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Red-belly dragonfish? Actually, this deep-sea fish, Stomias sp., is known as the black-belly dragonfish. But when biologists shine blue lights on it, the light excites special proteins to produce fluorescence. The small spots of red along the underside of the head and body are light organs, or photophores.⠀ ⠀ It is thought that the photophores under the belly of this and other deep-sea fish glow as a creative camouflage adaptation. The glow allows the fish to blend in with faint sunlight from above, making it appear invisible to potential predators below.⠀ ⠀ Photo by Steve Haddock. ⠀ ⠀ #dragonfish #fluorescence #lightorgans #glow #stomias #blackbellydragonfish #photophore #deepseafish #glowingfish #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology

This octocoral, Parastenella ramosa, was observed on the Taney Seamount, a range of five extinct underwater volcanoes located 190 miles west of San Francisco. They are in the family Primnoidae, a group very common on these seamounts. The coral is covered in small brittle stars, which often climb coral branches to catch drifting plankton in the water current. #deepsea #mbari #Marinebiology #marinescience #coral #corals #gorgonian #ocean #marinelife #sealife #oceanlife #science #underwaterphotography #brittlestar #deepseacoral #seamount #oceanscience #octocoral #ROV

The deep-living amphipod Cystisoma magna has a curtain-like retina, with widely separated, unscreened structures called rhabdoms. Rhabdoms are transparent, crystalline receptive structures found in the compound eyes of arthropods (which includes insects, arachnids, and crustaceans). Incoming rays of light pass through a transparent cone, which acts to converge the rays onto the tip of the rhabdom. This adaptation of the eyes make them minimally visible to protential predators. While Cystisoma is highly transparent and difficult to detect under normal deep-sea illumination, they are quite visible when side-lit by the bright lights of ROV Tiburon, as seen in this close-up image. #MBARI #deepsea #ocean #gianteyes #underwaterphotography #naturephotography #underwatervideo #sealife #oceanlife #naturephotography #nature #wildlifephotography #wildlife #ROV #ROVvideo #amphipod #marinebiology #deepsealife

The @SOCCOMproject deploys hundreds of autonomous floats to extend the sparse biogeochemical data available from the Southern Ocean. But what does it take to build this innovative technology? Scientists from University of Washington and MBARI work together to build the floats. In this time-lapse video, MBARI Research Specialist Peter Walz assembles the pH sensor that attaches to the top of the float. After testing, he will send it to UW for final assembly of the entire float. ⠀ ⠀ Don't let this 20-second video fool you, it takes a significant amount of time to assemble hundreds of floats for deployment! This assembly actually took a little over 15 minutes. The entire team is working hard to get ready for the Antarctic field season.⠀ ⠀ #soccom #argofloats #argoarray #southernocean #antarctic #ocean #oceantech #oceanography #biogeochemistry #BGCargo #stem #stemed #stemeducation #engineering #scienceandtechnology #oceanscience #MBARI #timelapse #chemicalsensor #oceanchemistry #marinetech #STEM #STEMed #engineering #oceanscience

Mysids, also known as “opossum shrimps,” are shrimp-like crustaceans found throughout the world's ocean. They are common in the deep sea, found living on the seafloor, or in the sediment, and even in pelagic habitats like this one. Pelagic mysids are very commonly seen on our ROV dives, but it's not so common to get a good look at one! They often dash away with a flick of their tail. The red coloration is used as camouflage. The red wavelengths in the visible light spectrum are the first to be absorbed in the ocean, making red colors appear black in the deep sea. Red animals disappear into the darkness, enabling them to ambush unsuspecting prey or avoid a hungry predator. #zooplankton #shrimp #opossumshrimp #mysid #camouflage #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology #ROV

Most of the squid we know as “calamari” are shallow-water species that live near the shore. These species have short lives. Once they mature, after about a year, they experience a single brief breeding period then die. But many more squid species live in deep water and the details of their lives, particularly their mating behavior, are shrouded in mystery. But MBARI researchers discovered that this deep-sea squid, Octopoteuthis deletron, attached their spermatangia (sperm packets) to other males as often as to females of the species. Given that same-sex mating will not produce offspring, how do the scientists explain their findings? The researchers think that male squid may mate with any member of their species they encounter, which helps these rare animals take advantage of any possible chance to reproduce. #CephalopodAwarenessDays #Cephalopod #squid #deepseasquid #reproduction #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology