CARNIVOROUS DEATH BALL SPONGES! ZOBIE WORMS!?

Carnivorous!  OCEAN CENSUS ORG

Excerpt:

Its spherical form is covered in tiny hooks that trap prey, a clear contrast to the gentle, passive, filter-feeding undertaken by most sponges. ‘Zombie worms’ (Osedax sp.) were also observed. Although not thought to be new to science, these worms have no mouth or gut and rely on symbiotic bacteria to break down fats inside the bones of whales and other large vertebrates.

 

SMITHSONIAN : NEW SPECIES IN SOUTHERN OCEAN

HOGFISH

 

RARE SIGHTING OF GIANT PHANTOM JELLY FISH OFF THE COAST OF ARGENTINA

OOOH this BBC website has video of the swimming phantom!

BBC NEWS : RARE SIGNTING PHANTOM JELLY OFF ARGENTINA

Excerpt:

A rare phantom jellyfish has been spotted by scientists exploring the deep sea near Argentina.

Stygiomedusa gigantea, more commonly known as the giant phantom jellyfish, was filmed 250 metres below the surface in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute documented the creature, which can grow up to 1m (3.3ft) in diameter, with their arms reaching up to 10m (33ft) long.

Their four arms, which look like long pink ribbons, are not stinging tentacles. Instead the jellyfish use them to catch their prey of fish and plankton, according to the institute.

The team also discovered 28 potential new species including corals, sea urchins, and sea anemones.

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION : ACTION TO PROTECT OUR OCEAN : LET'S PROTECT 30 PERCENT OF THE OCEAN BY 2030

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION  4.9 KM of OCEAN PROTECTED

Blue Marine is dedicated to protecting and restoring life in the ocean. Our mission is to see at least 30 per cent of the ocean protected by 2030 and the whole ocean sustainably managed. We support low-impact fishing and equitable use of the ocean and address overfishing – one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges.

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This is the time to check in with yourself. Are you overeating seafood?

ORCAS HAVE BEEN SINKING BOATS

It's true... there have been a number of reports.


DIVE MAGAZINE : ORCAS SINK BOAT - PORTUGAL


OUTSIDE ONLIE : WE SAILED THROUGH ORCA ALLEY - BOATS RAMMED -SINKING


Excerpt: Along the Iberian Peninsula, where the North Atlantic collides with the rugged coastlines of Spain and Portugal before pinching into the Mediterranean Sea, an endangered subpopulation of orcas has developed the unfortunate habit of ramming into sailboats. The powerful animals target the rudders, often breaking them and destroying or disabling a boat’s steering. Such force can sometimes also damage a boat’s hull and cause a leak.

Orcas, also called killer whales (Orcinus orca), are known for their prowess as marine predators, and they’re intelligent and highly social. Across their global range, they’re unusually flexible in what they eat, how they hunt, and where they call home. Among their many talents, they’re masters of surprise.

ZOOPHYTES

Zoophytes via Bibliodyssey

A zoophyte is a plantlike animal, especially a coral, sea anemone, sponge, or sea lily.

PANAMA : OCEAN WATERS DID NOT RISE SEASONALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS : TERRIBLE CONCERN THAT OCEAN SYSTEM IS COLLAPSING

NEWSROOM PANAMA : FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS

Excerpt: For over 40 years, seasonal upwelling in the Gulf of Panama has followed a consistent pattern. Between the end of the calendar year and early spring, trade winds from the north push surface waters offshore, drawing cooler, deeper water upward. The process delivers nutrients that stimulate phytoplankton growth, forming the foundation of the marine food web. .................

In early 2025, that system failed. No cold water rose to the surface. No spike in surface chlorophyll was recorded. Ocean surface temperatures remained elevated through the season. According to data collected by scientists aboard the S/Y Eugen Seibold, a research vessel jointly operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Max Planck Institute, the vertical movement of water that characterizes the upwelling was entirely absent. The study documenting the event, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, confirms it as the first complete suppression of the upwelling in the observational record. Researchers noted that this shift eliminated a key stabilizing mechanism in the region’s marine ecosystem and exposed vulnerabilities in the broader ocean-climate system.

Winds Weaken, With Cascading Effects

At the center of the disruption was a collapse in atmospheric drivers. The northern trade winds, normally responsible for triggering the upwelling process, were significantly weaker in early 2025. As a result, surface waters remained in place, and the temperature differential needed to initiate vertical mixing did not materialize. The absence of cooler waters had immediate ecological effects. Without an influx of nutrients, phytoplankton production declined sharply. Satellite observations confirmed reduced chlorophyll-a concentrations throughout the Gulf of Panama during the period when biological productivity typically peaks.

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Go to this important article which is excellent to learn about how this is supposed to work, and the effect on the sea creatures - including starvation!

OCEAN DEFENDERS ALLIANCE

OCNONPROFITCENTRAL : OCEAN DEFENDERS ALLIANCE

This looks like a great one!

Excerpt: In 23 years, ODA has performed just under 600 ocean cleanups in 7 different counties of California and Hawai'i. The debris that has been removed from harm's way includes:

Plastics: over 84 tons (168,000 pounds)
Traps: 540
Trap lines that entangle whales: 51,000 feet
Fishing line: 293,000 feet
Nets: 49,000 pounds
Misc Debris: 139,000 pounds
Lead fishing weights: 11,500 pounds

And so much more! Marine wildlife and their habitats are safer without this hazardous debris.

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Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA) began protecting California's ocean ecosystems and wildlife in 2000. We are the longest running nonprofit focused solely on removal of dangerous man-made fishing gear from the coastal waters of California.  Since then, and because of the help of our many wonderful volunteers, we have removed vast amounts of trap-line and net that too often entangle whales, dolphins, and sea lions. We have also recovered hundreds of abandoned lobster traps and many tons of other debris that was threatening marine life. The result for sea life is simple: ODA's work has saved hundreds of thousands of animals from unnecessary and horrific death (most often drowning or starvation).  The world's oceans are in serious decline, primarily due to human abuse and neglect--but there is cause for hope! Working together with respect and focus, we will increase our already positive impact.  Please help us ensure healthy oceans for future generations. The time to act is NOW! Come join us!

PACIFIC MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - LAGUNA BEACH : REHABS VISITOR AREA : SEA LIONS HAVE HIGH RATE OF CANCER : NEXT WAVE EXPANSION

You may not be able to visit as a tourist, but you CAN donate, volunteer, or be a help to the cause.

PACIFIC MARINE MAMMAL CENTER : NEXT WAVE CAMPAIGN

Excerpt: We’re excited to invite you to join us as we usher in a new era for our organization - The Next Wave expansion.

The Next Wave Campaign will include:

A water reclamation system that will save our community 15,000 gallons of water every day

Increasing the standards of animal care

Improving our research capacity

Providing more students with access to our educational programming

Laying the groundwork for powerful advocacy that will help us as we Build a Better Ocean - one with fewer plastics and less chemical pollution.

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We care for the most common pinnipeds to southern California which are:

California Sea Lions

Northern Elephant Seals

Northern Fur Seals

Pacific Harbor Seals

MERMAID MANDALA

 

PREHISTORIC SHELL TRUMPETS STILL MAKE SOUND!

DAILY MAIL : SCIENCE : PREHISTORIC SHELL TRUMPETS 

Excerpts: Amazingly, eight of the instruments still worked perfectly, with the loudest toot reaching 111.5 decibels - as loud as a powerful car horn or trombone.

Researchers believe that these trumpets would have been used as an ancient form of communication technology, with simple codes shared between communities.

These blasts could easily travel the three to six miles (five to 10 km) between the Stone Age villages where the horns were discovered.

They could have been used to communicate between different settlements, warning of attacks or coordinating harvest times.

Others, found deep within abandoned mines, might have been used to send messages through the underground darkness.


*** See the photos of the shells and read more about the archeology!

HUNDREDS OF PINK DOLPHINS FOUND DEAD IN BRAZIL'S LAKE TEFE : THEY BOILED IN HEAT WAVE WATER HOTTER THAN A JACUZZI

CBS : DOLPHINS DEAD IN WATER HOTTER THAN JACUZZI BRAZIL LAKE TEFE 

Excerpts: 

Officials from the World Wildlife Fund Brazil said 153 dolphins were found dead the week of Sept. 23, 2023, including 130 pink dolphins, and 23 tucuxi dolphins. Both are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and the latter of which are considered "the guardians of rivers and a symbol of good luck," according to RiverDolphins.org.

"The climate emergency is here"

What made it even more remarkable, said Fleischmann, was that the same temperature was found not just at the surface but throughout the two-meter-deep water column.

Using computer modeling, the team identified four key drivers: strong solar heating, shallow waters, low wind speeds, and high turbidity — a measure of water haziness.

These factors reinforce one another. Shallowness increases turbidity, which traps more heat, while low wind carries less heat away, leaving the water more exposed to clear skies and intense sunlight.

Another stressor for aquatic life was the large swing between highs and lows, with the peak of 41C in Tefe followed by a nighttime low of 27C.

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Siren here!  It's not just sad, it's terrifying!