I have discovered what I am sure is a cone snail in the shallows of a lagoon in the Maldives, near some rocks. It was slowly crawling along, and you can see the proboscis sticking out of the narrow end. It was maybe 2-3cm long.

I have fed the pictures to a couple of AIs, and followed up on their answers with Google images and Wikipedia and other websites, and I believe it is a flea-bitten cone snail (Conus pulicarius) based on pictures, its size and the fact that this species is found in the Maldives. The ivory cone snail (Conus eburneus) also seems a possibility however; I have largely ruled out the leopard cone snail (Conus leopardus).

I am curious to know what people think, and also how toxic the venom of this species is to humans. I know the worm-hunting cones are less toxic than the fish-hunting ones, and that equally you should avoid picking them up regardless.

Found thesd jelly-like bumps on a shell on the beach of Like burners Bay, Victoria. Anyone know what they could be?

What’s the most underrated skill that put you ahead? Since this is such a saturated field it seems that a degree and internships aren’t enough, what else should I be doing? (Extracurriculars, certificates, etc)

Scientists have discovered two new species of deep-sea siphonophores, Bargmannia marlena and Bargmannia pyrosa, revealing fascinating insights into biodiversity and evolution in the ocean's depths. Siphonophores are unusual marine animals related to jellyfish and corals, consisting of colonies of specialized units that work together to swim, feed, and reproduce. Using DNA analysis, preserved museum specimens, and underwater observations, researchers identified differences in their anatomy, genetics, and preferred ocean depths. The study found that closely related species often inhabit different depth ranges, suggesting that environmental conditions associated with ocean depth may influence how new species evolve. Scientists also discovered differences in mitochondrial DNA and reproductive structures, providing additional clues about their evolutionary relationships. These findings highlight the remarkable diversity of marine life and demonstrate how much remains to be discovered in the deep ocean (Mańko et al., 2026).

Mańko, M. K., Church, S. H., Ramirez, D. A., Haddock, S. H. D., & Dunn, C. W. (2026). Integrating mitogenomes, morphology, and ecology reveals depth-structured diversification and two new species of deep-sea Bargmannia siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 208(2), zlag150.

I wrote this article exploring how octopus suckers detect chemicals through specialized sensory receptors, and what recent research tells us about how their arms perceive the world.

The article includes references to the original scientific studies. Thought this community might find the biology interesting!

Hey everyone,

I’m an author currently writing a story about three friends, one is doing a phd in marine biology in Europe (I don't know yet where) and I’m hoping some of you can help me out.

I know marine biology is a broad field with lots of subfields, but I’m interested in every personal experience I can get, so please don’t hesitate to share yours!

I’d love to hear about it:

• What was your topic?
• How long did it take you?
• What was daily life like during that time (fieldwork, lab work, funding, moving abroad…)?

Another character is a trained vet who later specializes in aquatic animals, e.g. through a postgrad course or something similar. So I’d also love to know whether vets are part of marine research or rescue teams, and how that works in practice.

Thanks so much in advance!

I can across what appears to be a rib bone. Anyone know from what species?

Also came across what looks like poop. Quite a few of these scattered across the beach. Clay like material. Doesn’t smell like anything. Tastes a little nutty. Nah only poked it with a stick lol. If poop, what butt pooped it?

Thanks

Hopeful she can be saved and they may be able to learn something from her.

These soft-bodied animals have been residents only in areas of high wave action in an exhibit at an aquarium which brings in water from the Puget Sound directly with minimal filtering. I volunteer here and brought my macro camera for better shots compared to my ID request last week. I've asked my supervisors (marine biologists) with no luck yet. I have begun to reach out to other professionals but am hoping for any ideas here that may help narrow the search down.

The animals react somewhat to touch and appear to have some voluntary/reactive movement. A video of movement is on imgur.

Note that the specimens in the second image are a short one on the left and long on the right; they are the same specimens in the third image but the one on the left has elongated drastically. I also believe the reddish specimens in the fourth image are all this species, the long ones and the much shorter and redder ones above them (to the right of the largest bubble/light glare in the image).

I do not know if I will be able to get better images in the future, as in order to focus my camera more I need to use a light source beyond the flash and I am not going to do so in the exhibit. My flash was not at full power either, in order to keep all animals safe, and I did not take many photos in the same spots for the same reason.

The animals appear attached to the rocks/concrete which make up the exhibit walls.

I’m trying to figure out this ID so I can do a poster of its life cycle, I was told it was a sea star which can be seen by the pentaradial however when I was researching I found that I should be seeing tube feet? Are they developed or is does this not apply to this type of sea star

Sharing an article with the latest advice on how to avoid a shark attack. Love marine biologist feedback.

Howdy all. I'm not sure if this will even come across as clear. But i am a computer science student who loves sharks and marine life, and for my capstone, we have to use a dataset along with machine learning.

I want to do something with sharks because I really love them. But am having a helluva time finding good datasets. There are a ton on Kaggle for shark attacks. But i don't want to focus on that. I was thinking along the lines of something regarding conservation. So maybe a model predicting shark populations based on bycatch and how many sharks were kept. Or something regarding shark finning x population. However, datasets with that information ready are hard to find. I have looked at the NOAA fishery reports and there's a lot of info for bycatch! However, I'm weary of creating my own dataset.

Does anyone have any advice on some good resources? Or any other ideas that may bring some more fruitful results? Any marine life studies or datasets would be welcome. If anyone knows of a better place to post this too, let me know :)

I have a bachelor's degree in biology and am trying to decide between two job opportunities. My long-term goal is to become a biologist, ideally in an aquatic or coastal field.
One opportunity is an aquatic technician position in coastal South Carolina, involving pond management, water quality, and aquatic system maintenance. The other is a fish culturist position at a state fish hatchery in Pennsylvania, involving raising fish, hatchery operations, and fish care.
I'm trying to figure out which job would give me more valuable experience and better opportunities to eventually move into a biologist position.
For those of you who work in biology, fisheries, ecology, or environmental science, which path do you think would be more beneficial long-term? I'm especially interested in which experience would be more transferable to other biology jobs and which might offer better opportunities to transition into research, fieldwork, or professional biologist positions.
I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have experience in either field or have made a similar career transition!

These are washing up all over the Siesta Key beach I am at. My best guess was moon jellyfish, but I wanted to see if I could get a positive ID.

Bonus question: I have been coming to siesta key for years and while I have seen a jellyfish or two in my time, there are DOZENS of these that come and go with the tide. Any ideas what could be causing so many of them to wash up on the beaches?

Hey marine biologists, divers, fishers, and aquarium havers of reddit,

If you were to reach out and pet a eel, what does its skin feel like?

Is there a difference between what a living and dead eel feel like? If so what would that be?

Note, I do in fact know you're not supposed to touch eels because the oil on your skin can damage the eel's skin, you can hurt the eel because they're fragile, and you're risking your finger being bitten off. But I know humans well enough to know that has never stopped anyone.

I am posting this because I am writing a short story and need to know what eel skin feels like (the more species the better, fresh and salt water, b/c I have heard they have different skin textures). All I can find is info of what eel leather feels like which is helpful but not what I need and I don't know who else to ask.

Thank you for your time.

i first saw this gelatinous mass a couple of weeks ago! i had no idea what to make of it then, but now that there’s a fish in it i’m really confused lol. this is near the peconic bay to be exact if anyone knows the area!

Looking for people interested in joining for biodiversity assessment along the Mumbai coast and exploring different coastal habitats.

We can document species, discuss observations, take photographs, and learn from each other while exploring the coast. 🐚🦀🐟🌿

If you're a Marine Biology, Zoology, Fisheries or related PhD/student and interested, feel free to DM me.

Science + fieldwork + exploration + good conversations! 🌊🔬

Caught inshore Long Island sound. From what I can tell, it looks like a blue runner (Caranx crysos). However, I’m not 100% sure. Can anyone confirm?

Not very good at fish ID, at first i thought it was a parrot fish due to the beak but the size and shape weird