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.
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Diatom species Odontella mobiliensis (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Pelagia - Fearsome Jellyfish
Mauve jellies move in droves, their nasty stings feared by swimmers.
Vue sous-marine d'un groupe de mésocosmes montrant un plongeur récoltant les pièges à sediment (© Stareso)
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
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)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Cténophores - Orgie de couleurs
Vagues de lumière iridescentes, à l'affût de proies, voici les cténophores.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium ranipes grd mains (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Acantharia (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Surface chlorophyll a concentration in the global ocean.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Diatom genus Chaetoceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Embryos and larvae
Drifting in the currents, embryos and larvae perpetuate the species and are food for multitudes.
Seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as obtained by the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS in the Atlantic Ocean.
