A little lantern for the deep ❤️🏮 ⁠ Pandea rubra, also known as red paper lantern jellies, are found in oceans around the world, from the surface to depths of 3,300 meters (10,000 feet), where they feed on tiny krill and copepods. Their bells measure just eight centimeters (about 3 inches) across.

Guess who? 🥰⁠ ⁠ Say hello to the adorable arbiter snailfish (Careproctus kamikawai). Snailfishes are a diverse and thriving group of fishes with over 400 described species. Their pelvic fins are modified into suction cups that allow them to cling to rocks and corals and withstand strong currents.

An expert hunter with a dazzling smile 🦷💙 ⁠ Pacific viperfish (Chauliodus macouni) may look intimidating, but those dramatic teeth are perfectly suited for life in the deep. They are among the countless marine animals that migrate each night from the ocean’s depths towards shallower surface waters.⁠

Just a pink poof looking for snacks 💕⁠ ⁠ Pleurobranchaea californica, also known as California sea owls, spend their days cruising the seafloor in search of a meal. Their diet consists of anemones, squids, worms, and other sea slugs. They’re not picky eaters!⁠

The deep sea's most graceful commuter 💫⁠ ⁠ This Grimpoteuthis octopus moves through the water using large fins and webbed arms. Those ear-like fins have earned this group the nickname "dumbo octopuses." They use finger-like cirri lining their arms to help detect and capture small prey.

A precious poof in a sea of snow ❄️🧡🌊⁠ ⁠ Dandelion siphonophores (Dromalia alexandri) are typically found just above the seafloor, where the water is rich in food. They use long, sticky tentacles to anchor themselves in place while other tiny tentacles grab any food drifting in the currents.⁠

Proof that there's more than one way to squid 🦑⁠ ⁠ The octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) is unique among squids. Most squids have eight arms and two long tentacles, making a total of 10 appendages. But as these squid mature, their two feeding tentacles are reabsorbed into their bodies.⁠

There's no party like a market squid party! 🦑🙌⁠ ⁠ Market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) are common along the central coast of California, especially in the spring and fall when they migrate into the shallow waters of Monterey Bay to spawn. They grow quickly and can reach up to 28 centimeters long.

Shimmering through the darkness 🦑✨️⁠ ⁠ This long-armed jewel squid (Stigmatoteuthis dofleini) was observed at 840 meters (2,760 feet) on the outer Monterey Canyon. This species is a close relative of the strawberry squid (Histioteuthis heteropsis), but sightings by MBARI's ROVs are much less common.

Deep-sea besties doing deep-sea things 🐙💞⁠ ⁠ Grimpoteuthis octopuses use the movement of their large fins and arms to propel themselves through the water. The seafloor squish next to this cutie is a sea pig. Sea pigs are one of the most commonly sighted animals on the deep seafloor in Monterey Bay.

Effortlessly working the water column 😶‍🌫️⁠ ⁠ Fishes in the family Macrouridae, also known as rattails, can glimpse even the faintest flickers of bioluminescence—the “living light” produced by deep-sea animals. Their keen eyesight reveals prey darting in the waters above the seafloor.⁠

This spectacular squid is the robust clubhook squid, Onykia robusta, one of the largest species of squid in the ocean. This juvenile measured about 60 centimeters (two feet) long, but adults can grow to over three meters (almost 10 feet). 🦑💫⁠

Spend some quality time with this scarlet stunner ❤️✨️⁠ ⁠ Red disk jellies (Poralia rufescens) are found worldwide and grow to about 25 centimeters (nearly 10 inches). They live deep below the sea surface to thousands of meters and are usually seen floating near the seafloor, where their prey gathers.

Mark your calendars—MBARI Open House is back! 🗓️🎉⁠ ⁠ MBARI's 2026 Open House will be on Saturday, July 11, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This free event offers an opportunity to learn about MBARI's latest ocean discoveries and technology innovations. Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbari-h...

Serving some major squeeee 😱🥹🥰 ⁠ This adorable baby is the eryoneicus larval stage of a deep-sea lobster. These fuzzy globs float and feed in the water column until they're ready to change into juvenile lobsters and settle on the seafloor. This larva is about two inches long. You're welcome. 😍

Let’s hear it for the acorn worms 🙌🏽 Did you know that enteropneusts are more closely related to humans than to worms? As they feed on marine snow, they help recycle nutrients and redistribute carbon across the deep seafloor—playing an important role in ocean ecosystems and the global carbon cycle.

Pretty, pink, and surprisingly fierce 🌸🍴🪸⁠ ⁠ Tritonia tetraquetra nudibranchs get their rosy hue from the deep-sea corals they eat. Using chemical cues dissolved in seawater, these sea slugs track down coral colonies and graze on the soft polyps with a rasp-like tongue called a radula.

Fellowship of the deep 🪄⁠ ⁠ Most of the deep seafloor is an endless expanse of mud inhabited by animals living in, on, and just above the sediment. Corals and sponges need hard substrate for attachment, so seamounts, rocky ridges, and submarine canyons are hotspots for these sessile invertebrates.

Just some cute snailfish hangs 🐌🐟️⁠ Snailfishes (family Liparidae) are a diverse and thriving group of fishes with over 400 described species. They are found globally across all ocean basins, from shallow intertidal waters to the deepest ocean depths.

Strawberry, but make it deep sea 🍓✨️⁠ ⁠ Histioteuthis heteropsis, also known as strawberry squid, get their common name from the berry-like appearance of their bright-red bodies speckled with small light organs called photophores.

Siphonophores—taking teamwork to the next level 🙌⁠ ⁠ These colonial organisms are composed of specialized segments that work together as one. This species, likely Craseoa lathetica, is typically observed between 175 and 925 meters deep, although we have had some sightings as deep as 3,075 meters!

We're celebrating our inner space and MBARI's birthday today! 🎂🎉⁠ ⁠ For 39 years, MBARI has been exploring the stunning community of life that thrives deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Thanks for following along on this incredible journey here on social and beyond!

Dazzle, drift, repeat ✨⁠ ⁠ Siphonophores are colonial animals, composed of many physiologically integrated parts. Individuals of this species, Physophora hydrostatica, can grow to 41 centimeters (16 inches long) and are typically found at depths of 700-1,000 meters (2,297-3,281 feet).

🚨 Final days to submit for OCEANS 2026 Monterey! 🌊 The extended abstract deadline is May 4. The event will be taking place in Monterey, alongside MBARI. If you’ve been thinking about submitting—this is the moment! Submit your abstract: monterey26.oceansconference.org/submit-your-...

A day in the life of a pink puffball 🩷⁠ ⁠ The rosy sea slug (Tritonia tetraquetra) can grow to 22 centimeters in length. The two horn-like structures on Tritonia’s head are rhinophores that allow the sea slug to “smell” chemical signals dissolved in seawater and help find its prey—deep-sea corals.

Here it is, your Monday moment of zen. 〰️⁠ ⁠ Big red jellies (Tiburonia granrojo) are found between 600–2,100 meters (2,000–7,000 feet), and their bells can reach up to one meter (3.3 feet) across. They are covered in tiny harpoon-like cells that stun prey.

Did you catch our recent expedition logs? 🚢🔬🌊⁠ ⁠ Working together at sea and on shore was instrumental as the Carbon Flux Ecology Team successfully coordinated a fleet of MBARI technologies to study the ocean’s role in regulating carbon. Go behind the scenes: www.mbari.org/expedition/c...

These wondrous worms build their homes directly on the rocky vent chimneys where temperatures can reach up to 105 degrees Celsius (221 degrees Fahrenheit). 🔥⁠ ⁠ Pompeii worms (Alvinella pompejana) live on hydrothermal vent “chimneys,” where superheated water belches from within the Earth’s crust.

Chasing marine snowstorms—scientists embarked on a recent expedition to study marine snow in Monterey Canyon ❄️🚢🌊 Led by @cadurkin.bsky.social, the Carbon Flux Ecology Team is helping answer fundamental questions about the ocean’s role in cycling carbon. Learn more: www.mbari.org/expedition/c...

@fathomnet.bsky.social is hosting a competition to turn pixels into powerful ocean insights 🖥️🌊 In partnership with LifeCLEF and FGVC13, a new Kaggle challenge aims to tackle one of the biggest obstacles for applying computer vision to marine imagery. Learn more: www.kaggle.com/competitions...