Marine Habitats, Part III: Life in a Coral Reef Community
Question: Can you name the largest biologically produced structures to ever exist on Earth? Clue: It is not an extinct dinosaur, nor is it…
Marine Life
Life in the Sand and Rubble ecosystems (Part 2)
This article is the second in a four-part series that deals with different ecosystems in the world’s oceans. In this segment, we will take…
Neptune’s Nurseries: Where Sea Meets Land
The intertwined roots of mangroves help stabilize the substrate, providing a better environment for swamp residents. In such food-rich areas, it probably comes as…
Squid Run – Invasion of the Cephalopods
New Year’s Eve, and the clock was just about to strike midnight. In the streets and bars of San Diego’s famed La Jolla district,…
The Wonderfully Wacky World Of Fishes
When full grown they vary in length from less than one-fifth of an inch/1 cm to almost 50 feet/16m. Their weight ranges from being…
MATING GAMES: Courtship and Seduction in the Sea
The first time I was asked to go grunion hunting, I was extremely flattered. You see, I was new to the San Diego area,…
Kelp – Forests in the Sea
During an ideal day, few places on earth appear more inviting than a southern California kelp forest. On the surface, the Pacific is calm,…
The Amazing Ocean: The Facts of Life Under the Sea
A well-known Chinese proverb maintains that a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s especially true in a world where we’re bombarded with information,…
Learning to See, Seeing to Learn Part II More of What’s Going on Underwater
This tiny, well-camouflaged clingfish provides a classic example of commensalism. The clingfish gains protection by hiding on its host — a crinoid — while…
Learning to See, Seeing to Learn Part I: A Look at What’s Going on Underwater
Everywhere I looked I saw sharks — big hammerhead sharks — some close to 11 feet/3 m long. I don’t know how many sharks…