NatureWorldExplore

Thanks for watchin please Like, Comments Share with Friends & don't forget to follow. . . . Echinoderms come in countless shapes and sizes, but there are a few unique features that unite the 6,500 living species. Many adults of this phylum have 5-way radial symmetry; a pattern most prominent in the shape of the starfish. In addition, they have skeletons made up of interlocking calcium carbonate plates and spines called ossicles. This provides rigidity for their complex structures, making up the protective shell of urchins, or the column-like spine of crinoids. These skeletons are also the reason why fossils for echinoderms are so widespread and well-preserved, with some crinoid fossils being as old as 500 million years. Perhaps the most peculiar creatures of this phylum are the holothurians. Sea cucumbers, with their retractable feeding tentacles and tube feet around the mouth which they use to forage in the sea floor mud.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Seamounts are important deep sea ecosystems. Breaking the flat monotony of the abyssal plains, these underwater mountains emerge from the mud. Those that rise less than 1,000 m (3,000 feet) above the plains are called abyssal hills, while anything taller is a seamount. And there are at least 100,000 of them, with over half found in the Pacific Ocean near the tectonic plate boundaries. An unsurprising statistic, for Seamounts are formed from volcanism. The same process responsible for the formation of many island chains. At mid-ocean ridges, the converging tectonic plates collide at boundaries called subduction zones. One plate is subducted, or forced down towards the Earth’s molten interior. As it is subducted, the crust melts and becomes magma, which rises through the rock and erupts to form volcanoes and seamounts.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Reptiles are a diverse and successful group. With over 8,000 species found worldwide, only around 100 species can be considered marine reptiles, including sea turtles, marine iguanas, sea snakes and crocodiles. They retain the defining characteristics of reptiles, including tough scaly skin that covers their bodies. But in addition, marine reptiles have developed a number of specialised anatomical and physiological adaptations to survive in the oceans. We'll take a closer look at these in this film.

Thanks for watching Please Like, Comments, Share with friends & don't forget Follow. . . . Deep sea life must choose whether to live on the bottom, or to brave the expansive open ocean of the midwater zone. Creatures that adapt to life in the midwater zone are known as pelagic, while creatures that evolve to be well-suited to an existence on or near the sea floor, are known as benthic or demersal. These two groups could not be more different, but which is a more effective way of life? First, let’s take a look at the demersal creatures of the deep - the bottom-feeders, clinging to rocky seamounts, and burrowing into the mud. We will begin our investigation in the shallows, and follow the ever-deepening sea-floor down to the far depths of the deep ocean. The diversity of organisms that are adapted to life near the bottom of the deep sea is immense - and far greater than that of pelagic organisms. Life thrives on every part of the ocean floor, from near-shore ecosystems, all the way to the abyss. But the deeper you go, the stranger they become.

Thanks for watching please Like, comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Polychaete worms in the deep sea are among the most diverse organisms in the ocean. From giant tube worms and Pompeii worms at deep sea vents, to the ghostly tomopteris in the twilight zone, they display a number of unique adaptations in order to survive the extreme conditions. Some secrete a giant mucus net around themselves in order to do so. Here in the midwater zone, far from both the surface and the sea floor, polychaete’s adaptations appear even more unique. Flota and swima worms both move by undulating their bodies and beating their paddle-like appendages. Far stranger is tomopteris - the dancing bristle worm - which propels itself with its large parapodia. A common feature you might have noticed is that many of the worms that inhabit the open ocean are transparent. This is because there is no concealment in the midwater zone, and so some worms like the green bomber worm have adapted to use bioluminescence as a way to startle and distract predators. When threatened, they explode their light-producing organs called photophores, dropping a kind of bioluminescent bomb.

Thanks for watching please Like, comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . The deep sea is like an all-you-can-eat buffet for marine creatures. The abundant food down there makes it a buffet of epic proportions, and who doesn't love a feast that's practically never-ending? The deep sea is also like a cozy hideout for giants, with tons of space to roam and play hide-and-seek with scientists. Plus, the pressure down there is like a spa treatment for creatures who want to stretch their limbs and grow BIG! That's why the deep sea has been the perfect hideout for ginormous creatures since prehistoric times.

Thanks for watching please Like, comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . If you see any of these fish while you're swimming, get out of the water fast! These are the most dangerous fish and ocean creatures that exist in the ocean. Several segments are licensed under creative commons

Thanks for watching please Like, comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . As the tide recedes along the shores, it uncovers a truly alien world of rock pools. At first look, the landscape presents little more than a barren, lifeless stretch of thick mud and rotting seaweed, strewn with boulders. But these features come together to create a unique habitat. Twice a day, miles of sand, gullies, reefs and rock pools are exposed, bringing into view a wealth of rarely seen marine life. Here, the sparse isolated pools open a window on the many conflicts that these creatures must content with in order to survive. Each rock pool is a tiny but complex ecosystem, home to crabs, shrimps, and all manner of incredible creatures.

Thanks for watching please Like, comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . While sharks have become rulers of the open ocean, the skates and rays have conquered the seabed in their place, making up the superorder Batoidea. With their distinct shape, skates and rays have become highly efficient predators of life beneath the sediment. Different species make use of different strategies. Bottom-dwelling species such as skates are often ambush predators, burying themselves in the sediment and lying motionless before snapping up passing creatures. This behaviour also protects the rays from being spotted by predators. In contrast, eagle rays and cow nose rays gather in graceful schools. To hunt, they dig invertebrates from the sediment using their prominent snouts or by beating their wings. Manta rays are truly pelagic, spending their lives in the open ocean and feeding in a very different way.

Thanks for watching please Like, comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Oceanic Islands make up a sixth of all land on Earth. In the Pacific alone, more than 25,000 islands are scattered amidst the endless blue. From Hawaii's rocky mountains, to coral atolls of the Maldives, each hosting unique communities of life and species found nowhere else on Earth. Ecosystems that would not exist if not for the powerful forces that pulled these mighty rocks from the abyss. Volcanism, and tectonics.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comment, Share with friend & don't forget to follow. . . . Chemosynthetic Oases | Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comment, Share with friend & don't forget to follow. . . . Why Deep Sea Sharks Appear so Mysterious. Sharks have ruled the deep sea for 450 million years. A time during which sharks have adapted and diversified into an array of weird and wonderful species. Many, like the well-known Great White Shark, have adapted to life in the open ocean, as apex predators at the top of the food chain. But the deeper you go into the gaping void of the deep sea, the more peculiar and otherworldly they become. Let’s take a look at these fascinating, yet often misunderstood inhabitants of the oceans.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comment, Share with friend & don't forget to follow. . . . The wonderful world of whales and dolphins. Below the waves lies a world of giants. Out in the open ocean, whales and dolphins are well-suited for to a life of wandering, traversing thousands of miles each year in search of krill blooms or breeding grounds. Together, these colossal mammals belong to the infraorder cetaceans. A name with roots in Greek, from ketos, meaning ‘a large sea creature’. But despite their size, cetaceans are elusive creatures, spending most of their lives underwater and in remote areas far out to sea. Let’s shine a light on the wonderful world of these marine mammals.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with friend & don't forget to Follow. . . . If you traveled 250 million years in the past, you'd be witnessing the dawn of dinosaurs.

Thanks for watching please like, Comment Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Crustaceans, of all the animal groups in the ocean, are by far the most successful. Coming in a boundless array of colours, shapes and sizes, crustaceans have diversified so much that they are often called the insects of the oceans, a title reflecting their remarkable diversity and abundance. But nowhere are they more weird and wonderful than in the deep sea, where crustaceans have adapted in countless ways in order to survive, and play key roles in the ecosystem. Let’s take a closer look at these incredible invertebrates.

Thanks for watching please like, Comment Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Under the ice of the Arctic and Antarctic, there lies a hidden world of giant creatures. The phenomenon of polar gigantism means that many of the invertebrates found at the poles grow to immense sizes. The deep ocean around Antarctica is a unique place. The weight of the ice sheets has pushed down the submerged continental shelf to be deeper than most places. Usually, the continental shelf is found between 100 and 200 metres down. But here, we must sink to 600 metres before the edge looms out of the darkness, and a gaping void opens up beneath.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Symbiosis in the deep sea allows creatures to survive the challenging environment. Symbiosis describes any kind of a close and long-term interaction between two different organisms. This phenomenon is found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet - allowing organisms to rely on others for food, shelter, or to act as a warning for nearby danger. But nowhere on Earth are creatures more uniquely adapted to relying on others than in the deep sea - a world of darkness, cold, and intense pressure. Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the incredible role of symbiosis in the deep sea ecosystem.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comment, Share with Friends & don't forget to follow. . . . The deep sea is home to an array of marine creatures, and fish are by far the most well known. But their diversity means they do not comprise a single group, and they are not all closely related. In this two-part film, we take a look at the different groups of fish and how their adaptations differ. Part 1 examines the two groups of bony fish (Osteichthyes): the ray-finned fish, and the lobe-finned fish which includes the elusive deep sea coelacanth.

Thanks for watching please Like Comment Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . The deep sea appears barren, lifeless, and silent. The lonely expanse rolls out into a long horizon, while the great abyss plummets ever-downwards into darkness. Communities of life are solitary. They seem isolated from other habitats in the deep. But there is more going on here. The exact nature of the deep sea food web is still not fully understood, but advancements in technology and research in recent years have granted us a greater understanding of how these separate settlements of life are interconnected as one. Let’s take a closer look at the food web of the deep sea.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Fallen whale carcasses, abundant in the deep-sea, form ecosystems of their own. When a whale dies and sinks, the carcass provides a sudden, concentrated food source and creates an 'island' of organic matter on an otherwise food-poor seabed. Its body can last for decades, supporting an ever-changing ecosystem that blooms out of the barren darkness like flowers in spring. As it decomposes, different stages support a succession of marine biological communities. It is these complex and fascinating stages that we will explore in this video.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with Friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Cephalopods exhibit some incredible features. Out of all 8,000 living species of marine invertebrates in the oceans, by far the largest, most deadly and most intelligent are the cephalopods. A class of highly developed mollusks that includes octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and the mysterious nautilus. Their graceful fluid movements, vibrant colour changes and complex brains make them one of the most peculiar and important groups of organisms in our oceans. The largest - the giant squid - measures longer than a school bus, while the smallest could sit atop your finger. Let’s take a closer look at these diverse and often alien-looking invertebrates.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . The phylum Cnidaria contains such creatures as jellyfish, anemones, siphonophores and corals. Together, they consist of around 13,000 living species - surprisingly simple, yet beautiful organisms. The importance of these cnidarians cannot be understated. Coral reefs are formed of many millions of cnidarians and are home to staggering biodiversity. Jellyfish are important predators in the open ocean food web, but they serve as food for many other species as well. Sea anemones fulfil a similar role but in the shallows, also serving as hiding places for clownfish. Thus, this unique and abundant group of creatures is integral to the function of many marine communities, from the open ocean to coasts and the benthic zone of the deep sea.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comment, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . The Mariana Trench sits like a crescent-shaped dent in the floor of the Pacific. A 2,550 km long, 69 km wide fracture that plummets down into a pure black void of the Hadal Zone. At the bottom, it hosts the deepest known location on Earth. The Challenger Deep, 11,033 metres or 36,200 feet beneath the waves. The trench itself is but one part of a global network of deep scars that cut across the ocean floor. Features that formed from a process called subduction. In the case of the Mariana Trench, the western edge of the Pacific Plate was thrust beneath the smaller Mariana Plate to the west, creating the deep fracture. Molten material then rose through volcanoes near the trench, building the nearby Mariana Islands.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . Deep Sea Chemosynthetic Oases Full Movie. Exploring hydrothermal vents, cold-seep habitats, and food-falls including whale-falls and the communities at shipwrecks. This is the full version of my 3-part Deep Sea Chemosynthesis miniseries.

Thanks for watching please Like, Comments, Share with friends & don't forget to Follow. . . . The degradation of food-falls at the bottom of the ocean can create partially chemosynthetic environments. In the case of sunken whale carcasses (whale falls), the supply of organic material supports an ecological succession of communities. But perhaps less well-documented than the scavengers at whale-falls are the creatures that rely on wood instead. When trees become uprooted by storms or ships capsize at sea, losing their buoyancy as the pressure of the ocean forces out any air trapped within, bits of wood sink to the ocean floor where they create fleeting oases of life (wood falls), including shipwrecks, like that of the Titanic. The scarcity of food in parts of the deep ocean creates an environment where very little goes to waste. The animal and microbial life that dwells down here has become resourceful, able to make the most of even unexpected resources. So it comes as no surprise that the deep ocean hosts complex biological communities adapted to thrive on this sunken wood.