With dimensions comparable to the Grand Canyon, it's no surprise that Monterey Canyon harbors a variety of different seafloor habitats. But even on the flat, muddy floor of the canyon, animal communities vary considerably, according to a new paper by marine biologists Craig McClain and James Barry.

When most people think about the deep sea, they picture broad expanses of muddy seafloor. However, the majority of deep-sea animals, and perhaps the majority of all animals on Earth, live in the "deep pelagic zone"--the dark waters between the ocean surface and the seafloor.

Creeping slowly across the deep seafloor on long, spindly legs, giant sea spiders are found in many deep-sea areas. But, as with many deep-sea animals, we know very little about how sea spiders live. A recent paper by MBARI-affiliated researchers shows that sea spiders suck the juices out of deep-sea anemones.

Julie Packard was presented with a plaque containing photos of a new species of deep-sea coral that was recently named after her.

A new paper shows that animal communities on the abyssal seafloor are affected in a variety of ways by climate change.

Deep-sea worms have evolved an amazing array of body types and survival strategies. The latest addition to this collection of oddities is a group of swimming worms with small oval sacs of fluid hanging from their bodies, just behind their heads.

New calculations made by marine chemists from MBARI suggest that low-oxygen "dead zones" in the ocean could expand significantly over the next century.

Many animals (including humans) spend a great deal of time selecting and fighting to keep their mates. Octopuses, which tend to be loners, have never been shown to engage in such complicated reproductive strategies. However, a new research paper by MBARI postdoctoral fellow Christine Huffard shows that at least one type of octopus (and probably others) do engage in elaborate "mating games."

Over the last five years, large, predatory Humboldt squid have moved north from equatorial waters and invaded the sea off Central California, where they may be decimating populations of Pacific hake, an important commercial fish.

According to a new study in this week’s journal Science these floating islands of ice—some over 20 kilometers (12 miles) across—are having a major impact on the ecology and chemistry of the ocean around them.

It sounds like a junior high school riddle—"What lives 3,000 feet below the ocean surface, is about the size of a marble, and looks like the back side of a pig?" MBARI biologist Karen Osborn and her colleagues recently came up with an answer to this riddle by combining modern DNA analysis with traditional methods of scientific observation.

On September 17, 2006, researchers from NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary program and MBARI will embark on a expedition to study the submerged wreck of the airship USS Macon, the largest and last U.S.-built, rigid lighter-than-air craft.

A unique paper by researchers at MBARI and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary describes how a deep-sea communications cable affects animals living on and within the seafloor.

A recent publication by researchers at the University of Rhode Island and at MBARI details the first observations of brooding in a deep-sea squid, with the mother carrying the eggs between her arms until the young hatch and swim away.

Each winter, storm waves sweep thousands of tons of beach sand along the coast of Monterey Bay. This sand is carried parallel to shore until it reaches Moss Landing, where it enters the head of Monterey Canyon.

As successful fishermen know, if you want to catch fish, you have to use the right bait or lure. This is true even in the deep sea, where scientists recently discovered a new species of jelly that attracts fish by wiggling hundreds of glowing red lures.

After analyzing hundreds of hours of deep-sea video, Bruce Robison and his colleagues found that "sinkers"—the cast-off mucus nets of small midwater animals called larvaceans—are a significant source of food for deep-sea organisms.

MBARI oceanographer John Ryan recently published a scientific paper describing how Monterey Canyon can influence the growth and distribution of phytoplankton.

This February, MBARI geologists are using the research vessel Western Flyer and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Tiburon to explore several submarine canyons and undersea landslides off the Southern California coast.

Scientists studying a whale carcass in Monterey Canyon recently announced the discovery of two new species of unique worms that feed on the bones of dead whales.