Some of our favorite sites on algal and animal groups |
 OrcaLab: Dr. Paul Spong established OrcaLab in 1970 and has devoted the past 50 years researching the ecology of wild orcas. Since 2000 the live voices and images of orcas are broadcast via a network of hydrophones and underwater cameras in their natural habitat of the ‘Inside Passage’. These webpages bring the sights and sounds of live orca whales living off the coast of Hanson Island, near Vancouver Island in Canada, together with blogs and research findings on the social organisation and population status of these unique whales.
Whales (IWC official site): a wealth of information maintained by experts from the Scientific Committee on whale sanctuaries, whale watching procedures, on the impact of hunting, bycatch, noise, entanglement, global change, pollution. |
| Pelagos Sanctuary: news and reports about strandings, ship strikes, and other threats affecting this large Mediterranean cetacean sanctuary. |
 FishBase: covers over 33‘000 fish species today. Key facts on all species currently known in the world: taxonomy, biology, trophic ecology, life history, and uses, as well as historical data reaching back to 250 years.
Coral reefs: this site maintained by US-EPA describes the importance of coral reef ecosystems which provide food and shelter for 25% of marine life. |
Mediterranean sea slugs: beautiful photographs, plus taxonomic info, on hundreds of Mediterranean nudibranchs.
Life between tides and near shore: Oceana provides a very nice, general entry point into the world of crabs, lobsters, squids, octopus, shellfish, echinoderms, mollusks, cold water corals ...
Seaweeds: a good introduction, with many usefuls links on the taxonomy, geography, culture and uses of red, brown, green algae.
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 Jellyfish season?
Going to the beach and ready to confront the Jellyfish armada ? Some web sites will give you a good scientific start. A very good start is the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, world-famous for its cultivation and display of jellyfish.
For an in-depth look at the various medusae and complex life cycle, turn to the Tree of Life
Man and Molluscs: here you will find about as much info on sea snails, slugs, squids and their kin as it is possible to pack into a web site. Follow the 'Articles link' and read about the 'age-old and fascinating relationship' between human and molluscs, which includes everything from eating them and making jewelry, to manufacturing cocaine, and feeding chickens. Molluscan biology is covered at great length, from beginners to in-depth versions. Then check out 'mollusc of the moment' page with pictures and info on particular mollusc species, or the page on edible molluscs ... to help you safely harvest the "safe" species (timing is essential) and prepare them so that they do not end up tasting like an old rubber inner tube ...
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   Invasive species rank as one of the major threats to the world oceans. You are already familiar with our own CIESM Atlases of exotic species, which you can consult on our webpages; other additional websites are of interest:
The Invasive Species Specialist Group The Invasive Species Specialist Group www.issg.org : part of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN, this specialist group currently comprises hundreds of scientific and policy experts on invasive species. Take a look as well at their global invasive species database.
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Underwater world
Deep sea environments
Our favored sites on algal and animal groups
Satellite images
Catastrophic events
Marine conservation
Data and monitoring centers |
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