Siphonophores - The longest animals on the planet
Cousins of corals, siphonophores are colonies of specialized individuals called zoids. Some catch and digest their prey, others swim, or lay eggs or sperm.
Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Crab larva (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium fusus (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as obtained by the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS in the Atlantic Ocean.
The research vessel "James COOK"
Squid larva (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Phronimes - Monstres des tonneaux
Recyclant salpes et méduses, la femelle phronime construit des tonneaux gélatineux et y élève sa progéniture.
Prélèvements d'eau des mésocosmes pour analyses, lors de l'expérience menée en Corse en juin/juillet 2012 (© A. Ree, PML)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium reflexum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Foraminifera Ruber (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Pelagia - Fearsome Jellyfish
Mauve jellies move in droves, their nasty stings feared by swimmers.
Average chlorophyll concentration in the surface ocean (from mi-September 1997 to August 2007) from the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS (NASA). Subtropical gyres, in the center of the oceanic basins, are characterized by very low concentrations of chlorophyll a (dark blue) - Source : NASA's Earth Observatory (http:/earthobservatory.nasa.gov)
Krill (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
