Plant, Animal or Algae? Discovering the Mysteries of California’s Kelp Forests
Few sights in the natural world are as spectacular as that of a healthy forest of giant kelp witnessed on a day when the…
Marine Life
Invaders from Inner Space: Revealing Nemo’s True Colors
If you know a kid younger than 10, then you also know the names Nemo and Dory. And just in case you’re one of…
Grace, Power and Mystery: The Hammerheads
The shark first appeared along the edge of visibility. All I could make out was a large, dark shadow that slowly circled at least…
The Census of Marine Life: How Scientists Intend to Count All the Fishes in the Sea
There are things you know, things you don’t know, and things you’ll never know. That’s one of the immutable laws of science. But occasionally,…
Did You Hear That? The Not-So-Silent Undersea World
Want to get away from it all? Enjoy a little peace and tranquility? No ringing telephones, doorbells, ranting bosses, radios or stereos turned up…
They’ve Got Faces Only Their Mothers Could Love: Frogfishes, Toadfishes, Scorpionfishes and Stonefishes
I have heard these fishes described as being so ugly that their looks are endearing, so ugly that they are cute. Grotesque, frumpy, grumpy,...
Sea Stars: Jewels of the Seashore and the Reefs
As school-age kids, long before we even thought of becoming scuba divers, almost all of us had some awareness about the marine creatures known…
What Makes A Fish A Fish? Common Characteristics of Fishes
Here’s a question for you: In addition to living in water, whale sharks, manta rays, moray eels, groupers, gobies, rainbow trout and sea horses…
New Kids on the Block: How Scientists Identify New Species
The picture didn’t match the name. The small red sea horse didn’t look like a juvenile pygmy sea horse even if that’s what the…
Did You See That? The Art of Observing Marine Life
The fish, a spectacularly colored grouper, paused and opened its mouth. Finning only slightly to maintain its position just a foot (30 cm) or…