Great white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, aka white sharks, white pointers, blue pointers, man-eaters, manila sharks, have, according to E.O. Wilson "...rightfully been called a top carnivore, a killing machine, the last free predator of man—the most frightening animal on earth."
Great white sharks are the largest known predatory fishes in the sea. They reach lengths of over 6.1 m and weigh up to 2,268 kg. They have conical snouts, pitch black eyes, heavy torpedo-shaped bodies, and a crescent-shaped, nearly equal-lobed tail. More...
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Ocean Life News
- Ocean fish in hot water: The warming ocean is creating a trap that could doom fish
- Beneath The Waves Film Festival 2012 - Open for Submissions: Deadline Feb 24, 2012 | Clues in Shark Vertebrae Reveal Where They've Been
- 'The Hoff' crab is new ocean find | Opportunistic mimicry by a jawfish of a mimic octopus | Krill Facts - centre of information on Krill and Antarctica - KrillFacts.org | Pelicans and Flying Rays (Narrated by David Tennant) - Earthflight - BBC One | "Rapier Wielding" Shark Among New Species Found in 2011
- Celebrating a Good Year for Marine Conservation | Night Dive at Tiger Beach [youtube] | Searching for Life on the Seafloor?
- Turtle Village Trust - Protecting Sea Turtles Beyond The Beach [video]
- 10 misrepresentations about climate change - Southern Fried Science
- World-First Discovery 'Can Help Save Coral Reefs'
- The American 'allergy' to global warming: Why?
- Fish Ingesting [millions of tons of] Plastic Waste, Study Finds | Mexico Will Ban Shark Fishing as Global Sanctuary Movement Grows
- Ocean Watch: new video library special features: One Beach and John Weller's Ross Sea »
- How Far Will Dolphins Go to Relate to Humans? [The Wild Dolphin Project site] | New species of dolphin discovered - Tursiops australis [PLoS One paper]
- Dodgy Data Makes Sea Turtle Death Toll Ambiguous (first study of the compilation of bycatch estimates from all fisheries in the US)
- BP Spill Blamed on Poor Management: Report | Arctic Sea Ice Level Hits Record Low | Free Morgan PSA! | Deep Trouble for the Deep Sea
- Making Headway in the Movement to Protect the World's Sharks | Hawaiian monk seal sliding towards extinction in reserve
- Fishing Gear Is Altered to Ease Collateral Costs to Marine Life | Large sperm whale beaches and dies in Spain | Giant red crabs invade the Antarctic abyss
- As Imperiled Walruses Are Forced to Shore by Melting Ice, Obama Administration Moves Forward With Dangerous Arctic Drilling Plan | Take Action: Americans are speaking out and asking Congress to make our ocean fish populations a national priority
- Global Warming May Cause Higher Loss of Biodiversity Than Previously Thought | First Comprehensive Scientific Study of Coral Sea's Spectacular Marine Life Released
- Shifting Atlantic Mackerel Distribution Linked to Environmental Factors, Changing Climate | Keeling Lecture: Climate Change: The Evidence and Our Options
- DEEPSEA LIVE: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer ROV live video on the Mid-Cayman Rise 2011 Expedition
- On the Shark Beat (interview with Juliet Eilperin, author of "Demon Fish") | World's Largest Shark Sanctuary Slated in Micronesia, Equal to 2/3 Size of US | Arctic Sea Ice May Approach Record Low
- Take Action: Urge Congress to SUPPORT the National Ocean Policy
- 'Marine massacre': Hundreds of dead sharks buried at sea | Increased protection urgently needed for tunas | Take Action: Stop the Extinction Rider: Tell Congress to Save Species
- Honduras Declares Shark Sanctuary | Loss of Top Animal Predators Has Massive Ecological Effects | Walkout Sours Global Whaling Conference
- Fish Photographed Using Tools to Eat | Shark fishing banned in the Bahamas | Chile Bans Shark Finning
- "Ocean Warming"? Lovely... | Expedition to Measure Radioactive Contaminants in the Pacific Ocean | Arctic Melting Will Affect the Migratory Strategies of Seabirds | Plastic Found in Nine Percent of 'Garbage Patch' Fishes: Tens of Thousands of Tons of Debris Annually Ingested | Conservation Dollars and Sense: A Case for Shark Conservation Through Ecotourism | How Humpback Whales Catch Prey With Bubble Nets | Migration Patterns of Marine Predators | Discards Ban 'Will Boost Fisheries', Says New Research | Decade-Long Study of Pacific Predators Shows Importance of Biological 'Hotspots' | Teeming With Life, Pacific's California Current Likened to Africa's Serengeti Plain | Surprises from the Ocean: Marine Plankton and Ocean pH
- More than 300 New Species Discovered in the Philippines during California Academy of Sciences Expedition - Scientists find additional evidence that the Philippines is one of the most species-rich places on the planet; provide recommendations for conservation [photos]
- Multiple ocean stresses threaten "globally significant" marine extinction - An international panel of experts warns in a report released today that marine species are at risk of entering a phase of extinction unprecedented in human history | Download State of the Ocean report June 2011
- It's time to stop eating endangered animals like the bluefin tuna
- Take Action: Help Save Hammerhead and Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
- Ocean Acidification: Carbon Dioxide Makes Life Difficult for Algae | Identifying Beaked Whale Foraging Habitat in the Bahamas | Record Number of Whales & Krill Found in Antarctic Bays | Mercury Converted to Its Most Toxic Form in Ocean Waters | Why Right Whales Linger in the Gulf of Maine | Scotland's First Marine Reserve Already Producing Benefits | Penguins That Shun Ice Still Lose Big from a Warming Climate | New Models Reduce Seabird Bycatch
- Iceland's fin whaler declares truce | More about fin whales and minke whales... | Take Action: Sign Petition to Protect California's Sea Animals | Nine Potentially New Marine Species Discovered On Bali Reefs; 'surprisingly High Levels Of Diversity'
- Effects of Aquaculture Pens on Coastal Water Quality | Giant Squid Killed by Sound? | More about giant squids...
- Two of seven surviving pilot whales stranded in the Lower Keys released | More about pilot whales...
- Long-Term Climate Forcing in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting | Scientists seek rare basking shark sightings
- Feathers tell century-plus tale of mercury pollution | Marine life 'flourishing' at Lamlash reserve | Scientists "See" Ocean Floor via Sonar
- Humpback whale song spreads to other whales | More about humpback whales
- Oil, Microbes, and the Risk of Dead Zones | An ecolabel on a fishery that catches endangered sharks and turtles. Really?!
- Penguins suffer as Antarctic krill declines | EU adopts tougher fishing rules to protect stocks
- Ten years to save Australia's Great Barrier Reef | 'Naked' Penguins Baffle Experts | Surprisingly Few White Sharks Off California, First Census Finds | Extent and Speed of Lionfish Spread Unprecedented; Invasive Marine Fish May Stress Reefs | Biodiversity Leads to Higher Productivity | Today's weather affects attitudes on global warming | European Coastal Pollution Is Harmful to Seals, Study Finds | Whale and Dolphin Death Toll During Deepwater Disaster May Have Been Greatly Underestimated | Marine Ecosystems of Antarctica Under Threat from Human Activity | First Broad-Scale Maps of Life on Australia's Sea-Shelf | Shipping noise pulps 'ears' of squid and octopuses | Newly discovered group of algae live in both fresh water and ocean - may have worldwide distribution | Climate Demograhics: Warming predictions need more than just the big numbers
- New York set to be big loser as sea levels rise | New warning on Arctic sea ice melt | Bird colony survey reveals decline of Falkland skuas
- Branson Announces Virgin Oceanic Submarine | Glowing life in an underwater world
- Oil spills: science versus politics | Viewpoint: We should stop running away from radiation | Seafood Watch App for Android and iPhone
- Rare albatross is unique species | Algae bloom 50 miles long found off Cornwall and Devon
- Knut: A polar bear story | Ship container 'stepping stone' risk for alien invaders | National Geographic April 2011: The Acid Sea [Gallery]
- Thresher sharks visit cleaning stations | Islay to get major tidal power scheme
- Japan tsunami: Thousands of seabirds killed near Hawaii
- Emergency plans 'need scientists' | Sylvia Earle: Oceans at risk because of 'luxury tastes'
- Tracking Seven Gill Sharks in San Diego | More about Notorynchus cepedianus... | Japan earthquake: Footage of moment tsunami hit
- Beaked whales 'scared' by navy sonar [research article] | How the quake has moved Japan | Oceanic Sharks Clean at Coastal Seamount
- Albatross Is a Mother at 60 | Polar ice loss quickens, raising seas
- EPA Hearing, Both Sides Claim Science | Florida panthers and Yellowstone wolves in the backyard
- Critically endangered monk seal pup rescued | More about monk seals... | E.P.A. Calls for More River Testing in Pennsylvania | When Energy Efficiency Sullies the Environment | Science Matters: Politicians who reject science are not fit to lead
- Arctic Blooms Occurring Earlier: Phytoplankton Peak Arising 50 Days Early, With Unknown Impacts on Marine Food Chain and Carbon Cycling
- 'Unethical' fish discards must end, says EU commission | Sharks navigate using 'mental maps'
- Costco, Sodexo, Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Safeway, Co-operative Group... Making Significant Sustainable Seafood Efforts | More about the Marine Stewardship Council
- Why Leatherback Turtles Linger in South Pacific Gyre, and Why It Matters | Arctic Fisheries' Catches 75 Times Higher Than Previous Reports | Scientists Track Great Hammerhead Shark Migration
- Take Action: Tell the EPA You Support Its Efforts to Curb Carbon Pollution!
- Sea turtles' migration mystery is 'solved' | Climate Scientists Cleared of Misuse of Data | Answering Questions About Island Species
- Scott's Antarctic samples give climate clues | Reading Deep in Climate Science
- Overfishing Causing Smaller Fish to Increase as Predatory Fish Decline, Canada's Polar Bears Feeling Impact of Shrinking Sea Ice, Sea Turtle Disease Mystery Solved?
- Coral reefs heading for fishing and climate crisis - Three-quarters of the world's coral reefs are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, climate change and other factors, says a major new assessment: Reefs at Risk Revisited report (PDF, 130 pages, 6.1 Mb)
- New Zealand has called on the United States and Australia for help in saving one of the world's last sustainable fishing areas, the Pacific Ocean | Shhh, and Not Because the Fauna Are Sleeping
- Japan halts whale hunt after chase by protesters | Scientist Finds Gulf Bottom Still Oily, Dead
- Underwater whale rescue filmed in Mexico | Canada launches challenge against EU seal product ban | TED's Ocean Talks
- Take Action: WDCS needs your help to end Icelandic whaling | U.S. Proposes Aquaculture Guidelines
- Whale sharks: Biggest fish could be even bigger [abstract] | More about whale sharks...
- Over 1,000 Green Sea Turtles Stranded So Far on Texas Coast due to Cold (see what to do and who to call...)
- Where the Food Is in the Sea - and Why - Student unravels the physics at the fertile continental shelf break
- Fewer than 100 Taiwanese white dolphins remain - their population has plunged due to polluting factories. [White dolphins/Indo-Pacific Hump-Backed Dolphins]
- Demand for fish hits record high - UN report shows that the global consumption of fish hits a record high, while the status of the world's fish stocks have not improved. [The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2010 UN report]
- Seahorses' body shape explained - Slow-motion footage helps solve the mystery of the seahorse's shape | Struggling with salmon farming and sustainability
- Real world of climate: How scary? | Shark nations failing on conservation pledges | New video reveals dolphin hunt just as brutal as ever
- Scientists Successfully Use Sedation to Help Disentangle North Atlantic Right Whale
- Newly Discovered Group of Algae Live in Both Fresh Water and Ocean
- Aquatic Food Web Tied to Land: Some Fish Are Made out of Maple Leaves
- New Species of Crustacean Discovered in the El Cachucho Marine Protected Area
- Oil Giant Plans New Platform Near Feeding Ground of Critically Endangered Whale
- Sea Urchins Destroy Reef Building Algae in Overfished Sites on Kenya's Coast | Shrinking Snow and Ice Cover Intensify Global Warming | Monk Seal, Hump-backed Dolphin Threatened Off Coast Of Mauritania
- Changing Climate Means Changing Oceans :: 11th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Our Changing Oceans
- Finding Sustainability: Recommendations to the Twenty-ninth Session of the Committee on Fisheries | Top 10... ways to eat fish sustainably
- Take Action: Watch The Impact of Seafood/Seafood Decision Guide (@National Geographic) | Check out Suzuki's Top 10 Sustainable Seafood Picks - Ocean-friendly fish at your local grocery
- Sharks are probably colour-blind | Last Year: The Warmest On Record (Again) | In Oil Drilling Reform, A Call For Science And Safety | 9 Surprising Diseases You Can Catch In The Nation's Oceans | Sylvia Earle Talks Gulf Oil Spill Effects In Exclusive Interview | Species Loss Tied to Ecosystem Collapse and Recovery
- Aflockalypse Now: Mass animal die-offs and the ongoing extinction crisis | Climate secrets of Marianas Trench probed | Meet the creatures that live beyond the abyss | Marine crisis emerges in Brisbane flood | Mote Hospital Admits New Dolphin Calf
- 'Unethical' flipper tags are damaging penguins | Barrier reef braces for flood impact | EU warning on fish sanctions
- Hard-to-Find Fish Reveals Shared Developmental Toolbox of Evolution
- Recycling Rare, Essential Nutrients in the Sea - Key marine bacterium appears to thrive by reusing scarce iron
- Seychelles tortoises: Giants ruling the Aldabra lagoon
- Bonaire: the last healthy coral reef in the Caribbean | Bonaire 2004 Expedition Gallery
- Financial problems could wipe out commercial whaling | Gulf of Mexico oil leak may give Arctic climate clues
- Leatherback turtles tracked on Atlantic 'danger' trips | About Dermochelys coriacea, the Leatherback Sea Turtle
- Rare monk seal colony found in the Mediterranean | Blood-sucking fish feed on whales
- What Triggers Mass Extinctions? Study Shows How Invasive Species Stop New Life | More about invasive or alien species
- 342 kg bluefin tuna sold at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market for $396,700 US dollars or $1,157 per kg | Pew Hails New Protections for Fish Species | Invasive red lionfish sighted in Gulf around offshore oil rigs
- Drifting Fish Larvae Allow Marine Reserves to Rebuild Fisheries | EPA Says It Will Press on With Greenhouse Gas Regulation
- A Hunt for Unusual Seafloor Animals and Vents | New Fossil Site in China Shows Long Recovery of Life from the Largest Extinction in Earth's History | Ocean Acidification Changes Nitrogen Cycling in World Seas | High-Tech Software, Unmanned Planes Allow Scientists to Keep Tabs on Arctic Seals | Museum's New Whale Skeleton Represents Decades of Research
- Congress Bans Shark Finning! | Alaska To Sue U.S. Fish And Wildlife Over Polar Bear Protection Habitat - "They have opposed every Endangered Species Act listing to date"... | Polar Bears Can Be Saved From Global Warming, Some Scientists Say | Polar Bears International
- El Niño killing young coral reef fish, biologists find | Climate change to get $100B U.N. boost | CLIMATE CHANGE: Progress in Cancun, work begins on Durban
- Egypt shark attacks: 'Multiple species' behind attacks | Pacific Sperm Whales Exposed to PAHs, Pesticides, Other Pollutants | Life Found Thriving in Porous Rock Deep Beneath the Seafloor
- New species of bacteria found in Titanic 'rusticles' | Shark attacks in Egypt's Red Sea probed by experts | Protected areas change fish behavior, study suggests | The impact of heavily polluted estuaries on predatory fish | Study links spearfishing with reef fish crisis
- Scientific talk on climate change | Two Arctic Ice Seals Threatened by Climate Change Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection
- Take Action: Ask Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to provide full Endangered Species Act protection for polar bears before it's too late
- Archived News »
Marine Conservation
Find out about the issues marine life currently faces and what we can all do to help (and why we should). Hear from leading scientists and advocates about the science involved in Marine Conservation Biology and discover what organizations around the world are doing in the fight to save our ocean, its life and ultimately ourselves. For a wonderful introduction to wildlife conservation, check out the 12 essays by Dr. Moyle and join the discussions in our forums and our blog, on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Marine Life
Sharing the wonder of marine life is what started MarineBio, so in this section we explore information on the science, biology, taxonomy, morphology, etc. of the fascinating marine life that inhabits the ocean. Browse our marine life database where we're working to provide home pages for the 3,000 most common and threatened/endangered marine species.
Volunteers from around the world are working to help increase our number of species and your donations and memberships are helping to make that happen.
- Marine Species Database - Browse or search our species home pages for marine birds, fishes, reptiles, seals & sea lions, sharks & rays, squid & octopuses, and whales & dolphins.
- MarineBio Video Library - Watch hours of online videos from MarineBio Expeditions and across the Web of marine life and related movies, documentaries and even lectures.
- MarineBio Photo Galleries - Explore hundreds of selected photos of marine life from some of the world's best photographers and MarineBio staff from around the world...
- Marine Life Forums - Join discussions involving the latest research & news, marine conservation, marine animals & plants, and much more...
The Ocean
This section of MarineBio explores some of what is known about the ocean and provides an online introduction to marine biology and ocean science. Here we begin the journey into this planet's largest living space—The Ocean.
Find out about the history of the ocean, its chemistry, its currents and tides and its various habitats or zones such as the continental shelves, the open ocean and the deep sea.
Education & Careers
For current and future students of marine science, we provide updated links to resources, academic institutions, and marine labs offering curricula in the various disciplines related to the study of the ocean and marine life.
We also provide job resources for those completing their studies: Job Resources | Careers & Education @Plankton Forums
Explore & Discover
MarineBio's marine science quizzes, MarineBio kids, interesting ocean facts, ocean mysteries, scuba diving, and submarines! Check out our expedition photo galleries and great videos of marine life such as the flamboyant cuttlefish, scorpionfishes, sea slugs and the rare white V octopus. Don't miss our bookshop with selected books and DVDs and Ocean Gear Shop with cool t-shirts, prints, calendars and much more...
Deep Resources
Professionals in marine science are an important part of the MarineBio community. MarineBio's resources provide a convenient clearinghouse of information and links to academic resources including: Relevant journals | Reference books | Online research tools (databases etc.) | Worldwide marine conservation organizations | Aquariums around the world | The Plankton Forums | Marine life hourly news...
The ocean is our earth's greatest natural resource. It is the place of origin for most life forms. Millions of people rely on the ocean for survival. Twelve million fishermen operate three million vessels landing around 90 million tons of fish each year, providing work for over 200 million people worldwide.
More than 60% of the global population live within 60 km of the coast. The ocean provides the majority of our oxygen and the rain itself. The ocean buffers the weather and helps regulate global temperature and manages vast amounts of pollutants. More than 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide are absorbed by the ocean every year.
The ocean is home to some of the most amazing creatures on earth—80% of the world's biodiversity lives in the sea and there is still much to be discovered. At least 100 million unnamed species live on the ocean floor alone. Thousands of pharmaceutical compounds have been isolated from marine animals and plants. The cures for HIV/AIDs, cancer, malaria, tuberculosis and leukemia, etc. could lie beneath the waves. The ocean is in our backyard, yet more is known about the Moon. We are just now beginning to understand the ocean and with that understanding comes the increasing realization that the ocean is in deep trouble. Marine conservation efforts so far are simply overwhelmed by the number and scale of the problems the ocean faces.
Please learn more about the ocean, its life, the problems it faces, and what you can do today to help protect and restore it, for everyone.
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Help us continue to share the wonders of the ocean with the world, raise awareness of marine conservation issues and their solutions, and support marine conservation scientists and students involved in the marine life sciences. Join the MarineBio Conservation Society or make a donation today. We would like to sincerely thank all of our members and donors, we simply could not have achieved what we have without you and we look forward to doing even more.
