The 19th century was a golden age for ichthyological exploration. It signified an era of what seemed like an endless slew of new discoveries, where even the most iconic and noble of species we know today were without names. Taxonomists…
Deep Water
Bali Aquarium Becomes the first Licensed Ex-Situ Coral Farm in Indo
Over 20 years after becoming the first in-situ (Ocean Farm), licensed coral farm in Indonesia, Bali Aquarium has done it again, becoming the first ex-situ (inland) licensed coral farm in Indonesia to obtain export quota for these corals. It’s been…
Crazy Cave Dwelling Leptoseris Survives in Almost Total Darkness
On a recent dive on a deep reef in Indonesia, we noticed a very unique coral under a ledge. It was a very colorful specimen of Leptoseris foliosa with very unusual coloration unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. We had…
Scientists In Australia Have Discover A Towering Detached Reef
Scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute team have made a new discovery, a massive detached coral reef in the Great Barrier Reef–the first to be discovered in over 120 years. The towering reef measures more than 500m high–taller than the…
30 New Deep-Sea Species Discovered Near The Galapagos
A team of scientists have announced the discovery of 30 new invertebrate species collected on deep water expedition around the Galapagos National Park. The team discovered new corals and sponges, including ten bamboo corals, four octocorals, one brittle star, and…
The Ultra-Black Skin Of These Deepsea Fish Absorbs 99.95 Percent Of Light
Deep down in the ocean where light is nonexistent, a group of fish with light absorbing skin literally disappears in the darkness. A team of scientists have found that the skin of some deepsea fish absorbs more than 99.95 percent of…
A Glimpse Into Cold Water Coral Reefs Around Iceland
Thanks to the help of scientific ROV’s, we are not getting a glimpse into this deep dark alien world of Icelandic reefs. These corals live in complete darkness below the mesophotic zone at a depth of 600 – 2,000ft, (200-600…
Surprising Growth Rates Found In Deep Water Leptoseris Coral
New research published in the journal Coral Reefs revealed unexpectedly high growth rates for deep water photosynthetic coral. The study measured growth rates of deep water Leptoseris corals in Hawaii and found growth rates between 1in – 0.3in or (25mm – 7.5mm)…
Hungry Hungry Scale Worms: Scientists Discover Four New Species of Deep Sea Dwellers
Researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have described and named four new species of scale worms from deep-sea habitats in the eastern Pacific Ocean. These deep-sea worms are known for their iridescent overlapping scales and have…