Marine Life

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 Mitch Ryan

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

By Jesslyn Shields

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 & Mack Hayden

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

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

Crocodiles are known to eat just about anything. But sharks? A scientific team found evidence that they've chowed down on those predators too.

By Mark Mancini

Don't think you have much in common with a jellyfish? What researchers just discovered may surprise you.

By Laurie L. Dove

Researchers discover site of 15 gloomy octopus, a species that has previously been known for being reclusive.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The magnificent bryozoan is a colonial organism that lives in warm ponds and lakes usually east of the Mississippi River. So what's it doing in western Canada?

By Jesslyn Shields

How giant squid process visual information has long been a mystery, but a new study finds their visual processing is surprisingly uncomplicated.

By Jesslyn Shields

It's not easy being a starfish larva. Fortunately, the tiny creatures have an efficient way to get food and swim away.

By Alia Hoyt

It sounds crazy, but it's happened before, and it'll probably happen again.

By Joe McCormick