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
Underwater robot stalks barracuda for 10 minutes – and discovers this
Experts say footage recorded by the underwater robot will make it easier to discover and study unexplored coral reefs around the world.
Older than Stonehenge and bigger than Luxembourg, this ancient underwater realm is home to creatures thought extinct for millions of years
These unique reefs, once thought extinct, were only rediscovered around 40 years ago
“This IS the yellow brick road.” Deep-sea robot discovered real-life yellow brick road in the depths of the ocean – does it lead to the Emerald City?
Think the yellow brick road is fictional? Think again. It’s real and it can be found more than 1,000 metres deep in the ocean
“He’s just a blob.” This teeny, tiny baby bobtail squid the size of a peppercorn is the cutest thing you’ll see all day
It would be easy to miss this tiny animal, which is smaller than a fingernail.
Researchers put a big pair of eyeballs on the coast of Denmark and left them there for 46 days. Here's why
Fish-stealing seabirds can cause problems for fisheries and aquaculture companies so scientists tried to find a harmless way of putting them off their seafood feast.
“Something few people ever get to witness." Experts astonished to film incredibly rare creature hunting in Pacific Ocean
There may be fewer than 170 false killer whales in the Hawaiian Archipelago, so every sighting is precious.
.“Jeez, talk about a Dr Seuss-like landscape." Underwater robot discovered bizarre ‘forest’ full of animals all facing in the same direction. Here’s why...
The deep-sea landscape seems so odd that it wouldn’t look out of place in a cartoon
“I can’t believe I was able to film this.” Drone pilot captures astonishing shark hunt in Australia
Wildlife videographer films “extremely cryptic, rarely seen” shark hunting near Magnetic Island off the east coast of Australia.
Scientists lower camera 260m to Arctic seafloor and film strange creatures lurking in the darkness
Researchers in Greenland catch elusive deep-sea creatures and a backwards-swimming fish on camera.
“Big surprise!” Birdwatchers stunned as unexpected visitors turn up at a hide in South Africa
Wildlife photographers come nose-to-nose with a pair cheetahs, with just a pane of glass separating them.
There are more than 50 seas on the planet. But this one’s the smallest
While it has no strong currents, the Earth’s smallest sea is subject to earthquakes
Look what this underwater spy camera in Miami just filmed!
The Coral City Camera has captured all sorts of ocean animals – including these magical marine mammals.
Drone captures incredible 10-tonne whale rescue in Australia
Watch remarkable footage of rescuers freeing a stranded whale and releasing it back to the ocean.
Giant squid detected in deep-sea canyon off coast of Australia
Scientists have found evidence of giant squid and numerous other rarely seen marine creatures off the coast of Western Australia.
3 miles down, deep-sea robots discovered an incredibly hostile habitat with scorching 400°C waters, smoking black chimneys and – somehow – life...
The Beebe Vent Field in the Cayman Trough is home to the world’s deepest known hydrothermal vents
23 extremely rare North Atlantic right whales born off US coast
There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales on the planet, so a strong birthing season gives conservationists hope for the future of the critically endangered species.
This slimy plant is stealing sunlight and oxygen from marine wildlife, smothering beaches with a gag-inducing smell of rotten eggs, and can cost millions to clean up
Far from shore, giant golden-brown shapes break up the cobalt waters of the Atlantic. These aren’t tropical islands, but enormous rafts of seaweed that stretch for thousands of miles.
It's the ultimate master of deception, able to impersonate 13 other animals, from deadly sea snakes to flamboyant lion fish - quite the mimic
This creature is full of deception, switching its appearance between a host of venomous marine species to confuse and evade potential predators
Expedition team witnesses "incredibly rare" event deep in Madagascar's jungle
White-fronted lemurs only mate for a couple of days every year. This team were in the right place at the right time to see the rare event.
It’s named after the god of the underworld and contains creatures so weird they haven’t been identified yet
The deepest part of the ocean – the Challenger Deep – is in the hadal zone, a deep-sea region named after the Greek god of the underworld
Millions of armoured creatures are crawling into this US bay. What happens next is wild
Every April, horseshoe crabs descend on Delaware Bay to spawn, forming the largest horseshoe crab aggregation on the planet.
It’s deep enough to hide Mount Kilimanjaro, contains bone-eating worms and is the world’s largest habitat
The fourth of five ocean zones – the abyssopelagic zone or the abyss – stretches from 4,000 to 6,000 metres deep
Dugong vs manatee: What's the difference between these two 'floaty potatoes' – and are they really related to elephants...?
Although these two species look similar, there are some key differences that can help you tell them apart
“The crushing pressure can be anywhere between 100 to 400 atmospheres, which would kill a human instantaneously.”
Between 1,000 and 4,000 metres deep, there isn’t any sunlight at all so creatures find new strategies to survive
