Melissa Hobson

1 week ago | discoverwildlife.com | Melissa Hobson

Deep sea scientists have filmed a live colossal squid in its natural environment for the first time since the species was named 100 years ago. In a surprising twist, the individual – caught on film at a depth of 600 metres by researchers onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) – was a baby. Reaching up to seven metres long and tipping the scales at 500kg, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the heaviest invertebrate on Earth.

1 week ago | countryfile.com | Lauren Franklin |Melissa Hobson

A scuba diver has opened people’s eyes to the magical animals that can be found in UK waters when he shared a series of hypnotic videos of large stingrays swimming through Sussex waters. “From this month, large stingrays begin to show up in the shallow waters of the South East,” says scuba diver Gio Prince on Instagram. “The largest common stingrays I have ever seen have been here in Sussex.

1 week ago | discoverwildlife.com | Melissa Hobson

Explorers on an expedition to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) have shared their adorable experience of meeting a group of king penguins on the shoreline. The video shows tens of king penguins, with their characteristic orange cheeks, strutting along with their arms outstretched. Growing up to 95cm tall, king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are the second largest species of penguin. The emperor penguin takes the crown for the largest, measuring 120cm.

1 week ago | scientificamerican.com | Melissa Hobson

Dolphins are renowned for their intelligence and social skills. These large-brained marine mammals communicate using individualized signature clicks and whistles and even seem to recognize their own “names.” Big advances in artificial intelligence have renewed some scientists’ dream of eventually understanding what dolphins are saying. But what if we humans could also respond? Now a few researchers think a form of two-way communication with dolphins could be on the horizon.

1 week ago | newscientist.com | Melissa Hobson

Dolphins in seas around the UK are dying from a combination of increased water temperatures and toxic chemicals that the UK banned in the 1980s. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a long-lasting type of persistent chemical pollutant, once widely used in industrial manufacturing. They interfere with animals’ reproduction and immune response and cause cancer in humans.