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
Photographer has astonishing leopard shark encounter in enchanted kelp forest
A diver shares his magical moment with leopard sharks in the twinkling canopies of a kelp forest.
Joel Sartore has photographed 18,000 species. His latest is one of the weirdest and rarest yet
After a decade of photographing animals around the world, Joel Sartore has captured his 18,000th species: the critically endangered red handfish.
When scientists put a camera tag on a whale, they never expected to see this
When NOAA researchers used suction-cup tags to study cetaceans, they caught the incredible moment a whale breached.
"Its bristles are like thousands of tiny, hollow needles poking out of every inch of skin, ready to inject you with neurotoxin that burns like fire for several hours…"
A sting burns like fire and they can turn their throat inside out to gobble down a meal. This is the fireworm
Staggering drone footage shows 24m giants speeding through Indonesian waters
Wildlife watchers were lucky enough to be joined by three pygmy blue whales.
As a huge storm approached the US coast, California's great white sharks did this
For the first time, scientists have documented what white sharks do when storms are on the way.
It has a built-in suction cup, vampire-like fangs, can swallow its prey whole – and has one very disgusting dining habit
Rocksuckers can swallow limpets whole before later regurgitating the shell
“Probably ate it headfirst." Here's what scientists found inside this deep-sea fish’s bulging belly
Researchers at the Natural History Museum wanted to solve the intriguing mystery of what was inside this rare fish’s enormous stomach without cutting it open – here’s how they did it.
"They’re the size of a grain of rice… but hundreds can swarm you and deliver a surprisingly sharp bite and draw blood…"
Sand piranhas keep beaches clean by feasting on dead and decaying matter and returning their nutrients to the ecosystem
“It was pure chaos!” This diver stumbled across a huge creature cruising through the ocean…
Underwater videographer shares incredible footage of the moment he discovers an enormous lion's mane jellyfish.
It strikes fear into swimmers around the world and sends people scrambling from the water – but what exactly is the point of a dorsal fin?
The dorsal fin is one of the most recognisable features in the animal kingdom, but it's far more than a dramatic silhouette. Here's why so many creatures have evolved one
The monstrous, snake-like huge 8m long serpent fish that are known as “harbingers of doom”
Meet the mysterious oarfish, the deep swelling sea serpent that's known as harbingers of doom”.
It has a fleshy beard hanging from its face and sounds like a car alarm – meet the bizarre bearded bellbird
This male bird’s wattles of flesh dangling from its beak and its bonkers call are both intended to impress females.
When a pride of lions went down to the waterhole, they bumped into a hippo. Here's what happened next
Young lions need lots of practice to hone their hunting skills. This safari group was in for a spectacular show watching their attempts.
"You can hear them talking to each other through your hull.” Sailor alone at sea for a week. Then this happens
One week into a 10,000-mile solo voyage across the Arctic Ocean, this sailor had a wildlife encounter to remember.
Researchers followed humpback whales to the seabed – and saw them hunting in a way never seen before
Scientists just saw – and filmed – humpbacks cooperatively hunting along the seafloor for the first time.
Scuba divers in Bali thought this huge shape was a whale shark. But it wasn't
In an extremely rare encounter, a great white shark joined a group of scuba divers in Indonesia.
Divers saw a shark approaching – and were stunned when it did this
Extremely rare footage shows an oceanic whitetip shark breaching in the Maldives.
It has a squidgy nose, sharp quills and a prehensile tail – and this adorable footage shows one shimmying up a tree
Have you ever seen a porcupine climb a tree?
"While snorkelling a scientist was dragged underwater and drowned by one of these huge predators…" 8 deadliest animals in the Antarctic Ocean
If you somehow find yourself in the Antarctic Ocean, these are the animals you don't want to cross.
This solar-powered sea slug slurps its lunch like a smoothie then does a headstand. The footage is beyond belief
When these sea slugs feed on algae, they pinch their prey's ability to photosynthesise. Now, scientists have shared remarkably rare footage of them feeding.
These people went out on the reef at night – and found walking sharks in the shallows
Epaulette sharks are famous for using their fins like limbs to help them crawl around the seabed. Now, a new study reveals that coral reefs are important nursery grounds for these curious marine creatures.
"As it touches the seafloor, it kills whatever living thing it contacts by encasing it in a tomb of ice…" Discover the finger of death
Strange and deadly brinicles form polar waters because of the difference between air and sea temperatures
Enormous apex predator filmed 430m deep in Pacific Ocean
When deep-sea researchers visited the Marshall Islands, they captured rare footage of bluntnose sixgill sharks – a species that can grow over 5m long.
