rasec-wizzlbang:

typhlonectes:

Video! The sea slug that looks and swims like a fish 

Out there in the open ocean is a nudibranch sea slug that looks like a fish, and for the last five months I’ve been obsessed with it. I wrote an article about this fishy slug, called Phylliroe, back in November (link to original article here, which is also posted below). But despite all my best efforts (including harassing friends and colleagues) I wasn’t able to find a video. So I’ve been looking every few weeks ever since.

Kaj Maney*, an underwater videographer and owner of Dive Centre in Ambon, Indonesia, was rummaging through some old files when he found the video below. He had no idea what the animal was, so he asked for help on the Facebook group “Marine Creature Identification.” And once he realized he’d filmed a Phylliroe he sent the video to me. Kaj told me via email that “the funniest/saddest thing is that I had completely forgotten that I had ever filmed it!!” And it’s flat out the best wild Phylliroe video I’ve seen! …

(read more: Deep Sea News)

Yesss

I’ve been looking for videos of these guys for months now

(via nirdian)

Source: typhlonectes

astronomy-to-zoology: “ Montipora aequituberculata …a species of “Rice Coral” (Montipora spp.) which is native to the Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, through the Indian Ocean to Japan, the East China Sea,...
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astronomy-to-zoology:

Montipora aequituberculata

…a species of “Rice Coral” (Montipora spp.) which is native to the Indo-Pacific region.  Its range extends from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, through the Indian Ocean to Japan, the East China Sea, Australia and the west and central Pacific.M. aequituberculata is typically seen on the upper parts of reef slopes, where it is often one of the predominant species. Like many other coral species, M. aequituberculata  possesses zooxanthellae from which it obtains most of its nutritional needs. 

Although it is listed as least concern M. aequituberculata (like many other coral species) faces threats due to habitat destruction and rising sea temperatures which can cause coral bleaching. 

Classification

Animalia-Cnidaria-Anthozoa-Scleractinia-Acroporidae-Montipora-M. aequituberculata

Image: USFWS

(via moreanimalia)

Source: astronomy-to-zoology

The first audio recordings from the bottom of the Mariana Trench are creepy as hell

allacharade:

riverofwater:

sciencealert:

Scientists have released the first audio recordings taken from the deepest point on Earth’s surface, Challenger Deep, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Filled with strange moans, low rumbles, and the occasional high-pitched screech, the soundbites below shed rare light on the dark world that lies 10.9 km (6.7 miles) below the crushing weight of the Pacific Ocean… and they’re somehow both haunting and beautiful at the same time.

On the whole, we know very little about what goes on inside the Mariana Trench, located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean around 322 km (200 miles) southwest of Guam, mostly because it’s so difficult for us to get to.

when we finally manage to wipe out 90% of life on the surface of our earth, it’s reassuring to remember that the great dark gods of the Trench will rise and repopulate with their minions

What a time to be alive though. We live at the convergence of all these technologies such that we can both drop a microphone down to the deepest point on earth and just casually share those sounds on a free to post free to share audio hosting site online and instantly have it heard by random bored people all over the world who have no real understanding of any of the more technical aspects of what it is they are listening too, but can still appreciated it, say “woah” and share it with all their friends, and then make some 100 year old literary reference to go with it.

What a time to be alive.

(via unbadgr)

Source: sciencealert