Hannah Waters

Hannah Waters
Hannah Waters
Hannah Waters with the eyeball of a giant squid

Hannah Waters is a web produce, editor and writer for the Ocean Portal at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She received Biology and Latin degrees from Minnesota’s Carleton College, sneaking off to the coasts in the summertime to study seabird colonies, conserve endangered piping plovers, and help lobstermen with their traps.

Before coming to the Smithsonian, Hannah wrote about biology and medicine for science magazines following a stint in a molecular biology lab researching the epigenetics of aging. She continues to write a science blog for Scientific American..

Collaborator Contributions

Colorful crustaceans from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

Colorful Caribbean Crustaceans

Discovering new species is an exciting quest, right? Well, some parts are—but after you find a cool-looking organism that you think is a new species, there's a lot more to be done. You have to confirm that it's new, write a detailed description, take photographs, collect DNA, and do other meticulous work. On average, it takes 21 years for a newly discovered species to be officially named!

Regulated fish waste dump sites can attract predators, such as these seagulls, fish, and even small sharks, which feed on the scraps.

Seagulls at a Seafood Waste Site

What happens to the waste coming out of a fish processing plant? Typically the fish guts and bones get sent to sea via a pipeline, and the Environmental Protection Agency regulates how much can be dumped. The sites can attract predators, such as these seagulls, fish, and even small sharks in Alaska, which feed on the scraps.

<p>There are 47 different species of seahorses and 14 of those were discovered in the last eight years, including Pontoh's pygmy seahorse (<em>Hippocampus pontohi</em>), which was officially named in 2008. Seahorses’ ability to change their color and shape to blend in with their environment makes identification of individual species challenging. Because of this, some researchers previously thought there were as many as 200 seahorse species in the world, while others thought there were as few as 20. However, advances in genetic research are helping to clarify some of the differences between closely related species.</p>

How Many Seahorse Species?

There are 47 different species of seahorses and 14 of those were discovered in the last eight years, including Pontoh's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi), which was officially named in 2008. Seahorses’ ability to change their color and shape to blend in with their environment makes identification of individual species challenging. Because of this, some researchers previously thought there were as many as 200 seahorse species in the world, while others thought there were as few as 20.

Using dynamite to stun or kill bigger fish to sell at market leaves behind many dead undesired fish as bycatch.

Fishing with Dynamite

Blast fishing, when dynamite or other explosives are used to stun or kill fish, is a practice used in many villages and isolated regions of the world. Hundreds of fish can be seen strewn across the reef, left as bycatch, such as these tropical fish in Thailand. Fishers are targeting larger, valuable species such as grouper which command a hefty price at the market—yet all the reef species pay the price. The practice is considered unsustainable since the entire food web is disrupted.

Seahorses are hitchhikers. They can travel long distances across the ocean—farther than they can swim—by attaching themselves to floating seaweed and debris.

Hitchhiking Seahorses

Seahorses are hitchhikers. They can travel long distances across the ocean—farther than they can swim—by attaching themselves to floating seaweed and debris. Read 10 more facts you never knew about seahorses.

<p>This <strong><a href="/jellyfish-and-comb-jellies">jellyfish</a></strong> fossil is from the Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago.</p>

Fossil Jellyfish

How long have jellyfish lived in the ocean? This jellyfish fossil is from the Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago. It was found buried in Utah—an area that used to be underwater, covered by the ocean. Fossil jellyfish are rare because they have no bones or other hard parts to turn into fossils. Instead, scientists have to look for so-called "soft fossils," when organisms are quickly buried in sediment, leaving an imprint in the rock.

<p>Hawaiian squirrelfish (<em>Sargocentron xantherythrum</em>) are almost entirely nocturnal, so they need big eyes to absorb as much moonlight and starlight as they can in the dark.</p>

A School of Hawaiian Squirrelfish

Check out the eyes on these Hawaiian squirrelfish (Sargocentron xantherythrum)! Because squirrelfish are almost entirely nocturnal, they need big eyes to absorb as much moonlight and starlight as they can in the dark. During the day, they hide out in the nooks and crannies of tropical coral reefs. To defend its small hiding place, the squirrelfish grunts by grinding its teeth and stretching the muscles along its gas bladders—grunts that sound a bit like the chatter of squirrels!

<p>Instead of females, male seahorses carry the developing seahorse embryos in a kangaroo-like pouch. During mating season, the female deposits her eggs into the pouch, and the male fertilizes them. After about two weeks of development, out pop the seahorse fry, ready to swim off and explore the ocean world. Here is a very pregnant short-snouted seahorse (<em>Hippocampus breviceps</em>) in Australia.</p>

A Pregnant Seahorse

Instead of females, male seahorses carry the developing seahorse embryos in a kangaroo-like pouch. During mating season, the female deposits her eggs into the pouch, and the male fertilizes them. After about two weeks of development, out pop the seahorse fry, ready to swim off and explore the ocean world. Here is a very pregnant short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus breviceps) in Australia. Read ten more things you never knew about seahorses!

<p>This beautiful polychaete (bristly worm) called <em>Tomopteris carpenteri </em>was photographed by Census of Marine Life researchers in Antarctica's Southern Ocean.</p>

A Striped Deep Sea Worm

In Antarctica's Southern Ocean swims a beautiful polychaete (bristly worm) called Tomopteris carpenteri, which is adorned with alternating red and transparent bands. The largest species in its genus, it it found throughout the water column, including the deep sea, where this photo was taken by Census of Marine Life researchers. Most polychaetes swim in the open water using their parapodia, the comb-like appendages coming off their sides, but some bury into the seafloor.

<p>The Arctic comb jelly or sea nut (<em><strong><a href="http://eol.org/pages/393273/overview">Mertensia ovum</a></strong></em>) has two tentacles fringed with smaller tentacles, which are dappled with glue-like cells called colloblasts.</p>

Arctic Comb Jelly

The Arctic comb jelly or sea nut (Mertensia ovum) is commonly found in the surface (top 50 meters) in cold, northern waters. Like other cydippid ctenophores, it has two tentacles fringed with smaller tentacles, which are dappled with colloblasts. Colloblasts are specialized cells that, upon contact with other organisms, act as a glue, allowing the comb jelly to pull the food to its mouth with little resistance.

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