Marine Life

Looks can be deceiving. That's definitely true for the blue-ringed octopus. It's tiny, stunningly beautiful and looks harmless. Yet its venom could kill 26 men in minutes.

By Stephanie Parker

The pistol shrimp is feared in the ocean for its ability to hit a prey with air bubbles that travel 82 feet per second, pop at 218 decibels and deliver 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit of heat.

By Katie Carman

Yes, this terrifying worm was named after the infamous Bobbitt case. And with good reason.

By Francisco Guzman

These brightly colored crustaceans can smash aquarium glass or quickly cut through a human finger, so whatever you do, keep your distance.

By Stephanie Vermillion

These two sea creatures can be easy to confuse. But they're actually quite different. We talked to experts to find out how to tell them apart.

By Wendy Bowman

Roly-poly bugs are natural soil conditioners because they process decomposing matter, helping keep your garden soil clean and healthy. And — fun fact — they're crustaceans, not insects.

By Jeremy Glass

This master of camouflage can count, gender-bend and also use a hidden weapon to outsmart its enemies.

By Alia Hoyt

What lives in water, has no gills, scales or fins and is not a fish? Yep, a starfish — which is why marine biologists have renamed these creatures sea stars.

By Wendy Bowman

A bright pink manta ray named Inspector Clouseau is causing a splash on the runway of the Great Barrier Reef.

By Jesslyn Shields

Proactive sluggishness, along with the ability to squeeze into tight spaces, keeps these slugs safe from predators like birds, toads and, well, fires.

By Katie Carman

Dwindling natural habitats are causing a significant decline in certain seahorse species. To bolster populations, researchers in Australia are building seahorse hotels and leaving the lights on.

By Wendy Bowman

What sea creature looks like a spiny pincushion and is considered a delicacy to gastronomes around the world? Yep, the sea urchin.

By Jeremy Glass

These saltwater clams are the largest on the planet, and some can live as long as 100 years. And despite their, well, looks, they're pretty darn tasty.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Rumors of giant squid have terrified sailors for centuries, but new technology is now helping to bring these mysterious creatures up toward the light.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Most jellyfish are more bothersome than threatening, but the box jellyfish is so poisonous you might not make it out of the water alive.

By John Perritano

Is that a dolphin pancreas? Some extremely firm manatee vomit? Nope, it's sea pork!

By Jesslyn Shields

The biggest land-dwelling arthropod can crack into everything from coconuts to carcasses, but they're also really vulnerable.

By Jesslyn Shields

The single-celled Mesodinium chamaeleon harnesses algae, which lives inside it, for energy.

By Loraine Fick

The first-ever deep-sea exploration of West Java seas netted more than 12,000 marine creatures, including some new species of crabs, prawns and lobsters.

By Oisin Curran

The Dumbo octopus is just one of the amazing creatures filmed by the most recent voyage of the E/V Nautilus.

By Jesslyn Shields

The kindest thing you can say about a sea cucumber's physique is that it looks very much like a large hoagie bun dressed in a lumpy old sweater.

By Jesslyn Shields

Sea lice aren't actually lice — they're jellyfish — but they're no fun when they get in your bathing suit.

By Jesslyn Shields

You can't tell a book by its cover, and you can't tell a squid by its Nosferatu getup.

By Jesslyn Shields

Sea spiders don't do anything by the book, and researchers have just gotten to the bottom of how they breathe.

By Jesslyn Shields

Researchers have successfully used RNA to transfer a memory from one sea snail to another.

By Jesslyn Shields