Featured images
After an exhaustive hunt and countless hours of searching, we finally found the closest thing to a deep-sea blep we may likely ever see. 😛 The vampire squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, has a grim reputation and name, but we think they can be cute (and blep-worthy) too! This species is the only living member of Vampyromorpha, an ancient cephalopod order which gave rise to both squids and octopuses. Vampire squids are often found in the oxygen minimum zone, an area ranging from 500 to 700 meters deep (1,640 - 2,296 feet) in the Monterey Bay which is very low in dissolved oxygen and thus hosts very little life within its boundaries. #MBARI #vampiresquid #blep #cephalomania #deepsea #ocean #underwaterphotography #nature #explore #science #wildlife #vampiresquidsofinstagram
Our engineers got a visit from this curious northern right whale dolphin while performing maintenance on our M1 mooring. 🐬 Northern right whale dolphins are typically found in large groups in the cold, deep waters of the Pacific. They are the only species in the Northern Pacific Ocean that lacks a dorsal fin. This animal and its friend swam around the mooring for about 10 minutes before they moved along to more interesting ventures. Don't forget that the sounds of Monterey Bay are streaming live on our website all day, every day! Be sure to check out the stream to listen to the whales, dolphins, and other ocean wildlife in the Monterey Bay (link in bio). Thanks to Observatory Engineer Jared Figurski for this great shot! #MBARI #wildlife #ocean #dolphins #nature #explore #science #exploremore #marinebiology #techietuesday #sciencelife #MontereyBay
