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
“High-stakes drama.” Two huge bull elephant seals engage in a bruising fight for dominance
Coming to blows is a last resort for male elephant seals competing for dominance.
Drone pilot spots humpback whale acting strangely. What happens next is breathtaking
Scientists in Australia believe they have captured the birth of a baby humpback on camera – only the fourth time this intimate moment has ever been filmed.
Submersible stumbles upon prehistoric animal 365m deep in Pacific darkness
These striped critters have been on the planet long before the time of the dinosaurs.
If you've never seen a deep-sea 'galaxy', you NEED to watch this
This galaxy siphonophore is a stunning colonial organism that glows as red as burning embers.
Gigantic jellyfish caught on camera in Patagonia. This ocean titan can grow longer than a tennis court
Lion’s mane jellyfish have huge, stinging tentacles perfectly designed to help them capture tiny prey.
"Honestly, truly beyond belief…" It was a humongous 7 miles long, 5 miles wide and made up of a staggering 100,000 individuals…
Is this the largest super pod ever seen?
When lions raided wild dog dens in Botswana, wildlife guides didn’t expect to see this
African wild dogs are an endangered species, so safari guides were saddened when they believed lions had killed an entire litter. But then this happened
“Rushing past like a freight train." Diver films unusual manta chain in Great Barrier Reef
Manta mating chains usually have several males in pursuit of one female – but this wildlife photographer saw something odd in Australia.
16ft great white shark found with perfectly circular hole in its head – scientists know exactly what caused it
The strange-looking wound was made by another predator, say experts from the California White Shark Project.
"Look at that, 5ft from the boat." Skipper spots one of the weirdest fish on the planet off the coast of England
Skipper Kurt Lander saw two sunfish in the shipping lanes off the coast of Sussex.
Polar bear pulls seal pup onto ice then backs away. The reason why is extraordinary
Mother seals usually stay close to their pups and this polar bear tried to use that fact to its advantage.
There's an island off Brazil that's a magnet for 3m-long sharks. Fresh wounds on their bodies reveal why they're there
Critically endangered sand tiger sharks use the waters around Alcatrazes Archipelago year-round to breed, gestate and raise young, according to a new study.
“Something I’d never even heard rumours of." Sea turtle emerges from water with strange creature clinging to its back
Remoras – also known as suckerfish – attach themselves to marine animals to hitch a ride, but seeing them holding on tight while out of the water is rare.
This sloth rode a ladder to the rainforest...
When a sloth found itself lost in a hotel lobby, staff used the strangest mode of transport to get it home.
Swirling barracuda 'tornado' caught on camera off Indonesian island
Dive guide films mesmerising school of barracuda several metres high while exploring the waters around Maratua Island, Indonesia.
Epic footage shows the "largest great hammerhead ever filmed in the Bahamas"
The four-metre great hammerhead shark was caught on camera in 2025.
"You may experience headaches, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, and fluid on the lungs…" 10 deadliest animals in the Atlantic Ocean
From the extremely venomous fish to huge predatory sharks, these are some of the most dangerous animals in the Atlantic Ocean
It's as long as a stretched limo and swings its lethal chainsaw snout from side to side to slice its prey in half
Largetooth sawfish are one of the most unusual-looking creatures in the sea but their iconic snout also puts them at risk from humans
He thought he was just filming a strange sea creature – BUT then it did something completely unexpected…
Photographer Ian Haggerty stumbled across the bizarre-looking sea cucumber while exploring a reef.
Its name comes from the 'grunting' noise – like hungry pigs slurping their slop – made by the giant churning gyre that's claimed a dozen sailors' lives…
The Old Sow is the largest tidal whirlpool in the western hemisphere
Inside the incredible underwater cities, filled with apartment blocks, that stretch along a massive 150km of coastline
These snails stay in one spot for life and build tiny apartments that support lots of other sea creatures
"It oozes gross, sticky mucus that paralyses prey before sucking it back in…" A bizarre predator that's as long as a sperm whale, but as thin as tagliatelle
Bootlace worms are around as wide as a piece of tagliatelle but are said to grow longer than a blue whale
Deep-sea scientists filmed something hugely astonishing and very rarely seen gliding over the seafloor in Chile
Extraordinary footage of a mother squid carrying her eggs
“To rip off the tail only took a minute…" Insane, gobsmacking drone footage captures gigantic shark eating another shark in Florida
A photographer was astounded when her drone captured the moment a huge hammerhead pounced on a reef shark.
