David Aldridge is a phytoplankton-loving marine biology PhD student at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK. Also the founder and editor of Words in mOcean, a…
View More Evolving to dive deepCategory: Evolution
The Origins of Hairy Crabs
Everyone’s favorite crabs are back in the news! Yeti Crabs! Those deep-sea beasties with hairy claws or chests! A new paper in Proceedings B led…
View More The Origins of Hairy CrabsAll hail! Bacteria that control their squid overlords
Squid typically aren’t my thing, but I can certainly be wooed by their microbes. Example: the very awesome symbiotic relationship between the Hawaiian bobtail squid,…
View More All hail! Bacteria that control their squid overlordsFlesh Eating Sponges?
Most sponges, inspiration for dish cleaners and mess absorbers, feed by filtering water through those many holes and channels. Their scientific name, Porifera, literally means…
View More Flesh Eating Sponges?It’s not uterUS, it’s uterME
Dear Abby, It’s just not fair. There I was, a freshly produced sand tiger shark embryo, developing nicely and making my way down the ovarian…
View More It’s not uterUS, it’s uterMEWhen 2 becomes 12: Cryptic species need some love like they’ve never needed love before
A “species” is a hypothesis. And for microscopic critters, this hypothesis is very often wrong. Everyone knows I despise charismatic megafauna (especially dolphins). I will…
View More When 2 becomes 12: Cryptic species need some love like they’ve never needed love beforeCan’t Touch This
Another epic post from Alex Warneke, aka lil’ A Disposable nudibranch penises are all the rage this month thanks to a study published in the…
View More Can’t Touch ThisWhale Sharks and Giant Squids: Big or Bu!!$hit?
The bubbles around me clear and as I regain my visibility my first thought is how wide is the mouth coming for me. Five feet?…
View More Whale Sharks and Giant Squids: Big or Bu!!$hit?The Oceanic Travels of Freshwater Snails
Many animals do not spend their lives entirely in saltwater or freshwater choosing rather to fully explore the world around them. These species are referred…
View More The Oceanic Travels of Freshwater SnailsIs this fish evil?
I was going to do a “demons of the deep” post for Halloween but as I was considering which animals to include I had to…
View More Is this fish evil?