategy to get rid of the excess salt from their diet.

Diver finds colossal animal skeleton off Australian coast. We know what killed it

The gigantic creature was discovered on the seabed in a remote part of Western Australia.

When researchers tracked 24 giant manta rays into the deep, they discovered an amazing new behaviour

Scientists now think that oceanic manta rays dive hundreds of metres below the surface to get their bearings.

Disoriented dolphins are stranding more often – and scientists say a disturbing cause is emerging

Toxins from harmful algae can cause Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, such as disorientation, in dolphins

Explorers drop 6 miles into Japan's deepest abyss, then 29,556 bizarre organisms emerge from the darkness

The crewed submersible visited three underwater trenches during the expedition, reaching depths of 9,775 metres.

Oldest living animal ever found suggests Atlantic Ocean is close to tipping point, say scientists

Quahog clams can live for more than 500 years. A new study of these bivalves reveals what the ocean used to be like – and offers clues of what might happen in the future.

What is Fat Bear Week and why is everyone so obsessed with it?

For one week each September, Alaskan bears battle it out to be crowned the girthiest grizzly – but why?

When an underwater robot was sent to the bottom of a deep-sea canyon, it made an astounding discovery

Researchers in Uruguay have found thriving deep-water coral reefs and dozens of new species.

Drones capture rare killer whales off Washington coast doing something very special

Orca scientists filmed the touching moment Southern Resident killer whales rubbed their bellies together.

When a drone photographer filmed one of the world's most elusive whales, they did something that surprised him

Omura's whales are one of the most elusive baleen whales, only being formally identified in 2003

Watch terrifying, heart-stopping tense footage of a fierce polar bear mother defending her vulnerable cubs against a dangerous, deadly aggressor

A local tour guide in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, watched on nervously while a determined polar bear tracked a mum and her two vulnerable cubs.

Baited cameras dropped deep into Caribbean Sea. Then this showed up

The Atlantic six-gill shark was one of four species of shark recorded for the first time off the island of Anguilla in the eastern Caribbean Sea, say researchers.

It might be slow but don't be fooled as this is one of the world's deadliest snipers, causing paralysis, necrosis, coma, respiratory failure and death in humans – lovely...

Deadly yet potentially lifesaving, the venom of cone snails is powerful enough to kill hundreds of people — but could also hold the key to new treatments for diabetes and other diseases.

Odd animal seen 'flying' over seafloor in Caribbean. But that's not the strangest thing it does

Flying gurnards tap the sand as they skim along the bottom of the ocean. Researchers say the unusual behaviour has a vital purpose.

Barrels dumped off LA coast have developed spooky 'halos'. We finally know what's going on

Caustic alkaline waste seeping out of discarded barrels has caused eerie white halos on the seafloor