Marine Animals

Marine Animals

Leopard shark in Samoa

Researchers dropped a baited camera into the Pacific Ocean, then this secretive creature came to investigate

During a National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition, scientists found proof that confirmed leopard sharks occupy Samoan waters.
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Oyster Reef Cube in the North Sea

Huge concrete-like cubes were submerged off the coast of Britain. One year later, they’re teeming with creatures

Native oysters living on a newly restored reef off the coast of Whitburn, South Tyneside are 'thriving', according to conservationists
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Horseshoe crab embryos and juveniles

"Like bulldozers in a demolition derby.” These chaotic baby horseshoe crabs giving each other piggybacks are too cute for words

Horseshoe crabs are known for their life-saving abilities but they’re also incredibly cute.
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Salish Sea

Hairy-legged, red-eyed sea spider discovered in the Salish Sea

Scientists have discovered two new species of sea spider in the Pacific Northwest – including one with hairy legs and red eyes.
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Eastern oyster

Marine scientists filmed a 0.3mm oyster larva feeding. What they found is ringing alarm bells

High-speed imaging has helped scientists better understand how baby oysters feed, but what they’ve found could be a problem for future oyster populations.
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Comb Jellyfish

“The animals found deep down could easily star in a science fiction movie – including ones that float through the darkness like disembodied buttocks.”

The mesopelagic zone stretches from 200 metres to 1,000 metres deep and is full of bizarre, baffling and even bioluminescent creatures
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(Mark Erdmann/Reshark) Bestie.

Watch the adorable moment two endangered leopard sharks are released in Indonesia

The release of two young sharks mark an important milestone in the conservation of this endangered species
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Specimens of Antarctic krill collected during one of the dives ofROV SuBastian

“It was shocking.” Deep-sea scientists find unexpected creature 3,000ft below the ocean’s surface

Antarctic krill have been observed gathering and feeding at deep-sea hydrothermal vents more than 900m beneath the Southern Ocean
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Why jellyfish can still sting when they're dead

Peter Richardson explains how jellyfish are able to sting you even if they're dead
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On a site the size of 27 football fields, 2 million of these were dropped in the ocean to create an artificial reef – instead, it became a disaster

In the 1970s, this conservation project seemed like a great idea. Decades later, it’s caused untold damage
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Barrel sponge at the reef bottom

They look like toast racks, ping-pong balls and giant vases, range from pea-sized to car-sized – and are animals that have been on Earth for millions of years

With no gut, or circulatory or nervous system, sponges are among the simplest animals on Earth.
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California Sea Cucumber

"What sets it apart from the rest is that it doesn't just breathe through its anus - it eats through it, too." Meet the world's most amazing arse

This has to be the world's most weirdest bottom, says Stuart Blackman
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A humpback whale emerges with its mouth wide open while feeding near seagulls at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Massachusetts, USA.

Whales need fresh water to survive. Here’s how they get it in the salty ocean

How do whales take in enough fresh water while in the sea?
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(C)Borut Furlan

Sharks have a deadly secret sixth – and possibly – seventh sense to locate prey — and it’s more terrifying than you think

The surprisingly lethal way sharks can find and hunt their prey
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Humpback whales are some of the ocean’s loudest creatures – so why do they sometimes ‘whisper’?

Scientists have been listening to newborn humpback whales and their mothers.
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Humpbacks play and breach on the waters surface.  Andrew Buesnel/Getty images

Heartbreaking footage shows humpback whale mother grieving her calf off the coast of Australia

A rare observation offers a glimpse into the underreported grieving behaviour of this species.
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The Monterey Peninsula on the Central Coast of California comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove.

When scientists sent a robot into the deep ocean over 20 years ago, they found something never seen before – a gruesome discovery that led to a bizarre revelation

A blue whale, the world's largest mammal, blows a cloud of mist into the air as it swims at the surface of the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Escoumins, Quebec. Canada. © W. Perry Conway/Getty

Whales were once hunted to the brink of extinction – what happened when the world called a halt to commercial whaling?

A moratorium on commercial whaling was introduced, and widely implemented, in the 1980s in a bid to stop the decline in whale populations – but did it work?
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Sailfish image was shot off Isla Mujeres.

Deadly predators, colossal giants and animals visible from space: 20 ocean record breakers that will boggle your mind

Dive into the extreme, record-breaking wonders hidden beneath the waves
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White shark

Great white shark attacks 'ghost dolphin' in Brazil. A predation event like this has never been recorded here before

Scientists find evidence of a white shark predating a rare Franciscana dolphin in southern Brazil for the first time.
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Great white shark © Getty

"An endless supply of lethal razor-sharp teeth…" The astonishing weaponry of one of the world's deadliest, most feared predators

This iconic ocean predator has about 30,000 teeth - but not all at the same time.
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why do octopuses have three hearts

Why do octopuses have three hearts, when humans only have one?

Why - for octopuses - three hearts are better than one
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Sand crab

“Each one can shift more than 10x its own body weight in sand.” These tiny animals could be shaping the landscape more any other animal on Earth

Tiny sand hoppers may be one of the most powerful landscape-shaping animals on Earth
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Minke whale lunge feeding

In the 1950s, whaling ended around these remote Scottish islands. Decades later, up to 30 minke whales were spotted in one great gathering

Wildlife watchers visited the Scottish Hebrides to see what marine life can be found in waters where whales used to be hunted. They witnessed one of the largest minke whale aggregations ever recorded in the region.
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