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
“One of the ocean’s best kept secrets”: adorable pygmy seahorse filmed hiding in coral reef
A diver in the Philippines caught a rare glimpse of a pygmy seahorse sheltering among the coral.
"We believe this is the first time it has been attempted." Why scientists plan to freeze butterfly eggs in -196C liquid nitrogen
Researchers want to use a technique known as cryopreservation to boost numbers of one of Britain's rarest butterflies.
Iguana filmed “blowing snot rockets" in Galápagos
Unlike other lizards, marine iguanas can forage at sea – and have a clever strategy to get rid of the excess salt from their diet.
Diver finds colossal animal skeleton off Australian coast. We know what killed it
The gigantic creature was discovered on the seabed in a remote part of Western Australia.
When researchers tracked 24 giant manta rays into the deep, they discovered an amazing new behaviour
Scientists now think that oceanic manta rays dive hundreds of metres below the surface to get their bearings.
Disoriented dolphins are stranding more often – and scientists say a disturbing cause is emerging
Toxins from harmful algae can cause Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, such as disorientation, in dolphins
Explorers drop 6 miles into Japan's deepest abyss, then 29,556 bizarre organisms emerge from the darkness
The crewed submersible visited three underwater trenches during the expedition, reaching depths of 9,775 metres.
Oldest living animal ever found suggests Atlantic Ocean is close to tipping point, say scientists
Quahog clams can live for more than 500 years. A new study of these bivalves reveals what the ocean used to be like – and offers clues of what might happen in the future.
What is Fat Bear Week and why is everyone so obsessed with it?
For one week each September, Alaskan bears battle it out to be crowned the girthiest grizzly – but why?
When an underwater robot was sent to the bottom of a deep-sea canyon, it made an astounding discovery
Researchers in Uruguay have found thriving deep-water coral reefs and dozens of new species.
Drones capture rare killer whales off Washington coast doing something very special
Orca scientists filmed the touching moment Southern Resident killer whales rubbed their bellies together.
When a drone photographer filmed one of the world's most elusive whales, they did something that surprised him
Omura's whales are one of the most elusive baleen whales, only being formally identified in 2003
Watch terrifying, heart-stopping tense footage of a fierce polar bear mother defending her vulnerable cubs against a dangerous, deadly aggressor
A local tour guide in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, watched on nervously while a determined polar bear tracked a mum and her two vulnerable cubs.
Baited cameras dropped deep into Caribbean Sea. Then this showed up
The Atlantic six-gill shark was one of four species of shark recorded for the first time off the island of Anguilla in the eastern Caribbean Sea, say researchers.
It might be slow but don't be fooled as this is one of the world's deadliest snipers, causing paralysis, necrosis, coma, respiratory failure and death in humans – lovely...
Deadly yet potentially lifesaving, the venom of cone snails is powerful enough to kill hundreds of people — but could also hold the key to new treatments for diabetes and other diseases.
Odd animal seen 'flying' over seafloor in Caribbean. But that's not the strangest thing it does
Flying gurnards tap the sand as they skim along the bottom of the ocean. Researchers say the unusual behaviour has a vital purpose.
Barrels dumped off LA coast have developed spooky 'halos'. We finally know what's going on
Caustic alkaline waste seeping out of discarded barrels has caused eerie white halos on the seafloor
Octopuses could help us build robots that rescue people from collapsed buildings. Here's how
New research reveals octopuses use all their arms for different tasks – a discovery that could inform the design of life-saving robots.
When a colossal sea creature washed up on a beach in Britain, experts were called in to solve the mystery
Arriving at the scene, they identified the animal as a fin whale, the second largest creature on Earth after the blue whale.
Peculiar deep-sea creature with huge eyes discovered 3,628m down off Californian coast
Scientists say the strange-looking animal is one of three new species of snailfish found on a recent expedition to the bottom of the Monterey Canyon off the west coast of USA.
"Pure wild": diver spots gigantic whale with pod of dolphins. He was amazed at what happened next
The huge humpback whale was surprisingly nimble as it whizzed through the water alongside the dolphins.
"Large, unidentified creatures" reported off Mexican coast. After long wait, the mysterious animals are finally identified
These rarely seen ocean creatures can grow up to 13 metres long and can dive 1,000 metres deep.
"The most transcendent wildlife experience”: ocean safari stumbles upon thousands of diamond-shaped rays
The enormous fever of rays was spotted off the coast of Mexico.
Drone spots more than 1,000 "ghost-like" animals off Mexican coast
The marine creatures aren’t usually spotted so close to shore – and seeing them in such large groups is incredibly rare.