Below Sea Level

oceansoftheworld:

(Source) 

Humboldt squid (see this previous post)

The following is an excerpt from an article, view the source to read the full version.

The monstrous squid remains motionless just ten feet away. Emotions gave way to cognitive thought and I trained my camcorder on him and begin to record. Almost on cue, he begins his approach. Then, with blinding acceleration, he lurches onto me with a powerful “thud crackle”. He slams into my chest. The impact was incredibly powerful, knocking the wind out of me. His huge arms envelope my complete upper body and camera and I can feel my chest plate move as his beak grinds against it. The crackle and scratching of thousands of chitenous ring teeth against my fiberglass/kevlar chest plate is unmistakable. 

biitumen:

omg i love these guys

(via alongthereef)

oceansoftheworld:

(Photo found here)

That weird blue thing is a pyrosome. Pyrosomes, genus Pyrosoma, are free-floating colonial tunicates (marine filter-feeders, see this post) that live usually in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some may be found at greater depths. Pyrosomes are cylindrical or conical shaped colonies made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. Colonies range in size from less than one centimeter to several meters in length. The individuals that make up this giant, floating, colonial tunicate are only about 1 in (2 cm) long, but the giant pyrosome colony, which resembles a gigantic hollow tube, can be large enough for a person to fit inside. Each individual lies embedded in the wall of the tube, with one end drawing in nutrient-laden water from outside and the other end expelling water and waste inside. The expelled water is used to propel the giant pyrosome colony as a whole. A wave of bioluminescent light travels along the community if it is touched.

(Source)

alongthereef:

Diver and Clownfish eggs

(Source: 100leaguesunderthesea)

oceansoftheworld:

The glowing firefly squid of Toyama, Japan

firefly squid! (see these previous posts)

(Source: dirtyprettything)

oceansoftheworld:

(source of photo here)

The North Pacific giant octopus (Enteroctopus dolfeini) may grow to over 9m in length. It has a reddish-brown body, called the mantle, plus four pairs of arms, measuring on average about 4.9m long. Newly hatched young are the size of a grain of rice. Octopuses have the most complex brain of the invertebrates. Like vertebrates, they also have long term and short-term memories. Octopuses learn to solve problems by trial-and-error and experience. Once the problem is solved, octopuses remember and are able to solve it and similar problems repeatedly. Its sense of touch is acute in its suckers. The rim of the cups are particularly sensitive. A blindfolded octopus can differentiate between objects of various shapes and sizes as well as a sighted octopus. Octopuses have highly complex eyes which compare to human visual acuity. Focusing is done by moving the lens in and out rather than by changing its shape as the human eye does. Color change in these creatures is initiated by the eyes. If an octopus is disturbed, special pigment cells (chromatophores) in the skin will be activated in an attempt to blend in with the surroundings.  This octopus lives off the coast of southern California, north along the coastline of the Pacific Northwestern Americas, across the Aleutians and south to Japan. The species occurs at depths from the intertidal to 750m. (For more see these four previous posts)

 (Source)

(via fromthejurassic)

discoverynews:

montereybayaquarium:

Did you know that giant Pacific octopuses get “attached” to their aquarists—in a good way? These intelligent animals recognize our staff and may even embrace them after a long absence.

An octopus hug.

(via isurfnaked-deactivated20120331)

(Source: tupac, via oceansblue)

anoceanactivist:

What goes in the ocean goes in you. Recent studies estimate that fish off the West Coast ingest over 12,000 tons of plastic a year. Find out how you can help turn the tide on plastic pollution at www.surfrider.org/rap.

rhamphotheca:

Flamingo tongue (snail), Cyphoma gibbosum, St. John, US Virgin Islands

(photo by Kirk Kilfoyle, Florida)

aside from squid, these might just be my favorite underwater creatures. well maybe after octopi too, but it’s a close third!

(via alongthereef)