Melissa Hobson
Marine science and conservation writer
Melissa Hobson, doing business as The Ocean Writer Ltd., is a marine science and conservation writer based in Hastings. She has written about the ocean for outlets including BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, National Geographic, New Scientist and the Guardian. Visit Melissa’s website at melissahobson.co.uk or follow her on LinkedIn.
Recent articles by Melissa Hobson
Scientists tied plastic bottles to fishing nets – what happened next amazed them
Hundreds of dolphins die in fishing nets every year. How adding this one thing to nets s could help save them
Hundreds of miles. One plastic cap. 307 individual hitchhikers
Researchers found hundreds of organisms hitchhiking on a plastic bottle cap and warn that this type of pollution could cause invasive species to move into new areas
"Marine animals were mysteriously dropping dead: around 1 million were wiped out." Scientists now know the reason why – and it's terrifying
Marine researchers in Australia have found what might be the most toxic species of microalgae ever studied.
The huge 200kg 'man-eating' sea monster that never actually ate anyone
These colossal clams were rumoured to kill humans but the opposite is true – climate change, pollution and overharvesting are pushing them to the brink
Can any animals kill a polar bear? 6 contenders that could just be brave enough to take on the deadliest, most powerful bear on the planet
Polar bears are the Arctic’s apex predator, but are there any animals that might emerge victorious in a face-off?
Whale experts studied the noises of this isolated population – and discovered something incredibly human-like about them
Scientists have identified two distinct dialects in Mediterranean sperm whales and believe it mirrors the movement of ancestral clans
"I experienced relaxation of muscles in the limbs, was hardly able to speak or control my facial expression and felt almost like I were going to die”
The flower urchin looks like it’s covered in hundreds of beautiful petals but each one is a set of snapping jaws ready to bite
The 3-metre shark that erupts from the ocean, spinning furiously like a tornado...
These fish-eating predators catch as many prey as possible by spinning while swimming in a burst of speed, sometimes even clearing the water’s surface
When marine scientists found a plastic bottle floating in the ocean, they were shocked to see this large animal living inside, unable to escape
Marine scientists were shocked to find a large live crab stuck inside a small plastic bottle. This is how it got there
Satellite images reveal more than 1,000 unmapped coral reefs in Australia
The discovery of thousands of previously unchartered coral reefs could reinforce conservation efforts in northern Australian waters, say researchers.
It's as long as a basketball court, as tall as a giraffe and so huge it can be seen from space
Experts estimate that the massive mega coral – found near the Solomon Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean – is about 300 years old.
It's huge – the size of a dustbin lid – has 21 arms lined with deadly barbed spines capable of causing severe pain - but that's not its most alarming feature...
A sting from this huge starfish could cause pus, bleeding and anaphylaxis. But that’s not the only reason to be VERY worried
10 gigantic, deadly and terrifying sea monsters that were inspired by humongous real-life ocean animals
These real-life ocean animals were so terrifying to seafarers that they became embedded in history as legendary sea monsters
"If a person inadvertently touches this larva's bristles, they can suffer massive internal haemorrhaging, renal failure, haemolysis – and even death"
The ocean's hidden, deadly killer: Why thriving seas can suddenly die and turn into mass underwater graveyards
Suffocated ecosystems, seizures and death: how deadly algae can wreak havoc on beaches around the world – and what can be done to prevent it
“Just sat there on deck.” Researchers weren’t expecting to see this onboard when they came back from their dive
The marine scientists were trying to learn more about UK kelp forests when they got a little more than they bargained for
Watch gobsmacking footage of thousands of dolphins leaping alongside and encircling a boat...
Lots of smaller pods of dolphins all joined together to create a super pod of epic proportions
“One of the ocean's fastest and most powerful predators.” Photographer witnesses elegant hunter prowling for prey
Marlin migrate long distances across the open ocean and encounters with humans are rare
Weathering the storm: footage shows one of the hardiest animals on Earth enduring brutally cold temperatures
Musk oxen have long thick coats with a secret layer that helps them stay toasty even when the thermostat drops below freezing
”It was nature in its rawest and most powerful form.” Witnessing a pod of orcas was amazing enough – but then this happened...
Orcas hunt dolphins in Scotland and wildlife watchers saw the whole thing unfold
"Symptoms include fever, vomiting, cramps and shortness of breath." 10 deadliest and most dangerous animals in the Mediterranean Sea
Great whites, purple stinging jellyfish and several invisible threats – how dangerous are the animals in the Mediterranean Sea?
These endangered whales have lived in a small sea for 70,000 years. One of them just broke the pattern
Humpback whales in the Arabian Sea were thought to be ‘homebodies’ but one individual just flipped the script
"This grimacingly ugly creature has adorned itself with gold and, yet, still manages to look ghastly... " 10 ugliest, hideous animals in the ocean
Not every creature in the sea won the genetic lottery
Deep-sea scientists just filmed an elusive predator with “grotesquely protruding jaw” alive for the first time
Goblin sharks are one of the most baffling species of sharks, with jaws that can protrude out of their face like a slingshot
