10 Fascinating Marine Species

The peacock mantis shrimp.

For millennia, people have wondered just how many species live on Earth. The latest study looking to answer this question suggests there are about 8.7 million species, the majority of which scientists can’t even name.
The oceans, as almost three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, are home to millions of species—and only about 1 in 10 has been officially discovered by scientists. Here are ten ocean-dwellers we think are especially fascinating:
1. The box jellyfish, which lives in the waters off North Australia and Indonesia, is one of the most venomous species in the ocean. Its 10-foot-long tentacles can kill even cautious swimmers, yet some kinds of sea turtles can eat box jellyfish without even an upset stomach.
2. The lovely hatchetfish might be redefining lovely, but its thinness when viewed head-on helps it hide from predators, as does its silver color and bioluminescence.
3. Sailor’s eyeball is the oceanic equivalent of skinless grapes at Halloween. This seaweed lives in waters around the equator, where it reproduces by disintegrating once young plants have formed inside of it.
4. The blue-ringed octopus may look pretty, but its vivid colors, which become brighter when the animal is disturbed, mark it as extremely poisonous—it is the most dangerous cephalopod and its saliva can kill a human.
5. The stonefish, the most venomous fish, can also kill a human with one sting. It takes its name from the camouflage that allows it to lie in wait for passing fish.

Victory! California Senate Passes Shark Fin Trade Ban

Things continue to look up for sharks in the Pacific.
Last night the California Senate passed a ban on the sale, trade, possession, and distribution of shark fins in the state.  Oceana was instrumental in the passage of this bill to protect the ocean’s apex predators.
If the bill is signed into law by Governor Brown by October 9, a sweeping West Coast ban on the trade of shark fins will be complete. Washington passed similar legislation in May, followed by Oregon in early August. Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands have also passed similar bills.
While shark finning is illegal in the U.S., current federal laws banning the practice do not address the issue of the shark fin trade. As a result, fins are imported to the U.S. from countries with little to no shark protections in place. The only way to really address California’s contribution to the global declines in shark populations is to address the market demand for fins in the state.
The passage of this bill will help to protect global populations of at-risk shark species that are being targeted in unsustainable and unregulated fisheries worldwide

Shark Fin Ban Making Waves In The New York Times

Fans of sharks have undoubtedly noticed that protections for the oceans' great predators have really ramped up in the last couple of years - and now the New York Times has taken notice, too.
Reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal quoted Oceana's very own Elizabeth Wilson in yesterday's article about the proliferation of shark finning and trade bans. In the last year, the West Coast has neared a total ban on finning and trade, and the U.S. and Chile have passed national bans on finning. Oceana has been an integral part of advocating for shark protections, as tens of millions of sharks, including some rare and endangered species, are killed each year for their fins.

Thursday Trivia: Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle. © Oceana/Cory Wilson

Starting today, we’ll be doing a weekly trivia feature of one of the fascinating species that lives in the oceans. Today’s animal is the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle.
Kemp’s ridleys are the smallest and most endangered species of sea turtle. These turtles are usually solitary and live primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, sometimes venturing up the Eastern Seaboard.
The relatively small range of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is one of the reasons its population has been declining. When population concentrations are high enough, females come onshore to lay their eggs arrive together in mass landings (the name of these landings is our weekly trivia question on Twitter, so answer now to win!) Eggs and hatchlings make easy prey for dogs, herons, and humans—and some cultures believe sea turtle eggs are aphrodisiacs.
Adult sea turtles are particularly at risk of drowning after being accidentally caught in the nets of shrimp trawlers and other fishermen. Adding turtle excluder devices to nets allow turtles to escape and have made a difference in turtle bycatch deaths, although these rates are still high. Oceana’s sea turtle campaign focuses on preventing sea turtle bycatch, protecting habitat, and promoting legislation that keeps turtles safe.

Marine Monday: Queen Triggerfish

Happy Monday, ocean lovers! Today’s featured marine animal is the queen triggerfish. Found in coral reefs in the Caribbean and Eastern Atlantic shallow waters, this colorful fish is large and aggressive.
These fish greet intruders with throbbing sounds produced by special membranes. At night, they use their dorsal spine to lock themselves into their burrows so predators can’t pull them out to eat them.
Queen triggerfish are dedicated hunters and prey on lobsters, crabs, shellfish, and urchins. To avoid the sharp spines of sea urchins, they blow water under it to flip it upside-down and expose the safer underside. Sometimes they even pick a sea urchin up by one spine to perform this flip.
The species is considered vulnerable because of hunting pressure (it is popular for human consumption), and there is a possibility it would be at greater risk if its sea urchin prey experienced steep population declines.

New Study: Gulf Spill Oil Threatens Fish Biology

A soapfish in the Gulf of Mexico. © Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen

The first study showing the biological impacts to wildlife from last year’s Gulf oil spill has just been published in PNAS, and the news is not good for fish populations.
After being exposed to low levels of heavily weathered crude oil in marsh habitats, killifish, also called bull minnows, showed cellular changes in their livers which could impact reproduction and health. Killifish are an important part of the Gulf of Mexico food web, and impacts to their populations could have ecosystem-wide results.
"The message that seafood is safe to eat doesn't necessarily mean that the animals are out of the woods," said Andrew Whitehead, an assistant professor of biology at Louisiana State University and a lead researcher in the study.
These lesser-seen impacts to reproduction are predictive of more serious long-term threats to populations. In a way, these changes are even more tragic than the animals that washed up on the shore dead after the spill. The study found the same kind of cellular responses in killifish as were observed in herring, salmon and ducks that later had population crashes as a result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and some populations never recovered.    
The fish showed changes even when the water was seemingly clean and when there were very low levels of oil present. The researchers note that even when oil is not visible on the surface, the toxic components of the oil can remain in the sediment and get stirred up by waves and storms.
"Where's the oil? It's in the sediment," Whitehead said.
He’s right. A couple of weeks ago Tropical Storm Lee unearthed miles of tar balls, tar mats and abandoned cleanup equipment left from last year's oil spill, forcing BP cleanup crews back to the beaches.
As the science of the spill is just beginning to unfold and BP continues to clean up oil on the beaches, Congress is pushing hard for more risky offshore drilling in the same affected ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico, and new pristine environments like the Arctic where there is no capability to clean up after a spill.

The Ocean Hits the Big Screen

A cameraman navigates a smack of sea nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens) in Monterey Bay.

CREDIT: © 2010 Walt Disney Pictures

It may be called Earth Day, but April 22nd is a perfect day to remind ourselves that we actually live on a planet dominated by water. In fact, with 71% of the earth’s surface covered by water, we might just as well call it Planet Ocean.
This year, we’ll have a chance to explore the other three quarters of our planet on the big screen with Disney Nature’s release of Oceans, opening on Earth Day in theaters around Canada and the U.S.
Originally a (longer) French film produced by Galatee Film Productions, Oceans promises stunning footage from all over the world and an unforgettable cast of marine characters. Catch the trailer or visit our friends at the Census of Marine Life to learn more about the making of the film.
An early review in The Hollywood Reporter calls it a “dazzling nature doc” that “chooses poetry and wonder over storytelling and effects.”
But we want to hear from you! If your Earth Day celebrations take you to the theater, let us know what you think. Big splash or major bellyflop? Post your review in a comment or join the discussion on Facebook.

Into the Blue: Join Us for Science & Scuba Symposium

A scientific diver collects data on an underwater slate.

CREDIT: Mike Lang/Smithsonian Institution

Jacques Cousteau once said, “When you dive, you begin to feel like an angel."

It’s true. When a diver dons a tank and slips into the water, the noisy clatter of the world disappears and the sensation of weightlessness takes over. The unrestrained expanse of blue water. The dazzling rainbow of marine life. The splinters of silver light dancing through the water column. Scuba diving is an experience like no other.

But diving is also a serious, rigorous research tool that has an enormous impact on our understanding of this blue planet. Diving allows us to observe marine life in its natural habitat. It enables scientists to study ecosystems up-close and in-person—with a precision and scale not possible from a satellite, a boat, or even by free-diving from the surface. Scuba has opened up new worlds from the tropics to the poles, allowing researchers to explore places and encounter species previously hidden from human eyes.
To document and celebrate decades of research and discoveries made possible by scuba diving, the Smithsonian Marine Science Network has partnered with the National Science Foundation and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council to host The Revolution of Science through Scuba, a two-day symposium at NMNH on May 24th and 25th. An impressive line-up of speakers will discuss scuba-driven discoveries from coral reefs, blue-water environments, kelp forests, under-ice polar habitats, and other marine ecosystems.

Your Ode to the Big Blue

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Your poem for the ocean is what we wish. Conjure your inner Dr. Seuss or Walt Whitman.

CREDIT: Louiz Rocha

April is National Poetry Month here in the United States. We'd like you to help us celebrate by penning a poem in the comment field below or on our Facebook page. 

Not the next Walt Whitman? Fear not. 

The only rule is that you must invoke our favorite muse: the ocean. Whether you praise saltwater waves, ponder Arctic jelly fish,  or pretend to be the baleen in a whale's mouth, WE WANT YOUR POEMS.  

Please take a few seconds, minutes, or hours and submit your odes to the big blue. We'll post some of our favorites (good and bad) on our blog at the end of the month. 

Want a bit more structure? Try a Haiku -- a perfect form for Facebook or Twitter. That's 17 syllables, in three lines or less. Typically the syllables are split up 5, 7, and 5.  

Need some inspiration? Peruse the multi-media section of the Ocean Portal for photos and video. 

To kick things off…here is one of our very own (and very bad) poems: 

On a seaside cliff

Magnified whales still a speck 

Wish I were a fish

If you’re in the Washington, D.C. area, celebrate your love for the ocean by joining us at a free ocean haiku writing workshop at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from 1-3 pm, on Saturday, April 9, 2011. 

Devoted Dads: From Seahorses to Sea Spiders

Male leafy seadragons (Phycodurus eques) are among the ocean's more "devoted dads." They carry the developing eggs for about a month, until they hatchIf youngsters get cared for at all, the mother is usually involved. But in fish and a few other groups where eggs are not abandoned, fathers are the primary care providers. Males are sometimes such devoted dads that it takes longer for them to care for the young than it does for the females to produce the eggs. If potential fathers are in limited supply, stereotypical male and female roles get reversed, with males more interested in food and females more interested in sex.
Some male fish build nests. A male will accept the eggs of more than one female, because he only has to defend them and keep them clean. In fact, females often prefer to lay their eggs in nests that already have eggs. There are limits however—peacock blenny males will reject female offers if the cost of caring for so many eggs gets overwhelming. And male fathers are not entirely trustworthy, as they often eat some of the eggs.

Cardinalfish go one step further—a male carries the eggs of a female in his mouth until they hatch. Here the temptation to eat them is even greater. Small clutches of eggs are especially likely to wind up in the stomach of the father, because forgoing dinner for a week or two is only worth it if lots of babies result. What’s a suspicious mom to do? In at least one species, females produce some cheap yolkless eggs that they mix with the normal ones to fool the male into thinking he has a big clutch worth caring for.

Some ocean fathers even have specialized body parts to carry developing eggs. Sea spiders usually use their legs, whereas seahorses and pipefish have a patch or womblike pouch on the belly or under the tail. In both groups, elaborate courtship dances may precede the transfer of eggs from female to male. Seahorses and pipefish have more to worry about than their eggs, however—every year 20 million of the creatures wind up in aquariums or, even more sad, dried as curios or ground up for traditional medicine.

Tunas and Marlins Officially Classified as Threatened

The Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) is listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. If its population continues to decline, the species faces the possibility of extinction. It's not alone. Scientists classified the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (T. thynnus) as "endangered" and Bigeye Tuna (T. obesus) as "vulnerable." 

CREDIT: Ian Gordon / Auscape International

Extinction is a real possibility for three species of tunas. That’s one of the messages from a new study released today online in the
journal Science.
Researchers assessed the range and populations of all 61 species of scombrids (tunas, bonitos, mackerels and Spanish mackerels) and billfishes (swordfish and marlins).  They determined that five fish are officially “threatened," a category that describes species that are "critically endangered," "endangered," or "vulnerable." The five species are:

- Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii), Critically Endangered

- Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (T. thynnus), Endangered

- Bigeye Tuna (T. obesus), Vulnerable

- Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans), Vulnerable

- White Marlin (Kajikia albida), Vulnerable

Five out of 61 may not seem significant, but the scientists warn otherwise. These species are among the ocean’s top predators. If their populations decline, the impacts will move like a ripple through the marine foodweb.
The report, authored by Bruce Collette, a senior scientist with NOAA’s Fisheries Service, and 32 other scientists used the criteria set forth by the IUCN Red List to assess the global populations of these fish. The IUCN Red List is a scientific and peer-reviewed method of measuring the conservation status of the world’s plants and animals.
Overfishing is one of the main factors behind the population decline of these fish. Consumers will pay top-dollar for tuna, bluefin in particular. The sale of a single bluefin made headlines earlier this year when it fetched nearly $400,000 in a Japanese auction.
The tuna’s biology also complicates its outlook. It takes some bluefin as many as eight years to reach sexual maturity. This means that it will take time – not only effort – to increase stocks of these fish. And because bluefin tuna spawn for only short periods of time in specific places, like the Gulf of Mexico, the study says they’re more “susceptible to collapse under continued excessive fishing pressure.”
Could we just shutdown some of the fisheries? That is an option, but the report warns that without rules and deterrents the fish would likely be illegally harvested. A major investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, published in 2010, explores some of the illegal practices and trading that already occur with the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery.

The Science study acknowledges the political challenges of managing fish that migrate across maritime boundaries. Nations currently work through Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) to monitor and manage tuna and other fish. The report comes just before the tuna RMFOs meet next week in La Jolla, California

A Sub and a Sea Toad

Researchers with the Smithsonian's Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP) collected this sea toad, Chaunax pictus, off the coast of Honduras in 2011. The team is trying to collect sea toads from around the Caribbean to better understand the group's genetic diversity and distribution. 

CREDIT: Smithsonian Institution

Have you ever seen a creature so unusual?  This fish (22 cm long) is called a sea toad and studying them requires luck and the opportunity to descend into the deep waters where they live.
Last week Dr. Carole Baldwin and other ichthyologists participating in the Smithsonian Institution’s Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP) were exploring waters off the coast of Curaçao in a submersible. While on a slope at a depth of 215 meters (about 700 ft) the fish team and the Curasub crew came across a sea toad walking along the bottom. 
The team was excited because this fish did not look like either of the sea toad species they had collected in deep waters off Central America earlier this year. One of which, Chaunax pictus (shown right), was caught at a deeper depth of 396 meters (about 1,300 ft). By comparing the genetic data from the Curaçao sea toad with that of the other two Caribbean specimens caught off the coast of Honduras, the team hopes to learn more about the genetic diversity and patterns of distribution for this group.
If the fish turns out to be the same species, it would be the first time scientists could compare genetic differences between individuals caught in Curaçao and other parts of the Caribbean. It is also possible that the Curaçao sea toad represents a new, previously unknown and unnamed species.
CREDIT: Bruce Brandt / Substation Curacao These strange-looking fishes (shown above and left) belong to a group of anglerfishes known as lophiiforms. They are related to the “scary,” jagged-toothed deep-sea anglerfish many recognize from the movie Finding Nemo. These, along with other anglerfishes, have a movable, modified dorsal-fin spine projecting from the head that serves as a lure for capturing prey.
So the excitement was high when the team went to collect the fish. But, when working in this environment, one needs to be prepared for the unexpected, and ready to do some quick and creative problem solving. When the team went to collect this fish with the sub’s suction tube, the fish filled itself up with water, making it too large to fit through the tube!
The team decided to use the suction tube and robotic arm to deposit the fish in an open-collection bucket at the front of the submersible, which is normally used to hold slow-moving organisms like sea urchins and sea stars. Later in the expedition when the sub made a quick descent, the sea toad floated out and swam away, but not before the team snapped this unique photo (above, left)! As these fishes are bottom-dwellers, you wouldn’t normally see them swimming in the water column like this. 

Although the team was not able collect this individual, they have collected specimens of other species with the Curasub, some of which Carole Baldwin believes could be new species. Observing and collecting deep-sea marine life with a 5.5 ton piece of machinery isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge the scientists and the sub team are ready for! Check back next week to see what the team finds. 

Scientists Call New Eel Species A Living Fossil

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The Palauan primitive cave eel (Protanguilla palau) has an evolutionary history that dates back some 200 million years. Smithsonian ichthyologist David Johnson and colleagues described the new genus and species for the first time on August, 17, 2011 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

CREDIT: Jiro Sakaue

Scientists at the Smithsonian and partnering organizations have discovered a remarkably primitive eel in a fringing reef off the coast of the Republic of Palau. This fish exhibits many primitive anatomical features unknown in the other 19 families and more than 800 species of living eels, resulting in its classification as a new species belonging to a new genus and family. The team’s research is published online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Aug. 17.
Many of the physical features of this new genus and species of eel, Protanguilla palau, reflect its relationship to the 19 families of Anguiliformes (true eels) currently living. Other, more primitive physical traits, such as a second upper jaw bone (premaxilla) and fewer than 90 vertebrae, have only been found in fossil forms from the Cretaceous period (140 million to 65 million years ago). Still other traits, such as a full set of bony toothed “rakers,” in the gill arches are a common feature in most bony fishes, but lacking in both fossil and living eels. The team’s analyses of total mitochondrial DNA indicate that Protanguilla palau represents an ancient, independent lineage with an evolutionary history comparable to that of the entire order of living and fossil eel species.
“The equivalent of this primitive eel, in fishes, has perhaps not been seen since the discovery of the coelacanth in the late 1930s,” said Dave Johnson, ichthyologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and lead author of the team’s research. “We believe that such a long, independent evolutionary history, dating back to the early Mesozoic (about 200 million years ago); retention of several primitive anatomical features; and apparently restricted distribution warrant its recognition as a living fossil.”
Anguilliformes, a distinct group of bony fishes, first appeared in the fossil record about 100 million years ago. They eventually lost their pelvic fins, and their dorsal, anal and caudal fins became continuous. Living eels are very diverse and can be found in a large variety of habitats—from shallow coastal waters to the deep open ocean.
“The discovery of this extraordinary and beautiful new species of eel underscores how much more there is to learn about our planet,” Johnson said. “Furthermore, it brings home the critical importance of future conservation efforts—currently this species is known from only 10 specimens collected from a single cave in Palau.”

Giant Squid

On December 4, 2006, Japanese scientists videotaped this female giant squid alive.

CREDIT: Tsunemi Kubodera of the National Museum of Nature and Science of Japan/AP

The largest giant squid ever recorded was nearly 16 meters (50 feet) long and may have weighed nearly a ton. You’d think such a huge animal would be hard to miss. But the ocean is vast…and giant squid live deep down. So they remain elusive and are rarely seen. In fact, until a video was made in 2006, no scientist had ever filmed a giant squid. A female had just attacked bait suspended beneath a Japanese research vessel off the Ogasawara Islands. As the camera whirred, the research team pulled the 7-meter (24-foot) squid to the surface alive. The milestone event was recorded on videotape, enabling people around the world to finally see a living, breathing giant squid in action.

North Atlantic Right Whale

A right whale breaches, lifting its huge body out of the water.

CREDIT: Courtesy of the New England Aquarium

Stretching up to 16.8 meters (55 feet) long and weighing up to 62 tons (70 tons), the North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s largest animals—and one of the most endangered whales. Scientists estimate that fewer than 450 individuals remain. Why so few?
For generations the right whale was hunted for oil and baleen. Today about a third of right whale deaths are the result of collisions with ships and entanglements in fishing gear. Some scientists fear that right whales could become extinct within 200 years. To prevent that from happening, scientists are using a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and rescue right whales. It’s the right thing to do!

Coral Reefs

Sea bass flock to a tropical coral reef in the Red Sea.

CREDIT: Michael Lang/Smithsonian Institution

Coral reefs pulsate with colors and movement. They support more species per square meter than any other ocean ecosystem. Because of this phenomenal diversity, coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the sea.
The corals themselves form the basic reef structure. Tiny coral polyps leave behind limestone skeletons, which build up over the centuries…layer by layer. Abundant sunlight and warm water supply food for the sponges, algae, fishes, and thousands of other species who gradually move in.
Coral reefs that took millions of years to build have been disappearing within just decades as a result of human activities. It is up to us to help preserve those that remain.

Great White Shark

A frame-by-frame view of a Great White Shark breach- frame 3.

CREDIT: © Morne Hardenberg

Sharks are much older than dinosaurs. Their ancestry dates back more than 400 million years. Sharks are one of evolution’s greatest success stories. These animals are uniquely adapted to their ocean environment with six highly refined senses of smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and even electromagnetism. As the top predators in the ocean, Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) face only one real threat to their survival – us. The assaults are many. By-catch: the accidental killing of sharks by fishermen's longlines and trawlers. Illegal poaching: selling shark fins for soup. Illegal hunting: sportsfishing for shark jaws as trophies. Nets: placed along coastlines to keep sharks away from beaches. Pollution: toxins and heavy metals that build up in the shark's body. In some areas Great White Shark populations have plummeted by over 70%. If not stopped, it will lead to the extinction of this ancient species. 

Offshore Oil Impacts Deadlier than We Know to Sea Turtles

The one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill is drawing close and we are still learning the deadly impacts to sea turtles from the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Today, at the International Sea Turtle Society's annual meeting I presented on my experiences being kept "out of the box" while on a mission to save sea turtles and I learned some startling new facts about the oil impacts just released at the conference.
At least two critically endangered leatherback sea turtles were spotted in the oil slicks! During our negotiations with the U.S. Coast Guard following our successful legal action June 30, 2010 I specifically advised the rescue unit that they must have the ability to rescue an adult leatherback weighing 800 pounds or more. The technology exists, BP must pay to use it for the benefit of the leatherback.
Work is progressing towards improving rescue and response for sea turtles in the next oil spill. Our work is joined by work underway at the Oiled Wildlife Care Network who is taking lessons learned from the BP spill and updating their protocols for rehabilitation care.
The 2011 nesting season for Kemp's ridley sea turtles in the Gulf has begun, and at this same time a wave of dead Kemp's are washing ashore on Gulf beaches, especially in Mississippi. Already 87 dead sea turtle have been found, and the numbers increase almost every day. Click here for an update on the recent wave of dead sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. At least 50 dead sea turtles have washed ashore in April on Mississippi beaches alone!
This year and many more to come will tell the true tale of the deadly impacts from the BP oil spill to our endangered sea turtle populations. Knowing the chronic, long-term effects from oil exposure can cause cancer before death, it could be a long and painful road for the Gulf sea turtles who still forage in oily sands left by BP.

Hawaiian Locals Active Protecting their Honu

On the Hawaiian Islands the green sea turtles that frequent local beaches and reefs are known affectionately as honu. The honu in Hawaii have a rich history, experienced dramatic declines in recent decades, and have been recovering slowly thanks to many local efforts to protect them and their beach habitats. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project has been fighting for many years to ensure the main threat to their survival, deadly industrial fisheries, increase sea turtle protections and decrease their allowable killings of these endangered species. Whether they are cavorting among coral reefs or sunning on the beach, the honu have many caring individuals looking out for them.

On the north shore of Oahu, the honu regularly come ashore at Laniakea Beach to sun themselves after filling their bellies with the lush green algae covering the rocky reefs. When they arrive on the beach, they are greeted by throngs of curious tourists and a group of dedicated local volunteers that protect the turtles from harassment.

It is quite a site to watch! With each lunge forward, cheers and screams emit from the dozens of tourists from across the globe that are drawn to this spot in the hopes of seeing sea turtles. The Japanese are especially vocal! The volunteer honu protectors can quickly identify the individual sea turtles by markings on their shells, and adjust their protective barriers and informational signs as each one arrives, creating a safe and educational zone for all. Their love for the honu is apparent with each caring adjustment and in each thoughtful conversation they have with onlookers.

Since SCUBA diving is one of my passions, I always try to spend as much time underwater on each trip to Hawaii, and a regular partner for these adventures are the great folks at Deep Ecology in Haleiwa on the north shore of Oahu. This trip, we headed to Turtle Canyon! Known as a regular hangout and cleaning station for several honu, Turtle Canyon delivered a fantastic experience once again. Reaching the bottom at this relatively shallow dive spot took only 5 minutes, and finding a peaceful honu resting under a coral outcropping took another 1 minute. I kept my distance and snapped a few photos before the honu woke up and swam up for air.

My dive buddy and several others followed the expert Deep Ecology dive master to the end of the reef to a regular sea turtle cleaning station. On our way there, we were passed by another honu, swimming gracefully by us. The sea turtle settled in the sand and we all watched from a distance as it covered itself in a light coat of sand. The camera came out again, and those memories will last a lifetime.

Longline fishing in and around Hawaii has deadly consequences to the sea turtles that live and migrate through the central Pacific. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project has taken legal action on several fronts to close the deadly longline fisheries due to their unacceptable deadly bycatch of sea turtles and marine mammals. We will continue to fight these battles with your support to ensure the honu are protected and all Pacific sea turtles are safeguarded from extinction.

World’s 10 ugliest sea-creatures

No matter how much you love swimming there are some creatures you do not want to run into. Most of them are harmless but you might have a heart attack due to the ugliness overdose, so get used to them now so you’re not surprised if you bump into one.

10. The stonefish

As if being the most venomous fish in the world wasn’t enough, the stonefish is also damn ugly. It lives in the shallow tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans from the Red Sea to Queensland Great Barrier Reef. Its greenish and brown colors allow it to camouflage itself easily among the rocks of coral reefs and simply catch its prey by surprise.

Not that you might feel drawn to this fish because of its looks or anything, but if you do happen to stumble upon one while scuba-diving or snorkeling, keep your distance, you don’t one to get stung by one of the spines on its dorsal area.

9. Basking Shark

After the Whale shark, the Basking shark is the largest fish on the planet. It can be found in practically every ocean but like all the other species of shark it faces extinction due to excessive fishing.

This particular shark resembles a great white to the point when it opens his huge mouth. Then it is just a bit freaky, like a bone-tube sucking in everything in its path. This harmless, slow-moving big boy feeds on small fish, invertebrates, zooplankton from 2,000 tons of water per hour. He likes to eat this one.

8. Frilled Shark

More scary-looking than ugly, the Frilled shark is often called a living fossil, because it has changed very little since pre-historic times. It doesn’t resemble its fellow sharks very much, looks more like a blue-grey eel, except for the six gill slots that give it away.

The Frilled shark is rarely seen in shallow waters, although it was sighted in all of the world’s oceans, it likes to swim at depths between 50m-1,500m. Because of this very little is known about the Frilled shark, and the few sightings are attributed to the fish being sick and disoriented.

7. The Fangtooth

Very small in size and harmless to humans, the fangtooth is unapproachable due to his looks. It’s a good thing people can’t run into them very often while swimming, because they live at depths between 200m-2,000m, the Fangtooth is considered one of the deepest-living fish, at depths of up to 5,000m.

The Fangtooth’s front teeth are so large and spiky that they have evolved two sockets on either side of the brain to accommodate them while their mouth is closed. They are one of the most robust species of fish on the planet, able to live in fish-tanks where the conditions are very different from their natural environment.

6. Sea Wolf

Also known as a Wolf Fish, the Sea Wolf is the largest fish in the suborder of blennies, a species resembling eels that have been around for the last 50 million years. It inhabits the northern waters of both hemispheres, finding shelter under large rocks near the bottom. It has powerful teeth with which he crushes its prey and breaks down into edible pieces.

When fishermen catch Sea wolves in their nets they have to tend to them very carefully because they are very aggressive and tend to attack anything that comes their way. They are considered one of the ugliest fish due to their large jaws and scary-looking teeth.

5. Oreo-dory

Despite its hideous looks you should know that members of the dory fish-family are valued as delicacies in restaurants around the world. I can’t imagine how anyone could eat anything that looks like this but then again, I’ve never tried it.

The Oreo-dory is a small fish that lives at depths of 600m-1,000m, with extremely large eyes, deep and vertically compressed body and a large head. Actually it just looks like swimming creepy fish-head.

4. Firefly Squid

If you know anything about the Firefly Squid you’re probably asking yourself why on Earth is it in the list. Although it is one of the most fascinating organisms in the Western Pacific Ocean, and puts on quite a show off the coast of Japan when millions of them gather to mate, the Firefly Squid is pretty repulsive when looked-upon in broad daylight.

This tiny squid has an organ called photophore which emits a deep blue light that can be distinguished in darkness, which it uses to attract its prey. Quite a sight to behold at night, just don’t look at one during the day.

3. Angler Fish

The Angler Fish has been called the ugliest animal on the planet on more than one occasion. And with good reason if I may say so, its looks are anything but attractive. The Angler Fish lives in one of the inhospitable places on the planet, the bottom of the sea. They have a dark brownish color, exceptionally large heads and creepy, huge translucent teeth.

Males are considerably smaller than females and they can be fairly considered parasites. All they do is search for a female to which they latch-on with their teeth and, in time physically fuses to the female’s skin and bloodstream. It looses its sight and all internal organs.

2. Lamprey

Before there were jaws and bone skeletons there were lampreys. This invertebrate parasite dates back 400 million years and is definitely one of the scariest-looking sea-creatures I know. Lampreys attach themselves to fish using their toothy mouths and suck all their body juices.

Lampreys are very aggressive predators using their strong tongues to rasp holes in the body of their victims and their anticoagulant saliva keeps the wound open. They are great problem in the area of the Great Lakes, threatening the fish population in the area.

1. Blobfish

Our choice for the ugliest sea-creature was an easy one, you really can’t come across anything more disgusting than a floating piece of slime. That’s what the Blobfish is all about, slime.

This gelatinous mass inhabits the deep coastal waters of Australia and Tasmania and because it mainly floats just above the bottom all the time it’s rarely seen by humans. It has no muscle mass so it can’t hunt for food, it just eats whatever edible stuff finds its way to it.

MISS CELLANIAS FILES

Barreleye Fish

Macropinna microstoma, or the barreleye fish has a transparent head and eyes that can roll around inside to see in all directions. The green domes are its eyes; the bits that look like eyes are organs more like nostrils.  See a video of this fish in action.

2. Psychedlic Frogfish

Histiophryne psychedilica is the new name of the frogfish discovered in the waters off Indonesia. This weird-looking fish hops along the bottom of the ocean using his fins as legs and his gills as a jet-propulsion unit. See a video here.

3. Solar Sea Slug

Elysia chlorotica pushes the limits of what is plant and what is animal. This sea slug harnesses the power of the sun by eating algae and then incorporating the alga’s chlorophyll into its own system. After two weeks of ingesting algae, the slug can go without eating anything for a year -as long as it’s exposed to sunlight.

4. Dracula Fish

Danionella dracula, or dracula fish is a new species discovered by accident when a shipment of aquarium fish were found to be very different from what the Natural History Museum in London expected. When the fish died, autopsies revealed that instead of teeth, the Dracula fish has bone spike protruding from its jaws! They are native to one particular stream in Burma, but may be lurking in other aquariums all over the world.

5. Trilobitoides

Ceratoserolis trilobitoides is an isopod that resembles a prehistoric trilobite. This one was found during an international Antarctic expedition last year called the Census of Marine Life.

6. Tunicates

The Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census sent three ships on a two-month mission to Antarctica to study marine life in late 2007. Among the weird species they found were these tunicates that look like tulips growing out of the sea floor. They are actually animals that feed by pumping sea water through their stems. They grow up to a meter tall.

7. Magnapinna

The rarely seen Magnapinna squid was recorded on video in 2007 by a Shell Oil remotely-controlled exploration vehicle at a depth of 7800 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists can’t tell which exact species it is, either M. atlantica or M. pacifica, both of which inhabit the Gulf of Mexico.

8. Vampire Squid from Hell

Vampyroteuthis infernalis literally means “vampire squid from hell”. Though technically neither a squid nor an octopus, this cephalopod shares traits with both. It lives up to 3,000 feet deep in the ocean. It has good control over its photospheres, spots that produce light. It can pull its arms over its head like an umbrella to hide from attackers, but if some other creature bites an arm off, it will regenerate. Instead of ink, the vampire squid can expel a cloud of bioluminescent mucus. But you won’t know how truly weird it is until you see it in action in this video.