Marine life includes an incredible and vibrant array of wild animals that live in the ocean. From tiny phytoplankton to massive blue whales, marine life is a vital source of food, energy and life for the entire planet.
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Yes, this terrifying worm was named after the infamous Bobbitt case. And with good reason.
These brightly colored crustaceans can smash aquarium glass or quickly cut through a human finger, so whatever you do, keep your distance.
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
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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.
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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.
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Rumors of giant squid have terrified sailors for centuries, but new technology is now helping to bring these mysterious creatures up toward the light.
Most jellyfish are more bothersome than threatening, but the box jellyfish is so poisonous you might not make it out of the water alive.
Is that a dolphin pancreas? Some extremely firm manatee vomit? Nope, it's sea pork!
The biggest land-dwelling arthropod can crack into everything from coconuts to carcasses, but they're also really vulnerable.
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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.
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.
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Sea lice aren't actually lice — they're jellyfish — but they're no fun when they get in your bathing suit.
You can't tell a book by its cover, and you can't tell a squid by its Nosferatu getup.
Sea spiders don't do anything by the book, and researchers have just gotten to the bottom of how they breathe.
Researchers have successfully used RNA to transfer a memory from one sea snail to another.
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By incorporating algae into their bodies, these beautiful sea slugs become one of the few animals with the photosynthetic ability of a plant.
By Amanda Onion
Snails can't pick and choose their shells like hermit crabs can. In fact, eviction means death. So how do those hard shells form over snails?
By Mark Mancini