Darwin Is Most Famous For His Theory Of Evolution. But Did You Know That Much Of His Life’s work Was

Not every creature in the ocean is cute and cuddly – some are downright spooky! 

Anglerfish like this one in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary lurk in the dark, waiting to lure prey in with the light atop their head. 

(Photo: MBARI)

Marine Life of the Maritime Provinces, Canada

After months of work and waiting, here is at long last the full MARS commission. MARS (Marine Animal Response Society) is active in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and is called upon whenever a marine creature is found dead or in distress. These illustrations will be used to educate their volunteers and assist in making species identifications during strandings or at sea.

With 42 separate illustrations, this is my largest project to date - quite a load of work! But it was an absolute pleasure to do. I got to paint animals I have never painted before, as well as revisit some old friends. The diversity of species found in this one area is impressive and made for varied painting.

I’m pretty pleased seeing them all together like this, and I hope you’ll enjoy them too! 

These rays need a hero—could it be you?

Gliding through the open ocean with style, the pelagic stingray is a sleek swimmer facing a big challenge: getting caught as bycatch in the fishing industry.

Dive into  our free online course, Rays of Hope! Designed for 9th–12th graders, this program dives deep into the challenges faced by pelagic stingrays. 

Through inspiring videos and interactive games, you’ll not only learn about these issues but also create your own solution to drive positive change—because hope starts with YOU!

Learn more and start your journey!

It may be winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but down in Antarctica, it’s currently summertime. This humpback whale migrated south to feast on the plentiful krill along the West Antarctic Peninsula.

Credit:  © Ari Friedlaender

U.S. loses bid to end children's climate change lawsuit

By a 3-0 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the government fell short of the “high bar” needed to dismiss the Oregon case, originally brought in 2015 against the administration of President Barack Obama.

Twenty-one children and young adults, ages 11 to 22, accused federal officials and oil industry executives of violating their due process rights by knowing for decades that carbon pollution poisons the environment, but doing nothing about it.

The government contended that letting the case proceed would be too burdensome, unconstitutionally pit the courts against the executive branch, and require improper “agency decision-making” by forcing officials to answer questions about climate change.

But the appeals court said the issues raised “are better addressed through the ordinary course of litigation.”

A trial is scheduled for Oct. 29 in the federal court in Eugene, Oregon.

President Donald Trump’s administration also has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit or put it on hold, and is awaiting a ruling. Its earlier bid to end the lawsuit failed in March.

Phytoplankton

The word phytoplanton comes from the greek words phyto (plant) plankton (made to wander) And what they do for the world is amazing! They are a great example of doing SO much even though they are small. Without them we wouldn’t have enough oxygen. The fish and sea life would all most definately die, which would effect food for humans and land animals. It would effect cultures and peace in general, because without sea life many beliefs and practices would be effected as well. Without them the sea animals wouldn’t be able to “breathe”.  A good way humans can make sure to keep the phytoplankton around is by making sure we don’t litter, or pour harmful chemicals into the ocean that could kill them. A great place to learn more about this is here:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Phytoplankton/

http://save-as.org/GreenNews/News/phytoplankton-the-oceans-vital-force-is-dying-out_1675

http://www.savethesea.org/plankton.html

This would be so terrifying

Milky Blue Water Near Prince of Wales Island

Phytoplankton are more than just nature’s watercolors: They’re tiny ocean organisms that play a key role in Earth’s climate by removing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. These tiny organisms live in the oceans, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, like plants on land. Earth’s oceans absorb about half of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which feeds phytoplankton.

This year, phytoplankton blooms popped up in the panhandle region of Alaska and along the coast of British Columbia slightly later in the year than the main blooms that tend to occur in May.

This image was acquired on July 21, 2018, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on our Terra satellite and shows milky blue waters near Prince of Wales Island. The discoloration is thought to be caused by a bloom of non-toxic phytoplankton known as coccolithophores, specifically Emiliania huxleyi, which like warm, stratified, and low nutrient conditions.

This week, our Export Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) team is shipping out into the open ocean to study these important organisms, sailing 200 miles west from Seattle into the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

Read more about the image and learn more about the EXPORTS campaign here: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/expedition-probes-ocean-s-smallest-organisms-for-climate-answers

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

Underwater creatures: Photographer Marty Snyderman captures unique behaviors

Underwater photographer Marty Snyderman’s fascinating body of work brings to life some of the more unique behaviors of the animals of the deep. Snyderman has dedicated his professional life to documenting these creatures — including those that clean other fish, guard fertilized eggs in their mouths, and “fish” for their dinner using a natural worm or fishlike lure incorporating their own body as a fishing rod. In order to find such intriguing creatures, Snyderman, 67, said a lot of discussion must first take place between himself and fishermen, scientists, photographers or even local diving instructors. When photographing his subjects, he tries to stay within one or two feet of them whenever possible, something he admits can be tricky, given the sensitivity of the fish, whales, manta rays and other subjects. (Caters News)

Photography by Marty Snyderman

See more photos of underwater creatures and our other slideshows on Yahoo News.