Author: Stuart Thompson
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Giant cuttlefish, Whyalla Australia
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220221-australias-x-rated-underwater-show Each year, the small South Australian town of Whyalla becomes home to one of the most spectacular underwater events: the spawning of the giant Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama, grows to 50cm in length). A type of marine invertebrate closely related to the octopus, cuttlefish are whip-smart molluscs that can change colour and texture instantly….
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Orca group hunting
While hunting, an orca (identified as pod matriarch Dakota) propels a dusky dolphin (left) into the air. Credit: Maikol Barrera In coastal waters near Chile in 2023, a massive female killer whale walloped the much smaller dolphin, sending it flying out of the water. Within minutes, the unequal battle was over and the orca began…
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Bubble net feeding
Humpback whale ‘bubble net feeding’ in the Antarctic Peninsula. An individual whale, or a group of cooperating whales, swims in a shrinking circle and blows bubbles below a school of krill to force them towards the surface. The photos on left and right are drown shots, the one in the middle was taken by a…
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Orbital Biosignature Survey: Adriatic Bloom
Algal bloom swirls in the north Adriatic Sea along the coast of Italy (Copernicus Sentinel-2 image). Algal blooms show rapidly growing phytoplankton near the sea surface. The chlorophyll that phytoplankton use for photosynthesis tints the water green allowing detection of ocean conditions from space with satellite sensors. With its 13 spectral channels, Copernicus Sentinel-2 detects…