For over 30 years, the Manatee Research Program (MRP) has been involved in a host of research efforts involving manatee behavioral ecology, abundance and distribution, and population demographics, as ...

On rare occasion, this sea star can have four or six limbs, instead of the standard five. Chocolate chip sea stars have a creamy white base and dark brown projections, resembling chocolate chips.

The giant hermit crab is the largest hermit crab species in the western Atlantic ocean. Throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and western Atlantic Ocean, giant hermit crabs inhabit inshore ...

Moray eels constantly open and close their mouthes to filter water through their gills, allowing them to breathe. The average size of a moray eel is 6 feet (1.8 meters), weighing in at 30 pounds (13.3 ...

Unlike many other species of rays, lesser devil rays do not have a spine in their tails. The lesser devil ray's diet consists of pelagic plankton- small organisms found floating in the water column.

These jellyfish have stinging cells in their tentacles that they use to stun their prey and defend themselves from predators. In the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Ocean, thimble jellies can live at ...

These crabs can grow to be 2-3 pounds (0.91-1.36 kilograms) each and can reach 6 inches (15 centimeters) across in length. Prowling the ocean floor, California king crabs will eat sea stars, crabs, ...

The Sharks & Rays Conservation Research Program is dedicated to studying the biology, ecology and conservation of sharks and their relatives, the skates and rays. These fishes comprise about 1,000 ...

These fish are nocturnal feeders, meaning they wait until nighttime to search for food. In the Indo-west Pacific, marine bettas can be found in tropical waters among coral reef habitats. They hide in ...

Coral catsharks are nocturnal hunters, meaning they feed at night. These sharks like to inhabit coral reef communities in shallow coastal waters. Relatively secluded, coral catsharks can primarily be ...

A SCREENSHOT FROM MOTE’S BEACH CONDITIONS REPORTING SYSTEM, SHOWING MANY OF THE SITES WHERE MOTE’S TRAINED VOLUNTEERS MONITOR VARIOUS BEACH CONDITIONS ALONG THE COASTLINE. The Beach Conditions ...

This coral species broadcast spawns during certain points of the year. This means that their eggs are projected into the water before being fertilized and settling back down to the seabed. Using their ...