HowStuffWorks Newsletter
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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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
To boil or not to boil ... that is the question.
By John Donovan
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
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Don't think you have much in common with a jellyfish? What researchers just discovered may surprise you.
Researchers discover site of 15 gloomy octopus, a species that has previously been known for being reclusive.
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?
How giant squid process visual information has long been a mystery, but a new study finds their visual processing is surprisingly uncomplicated.
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If you thought this underwater creeper looked heartless, you're actually not that far off.
By Chris Opfer
How squid brains process their external visual skin communication is fascinating, complex, and unlike anything in the vertebrate world.
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.
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Bruce Lee has nothing on these boxer crabs.
By Robert Lamb
New fossil analysis details a microscopic organism from 540 million years ago that just might be a precursor to every vertebrate on the planet.
Mining rare minerals from the breeding ground of these newly discovered creatures could endanger their habitat. But hey, then we get batteries.
Turns out that strange sound may be minke whales getting vocal in the deep ocean.
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Scientists have discovered for the first time that animals pollinate flowers in the ocean.
By Alia Hoyt
Consider the lobster feces: a new discovery about a midgut membrane and how lobsters consume toxic sea nettles could help develop more sustainable farming practices.
Despite its cartoonish visage, yes, this is a real animal. This recently spotted stubby squid was so charming he inspired poetry.
A Massachusetts fisherman recently caught a blue lobster, which had us wondering how rare this crustacean really is.
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Western Australia Museum is hosting a naming contest for this fascinating new nudibranch species.
Scientists until recently believed Octopuses & Co. were colorblind. If that were the case, how could the animals create such vivid physical color displays?
Baby fish rely on jellyfish to protect them from predators, but that delicate symbiosis is at risk as seawater CO2 levels rise due to human actions.
Corals reefs have had a rough last few decades, but researchers have discovered a few reefs that are doing better than expected. And they're eager to learn why.
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How can a rich ecosystem exist beneath water as muddy as that of the Amazon River's plume? The surprising discovery all has to do with physics and density.
