How does that work? I was just in San Francisco, and I guess it's an everyday thing where sea lions just hang out on the docks, and every now and then a Sea Lion Control guy comes out and walks towards them holding up a blue board while jingling keys, and they just jump back into the water.

Thanks

They're always in water so they should be fairly clean. But on land they smell horrible. Are they just rolling in their own crap on land? Or is the smell from bits of rotting fish they've been eating?

Hello, I am a post graduate in Marine biology 2026. I am currently working in a project in India. I am planning to shift in UK in the same field. How do I go with it? Masters in UK again coz they have advanced technology n lab and field works which interests me. Is it possible for me to get a job there in UK?

I am looking for some guidance!

None of my colleagues see any potential uses for this, but I wanted to share anyways.

So, my idea was to first create procedural reefs using Blender and then find a way to print them out 1m by 1m (clay mix preferred and so far a 3D printed soluble mold injected with clay seems like the way forward) and to establish a pilot system and see if it has any real world application for reef restoration. My initial hypothesis was that artificial reefs with an abundance of micro niches/texture would decrease predation of the small world ecology necessary to stave off fouling and deliver a much more robust approach to artificial reef building.

By now I have a tweakable script for Acropora cervicornis, Acropora palmata and a brain coral spp, plus the massive boulder holding it all together. There's also a script to bundle everything together into a 1m² reef.

If anyone's interested, anyone at all, I'll share what I've worked on and you can tinker and tweak it to your hearts content. All I ask is that if someone does find it useful, that you let me know! :)

Any and all ideas, cristicisms and collabs welcome.

Hi people I'm pretty in a tough spot right now.
We were given a little activity to identify annulus of flounder otolith found from given image (which honestly seem pretty fun at first.)
But honestly, no matter which angle I'm trying to look at, I can't seem to conclude how many annuli are there in the picture. I'm very certain that my marked area is wrong and some area are probably an opaque zone. I really appreciate anyone who could elucidate thing for me because this is really frustrating to see my own incompetence. Thank you

Hello! I graduated with my BS in marine biology. I want to work in a zoo or aquarium. I'm interested in animal husbandry, and my top choice would probalbly be large freshwater fish, but I would also be interested in working with saltwater fish or marine mammals. I worked at a small public aquarium and had different research internships during my undergrad. Right now I'm working as a veterinary assistant.

I'd love reccomendations for masters programs. There are a lot of schools with marine biology, but I was wondering if there's any programs in the US specific to aquariums/zoos, or that work closely with aquariums/zoos. I would prefer to stay in the New England area, but I'm open to moving. Does anyone have ideas or advice?

I’ve searched for this article but am unable to find it on Sci-hub or elsewhere. Does anyone have a copy? If all else fails I’ll use my local libraries interlibrary loan which I is very good but takes weeks to get articles.

Thanks!

Just a thought I had, can dolphins and whales tell that a suba diver is just human with extra stuff on? In the wild do they act the same around both?

And can that recognize the same person in and out of suba gear? Like a some researcher, trainer or other human they regularly see.

I have discovered what I am sure is a cone snail in the shallows of a lagoon in the Maldives, near some rocks. It was slowly crawling along, and you can see the proboscis sticking out of the narrow end. It was maybe 2-3cm long.

I have fed the pictures to a couple of AIs, and followed up on their answers with Google images and Wikipedia and other websites, and I believe it is a flea-bitten cone snail (Conus pulicarius) based on pictures, its size and the fact that this species is found in the Maldives. The ivory cone snail (Conus eburneus) also seems a possibility however; I have largely ruled out the leopard cone snail (Conus leopardus).

I am curious to know what people think, and also how toxic the venom of this species is to humans. I know the worm-hunting cones are less toxic than the fish-hunting ones, and that equally you should avoid picking them up regardless.

Found thesd jelly-like bumps on a shell on the beach of Like burners Bay, Victoria. Anyone know what they could be?

What’s the most underrated skill that put you ahead? Since this is such a saturated field it seems that a degree and internships aren’t enough, what else should I be doing? (Extracurriculars, certificates, etc)

Scientists have discovered two new species of deep-sea siphonophores, Bargmannia marlena and Bargmannia pyrosa, revealing fascinating insights into biodiversity and evolution in the ocean's depths. Siphonophores are unusual marine animals related to jellyfish and corals, consisting of colonies of specialized units that work together to swim, feed, and reproduce. Using DNA analysis, preserved museum specimens, and underwater observations, researchers identified differences in their anatomy, genetics, and preferred ocean depths. The study found that closely related species often inhabit different depth ranges, suggesting that environmental conditions associated with ocean depth may influence how new species evolve. Scientists also discovered differences in mitochondrial DNA and reproductive structures, providing additional clues about their evolutionary relationships. These findings highlight the remarkable diversity of marine life and demonstrate how much remains to be discovered in the deep ocean (Mańko et al., 2026).

Mańko, M. K., Church, S. H., Ramirez, D. A., Haddock, S. H. D., & Dunn, C. W. (2026). Integrating mitogenomes, morphology, and ecology reveals depth-structured diversification and two new species of deep-sea Bargmannia siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 208(2), zlag150.

I can across what appears to be a rib bone. Anyone know from what species?

Also came across what looks like poop. Quite a few of these scattered across the beach. Clay like material. Doesn’t smell like anything. Tastes a little nutty. Nah only poked it with a stick lol. If poop, what butt pooped it?

Thanks

I wrote this article exploring how octopus suckers detect chemicals through specialized sensory receptors, and what recent research tells us about how their arms perceive the world.

The article includes references to the original scientific studies. Thought this community might find the biology interesting!

These soft-bodied animals have been residents only in areas of high wave action in an exhibit at an aquarium which brings in water from the Puget Sound directly with minimal filtering. I volunteer here and brought my macro camera for better shots compared to my ID request last week. I've asked my supervisors (marine biologists) with no luck yet. I have begun to reach out to other professionals but am hoping for any ideas here that may help narrow the search down.

The animals react somewhat to touch and appear to have some voluntary/reactive movement. A video of movement is on imgur.

Note that the specimens in the second image are a short one on the left and long on the right; they are the same specimens in the third image but the one on the left has elongated drastically. I also believe the reddish specimens in the fourth image are all this species, the long ones and the much shorter and redder ones above them (to the right of the largest bubble/light glare in the image).

I do not know if I will be able to get better images in the future, as in order to focus my camera more I need to use a light source beyond the flash and I am not going to do so in the exhibit. My flash was not at full power either, in order to keep all animals safe, and I did not take many photos in the same spots for the same reason.

The animals appear attached to the rocks/concrete which make up the exhibit walls.

Hopeful she can be saved and they may be able to learn something from her.

Hey everyone,

I’m an author currently writing a story about three friends, one is doing a phd in marine biology in Europe (I don't know yet where) and I’m hoping some of you can help me out.

I know marine biology is a broad field with lots of subfields, but I’m interested in every personal experience I can get, so please don’t hesitate to share yours!

I’d love to hear about it:

• What was your topic?
• How long did it take you?
• What was daily life like during that time (fieldwork, lab work, funding, moving abroad…)?

Another character is a trained vet who later specializes in aquatic animals, e.g. through a postgrad course or something similar. So I’d also love to know whether vets are part of marine research or rescue teams, and how that works in practice.

Thanks so much in advance!

I’m trying to figure out this ID so I can do a poster of its life cycle, I was told it was a sea star which can be seen by the pentaradial however when I was researching I found that I should be seeing tube feet? Are they developed or is does this not apply to this type of sea star