A spectacular fossil trove on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen shows that marine life made a stunning comeback after Earth’s greatest extinction. Tens of thousands of fossils reveal fully aquatic reptiles and complex food chains thriving just three million years later. Some predators grew over five meters long, challenging the idea of a slow, step-by-step recovery. The find rewrites the early history of ocean ecosystems.

From sinking boats and feasting on shark livers to dining on whale tongue and tossing porpoises around for fun, orcas are displaying some fascinating — and sometimes terrifying — behaviors.

Scientists have uncovered why big predators like sharks spend so much time in the ocean’s twilight zone. The answer lies with mid-sized fish such as the bigscale pomfret, which live deep during the day and rise at night to feed, linking deep and surface food webs. Using satellite tags, researchers tracked these hard-to-study fish for the first time. Their movements shift with water clarity, potentially altering entire ocean food chains.

A tiny fish long feared lost has resurfaced in Bolivia, offering a rare conservation success story amid widespread habitat destruction. Moema claudiae, a seasonal killifish unseen for more than 20 years, was rediscovered in a small temporary pond hidden within a fragment of forest surrounded by farmland. The find allowed scientists to photograph the species alive for the first time and uncover new details about its behavior and ecology.

The Chesapeake Bay experienced hypoxia close to the long-term average in overall size and duration this year despite unusually high and persistent levels in July, according to the annual Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone Report Card produced by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS in collaboration with Anchor QEA.

- by Alessandra Haddick At first glance, the massive underwater world of Avatar seems galaxies away from the South Bay. But for Szilvia Gogh, it was just

From giant stick bugs to rarely seen sea creatures, these animal videos fascinated us—and led to new scientific discoveries.

A Northern California fisherman may have set state and world records by catching a canary rockfish he says weighed in at 10.25 pounds.

The gradual return of flamingos to Florida coincides with long-term efforts to restore the Everglades and the state’s coastal ecosystems.

The invasive blue catfish has become an ecologically disruptive force in the commonwealth, but Batten School & VIMS scientists are leading the way in researching new ways to respond.

Deep ocean hot spots packed with heat are making the strongest hurricanes and typhoons more likely—and more dangerous. These regions, especially near the Philippines and the Caribbean, are expanding as climate change warms ocean waters far below the surface. As a result, storms powerful enough to exceed Category 5 are appearing more often, with over half occurring in just the past decade. Researchers say recognizing a new “Category 6” could improve public awareness and disaster planning.

France has finally acknowledged that keeping orcas in concrete tanks is no longer acceptable, and for the first time, Wikie and Keijo have an official path toward a life beyond captivity. But here’s the hard truth: this decision does not mean they are free, and it does not mean help is coming quickl