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
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
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.
Camera traps film predators descending on cave filled with 40,000 bats. What happens next is staggering
Incredible footage from Python Cave in Uganda shows leopards, monkeys and eagles all catching and feasting on virus-riddled fruit bats. Scientists say the behaviour has never been seen before.
This diver was exploring the Great Barrier Reef, when he noticed something strange…
Some fish can communicate with other species by changing the colour of their bodies – as this incredible footage shows.
Huge manta ray spotted with chunk of body missing. Divers think they know what caused it
Manta rays can sometimes heal from injuries such as shark bites but more serious wounds can be fatal.
Banana-sized deep-sea oddity glows red – and resembles an alien spaceship
is crimson creature glides through the twilight zone with rainbows dancing up and down its body but to predators it’s invisible
"Sand pours off and disappears below like an underwater waterfall. This eerie phenomenon looks like a monstrous plume of smoke being dragged down into the darkness"
Plummeting down for more than 200 metres, Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas is one of the world’s deepest blue holes
Thousands of jellyfish moved into a lake on an Indonesian island – then a strange thing happened to their bodies
After ending up in the sheltered waters of the lake in Raja Ampat, the jellies evolved. Today, people can swim with them – if they’re incredibly careful not to harm these delicate stingless creatures.
This US shoreline hosts one of Earth's largest shark gatherings. Aerial images just revealed something worrying
Scientists in Florida are concerned about the impacts of beach nourishment projects on blacktip sharks and other marine species.
This tentacled giant can grow as long as a cricket bat. Tens of thousands are about to gather in South Australia
The giant cuttlefish aggregation at Point Lowly in South Australia is one of the planet's greatest wildlife spectacles.
"Unreal" feeding frenzy caught on camera in Mexico
During Mexico’s sardine run, pelicans and sea lions go head-to-head gobbling down bait fish.
This curious creature has a fishing rod dangling out of its head. It doesn't just use it for hunting…
Researchers studied more than 100 species of anglerfish to learn more about the secrets of their legendary lures.
Scientists drop cameras 9,100m deep off coast of Japan. What they find baffles them
While exploring deep-sea trenches off Japan, researchers found a creature so weird they couldn’t identify it.
