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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5h

In this video, meet @ellaarcari AKA Ollie our big purple octopus, the master mind behind finding any Dispicable Me trends🙂

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oceansresearch on Instagram: "🎥 Another skill our students learn here at Oceans: science communication 🌊✨Because doing great science is only half the job — sha…"

🎥 Another skill our students learn here at Oceans: science communication 🌊✨Because doing great science is only half the job — sharing it with the world matters just as much.For younger audiences, that sometimes means hopping on trends, making it relatable, and meeting people where they are 👌💬The goal? To inspire curiosity, spark conversations, and make ocean science accessible to everyone. 🌍🐠In this video, meet @ellaarcari AKA Ollie our big purple octopus, the master mind behind finding any Dispicable Me trends🙂 #ScienceCommunication #SciComm #MarineBiology #OceansResearch #StudentLife #ScienceForAll #STEM #OceanEducation #TrendyScience #FutureScientists

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5h

For younger audiences, that sometimes means hopping on trends, making it relatable, and meeting people where they are 👌💬
The goal? To inspire curiosity, spark conversations, and make ocean science accessible to everyone. 🌍🐠

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5h

🎥 Another skill our students learn here at Oceans: science communication 🌊✨
Because doing great science is only half the job — sharing it with the world matters just as much.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 1d

🌊 From mapping coastal habitats to monitoring wildlife, these skills give our students the confidence to take on real-world conservation work.

Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 1d

🛰️ Learning how to operate drones teaches more than just flying — it builds spatial awareness, patience, and problem-solving skills that are key in marine and environmental research.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 1d

🎮 Steady hands, clear focus.
During our drone training course, students practice fine motor skills and precision piloting — essential for capturing high-quality imagery and accurate data in the field.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 3d

🧽 Scrubbing the boat isn’t just about keeping it shiny — it’s about learning respect for the gear that makes fieldwork possible.

Teamwork, responsibility, and care for equipment are just as important as the science itself. A clean boat = a smooth research day. 🌊✨

#MarineScience #Fieldwork #Oceans

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5d

These small coastal sharks play a vital role in keeping ecosystems balanced. With their slow growth and low reproductive rates, heavy fishing pressure can cause populations to decline quickly.

🐟 Every safe release counts.
🌊 Every bit of awareness helps.

Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5d

In South Africa, smoothhounds are exported to Australia and Europe, where they’re sold under the name “flake and chips.” Many people don’t even realize they’re eating shark.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5d

Smoothhounds can grow to over 1.2 m in length, but they’re often targeted long before they reach maturity — typically between 60–90 cm, when they’re still juveniles or subadults. This makes them particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they’re being removed before they can reproduce.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 5d

🦈✨ A Lucky Release for This Smoothhound Shark ✨🦈

This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same chance.

#smoothhoundshark #sharkawareness #flakeandchips #notjustfish #sharkconservation #catchandrelease #marinescience #oceansresearch #protectoursharks #coastalecosystems | Enrico Gennari (PhD)

🦈✨ A Lucky Release for This Smoothhound Shark ✨🦈 This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same cha...

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 7d

So next time you spot these crimson seaweeds clinging between mussels and barnacles, remember — they’re quiet but powerful builders of coastal life.

#RedAlgae #Rhodophyta #MarineScience #IntertidalEcology #OceanBiodiversity #EcosystemEngineers #MarineBiology #SeaweedScience #Fieldwork

Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 7d

🧪 Beyond the ocean:
Red algae give us useful compounds like agar and carrageenan, used in food, cosmetics, and science (yes — even in microbiology labs!).

💡 Fun fact: Some species of red algae can deposit calcium carbonate, helping build and strengthen reef structures over time.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 7d

🌍 Ecosystem engineers:

Provide habitat and shelter for countless small invertebrates, eggs, and juvenile fish.

Help stabilise shorelines by reducing erosion and trapping sediment.

Contribute significantly to primary production, feeding entire intertidal communities.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 7d

🌿 Hidden power:
Their red pigment (phycoerythrin) allows them to absorb blue light and photosynthesise in deeper or shaded waters where many other algae can’t survive. This gives them a special niche in the marine world.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 7d

🧬 Ancient pioneers:
Red algae are one of the oldest groups of multicellular organisms — over a billion years old! They played a big role in shaping early marine ecosystems and still form the base of many food webs today.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 7d

🪸 Red Algae – More Than Just Seaweed

These deep red tufts may seem simple at first glance, but red algae (Rhodophyta) are some of the most fascinating and important organisms in our coastal ecosystems 🌊✨

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 9d

Finding one of these along the shore is a rare event, as they typically drift far offshore — a reminder of how dynamic our coastal systems are and how oceanic life can intersect with intertidal zones. 🌊🐚

Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 9d

Unlike true nautiluses, paper nautiluses are pelagic octopuses that inhabit the open ocean. Females secrete this thin, papery structure to protect their eggs and help regulate buoyancy. Males, in contrast, are much smaller and do not produce an eggcase.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 9d

🔬 Fieldwork find: Paper nautilus shell

During an intertidal invertebrate assessment, we came across this delicate paper nautilus shell, which is actually not a true shell at all — but the eggcase of a female Argonauta octopus.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 11d

More molecular work could reveal how these parasites spread and evolve — giving us key insights into marine ecosystems and fisheries.

#MarineParasite #Cymothoidae #MarineBiology #OceansResearch #CarpenterSeabream

Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 11d

Most studies only use short COI or 16S gene fragments.

Full genomes exist for just a few species globally.

We know little about population structure, host specificity, or whether this could be a cryptic or undescribed species.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 11d

🧬 For the fellow science nerds:
Some cymothoid species in South Africa (like Anilocra capensis) have been DNA barcoded, but there’s no published genetic data yet for this specific parasite in Carpenter seabream.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 11d

We found this tongue-eating cymothoid isopod inside a Carpenter seabream (Argyrozona argyrozona) during fieldwork. The larger one is usually the female, the smaller the male — a lifelong couple living in their host’s mouth.

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Oceans Research Institute @oceansresearch.bsky.social · 11d

📸 Tongue-eating hitchhiker alert!

🫱 For the common folk:
This little critter drinks a fish’s blood, then becomes its tongue — and lives there rent-free. 😳
Not dangerous to people, but definitely one of the ocean’s strangest parasites.

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