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Our oceans contain the greatest diversity of life on Earth. From the freezing polar regions to the warm waters of the tropics and deep sea hydrothermal vents to shallow seagrass beds, marine organisms abound. By donating to Oceanswell, you are helping us do what we do best – explore, discover, protect, educate and give the oceans a voice. No amount is too little and your support is greatly appreciated.

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Have you ever seen a Risso’s dolphin while out at sea? These large dolphins with their melon-shaped heads and distinctive scratches on their bodies make them easy to identify and can sometimes be spotted swimming in Sri Lankan waters. #MarineMegafaunaMonday

📢 New blog post alert!

Another blog post by Ayani, our intern, where she revisits the mind blowing encounters in the field that will always have a special place in her memory. Read to know about the marine mammals, turtles and seabirds they observed!

🔗http://ow.ly/x9QT50KYiMG

Brittle stars are echinoderms and belong to the same group of animals as sea stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers and are found in waters around the world. Brittle stars are so named because their skin dries and breaks very easily - it’s brittle! #MarineMegafaunaMonday

Bioluminescence in Galle face, Colombo last night! Worth heading out tonight - no guarantees but if you see it, it’s magical! Read this for more https://www.instagram.com/p/CiztdsghQA6/?igshid=YWZlMWU5YjI= thanks @iFiri for the video! @OceanswellOrg

There are two species of mako sharks: shortfin and longfin. Both species are incredibly fast swimmers owing to the design and structure of their bodies. Shortfin mako sharks grow up to about 3.8 m and weigh in at about 545 kg. For more on shortfin makos: http://ow.ly/w5XO50KMKIA

Have you ever seen a Risso’s dolphin while out a

Have you ever seen a Risso’s dolphin while out at sea? These large dolphins with their melon-shaped heads and distinctive scratches on their bodies make them easy to identify and can sometimes be spotted swimming in Sri Lankan waters. We also spotted a stranded Risso’s dolphin some time ago. Head to our stories to check out our post on it! Learn some cool facts about this species of dolphin by checking out this week’s Marine Megafauna Monday!
#marinemegafaunamondays #marinemegafauna #rissosdolphins #dolphins #marineconservation #srilanka #oceans

📢 New blog post alert!📢 One more blog post

📢 New blog post alert!📢
One more blog post from Ayani, our intern, where she shares interesting facts about the sightings she had while in the field and she revisits the mind blowing encounters that will always have a special place in her memory. Read to know more about the marine mammals, turtles and seabirds that she observed!
Head to www.oceanswell.org/ocean-chronicles or click on the link in our bio, titled ‘Ocean Chronicles’ to read her piece.
@feramzzz
#oceanchronicles

Ever wondered how much a blue whale eats in a day?

Ever wondered how much a blue whale eats in a day? A study by Savoca et al, published in 2021 in the journal Nature, titled ‘Baleen whale prey consumption based on high-resolution foraging measurements’, dived into this in depth. They found that baleen whales (whales that have comb-like structures in their mouths that they use to filter-feed in the ocean) ate more than was previously thought. The researchers tagged seven species of baleen whales (humpback, blue, fin, bowhead, Antarctic minke, Bryde’s, and North Atlantic right whales) and the number of lunges (a feeding behaviour where they rush forward, open their massive jaws, take in a large amount of prey along with water and then filter the water out through their baleen plates) they made and the depths they dived to were measured. They also used echosounders, commonly known as fish finders, to calculate the density of the prey in the area. The results of the study showed that the animals ate upto 5 to 30 percent of their body weight in krill each day!
Why is studying the amount they eat important? Whale poop contains high amounts of iron, which is an important nutrient for many forms of life in the ocean. The plumes of whale poop release nutrients at the surface, which boosts the growth of phytoplankton, tiny organisms at the base of the marine food web, eaten by krill. The krill, in turn, gets eaten by whales. Commercial fishing and climate change could also be factors in this decline.
To learn more about this fantastic study, head to https://n.pr/3P4Xu83 or click on the link in our bio titled ‘How much do baleen whales eat?’ to have a listen to the NPR episode, which features comments by our very own Dr Asha! To read the published study, head to https://go.nature.com/3EhGQRd or click on the link in our bio.
@npr @ashadevos @savocamatt
#baleenwhales #bluewhales #humpbackwhales #rightwhales #finwhales #bowheadwhales #antarcticminkewhales #brydeswhales #northatlanticrightwhales #krill

Brittle stars are echinoderms and belong to the sa

Brittle stars are echinoderms and belong to the same group of animals as sea stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. There are about 300 species of brittle stars found in waters around the world and they can be found both in shallow water as well as the deep sea (upto depths of about 2000m)! Brittle stars are so named because their skin dries and breaks very easily - it’s brittle! Learn more fun facts by checking out this week’s Marine Megafauna Monday!
#marinemegafaunamondays #marinemegafauna #brittlestars #echinoderms #deepsea #marineconservation #srilanka #oceans

There are two species of mako sharks: shortfin and

There are two species of mako sharks: shortfin and longfin. Both species are incredibly fast swimmers owing to the design and structure of their bodies. Shortfin mako sharks can grow up to about 3.8 m and weigh in at about 545 kg. These sharks are so cool we dedicated a whole episode of our Ocean Creature Feature series to the shortfin mako that is considered the cheetah of the ocean. To check out the video, head to www.oceanswell.org/ocean-creature-feature or click on the link in our bio titled ‘Ocean Creature Feature’! You can also watch the video by clicking on our ‘Ocean Creature Feature’ guide on Instagram. Don’t forget to try out the activities in our activity booklet for some bonus fun!
#marinemegafaunamondays #marinemegafauna #shortfinmakoshark #makoshark #sharks #oceancreaturefeature #marineconservation #srilanka #oceans

We get lots of emails from ocean fans asking how t

We get lots of emails from ocean fans asking how to learn more about the ocean and the issues she faces. Here’s a bit of direction so you can delve deep (pun intended of course!).
Learning about the ocean is incredibly important. You don’t have to be a marine science professional or an environmentalist or a conservationist or have a degree or decades of school to learn about arguably the most important ecosystem on earth. The ocean covers about 70% of our planet and sustains many life forms, including US. Oceans are the foundation of a healthy planet, generating oxygen, regulating climate, providing food and nutrition, among many other things. This means, it touches our lives in many ways everyday. But this precious resource is in danger. Knowing more about the threats that the ocean is facing is critical, now more than ever. Also, learning about the beauty and wonder of our oceans can help us develop a greater appreciation for it and help us think of innovative ways to protect it.
If you need recommendations of books, podcasts or documentaries that you can dive into, head to our stories. We’ve compiled a list of our favourites. Like we always say, sharing is an important part of learning. So, let us know what resources YOU recommend by adding your answers to the question sticker on our Instagram stories, so we can share with everyone!
Happy learning!
#oceaneducation #oceanlearning #marineconservation #oceanliteracy #books #documentaries #podcasts #marineconservationconversations #oceanherohuddle

Sea cucumbers get their name from their elongated

Sea cucumbers get their name from their elongated body shape, which makes them look like a cucumber (that lives in the sea!). They are part of a bigger animal group called echinoderms, that include starfish, brittle stars and sea urchins.
Sea cucumbers are incredibly important for the health of our oceans as they suck up sand and waste particles and digest them and excrete the byproducts - like real-life vacuum cleaners! By doing this, they clean and oxygenate the seafloor, allowing for the growth of corals and prevent organic matter from building up. To learn more about sea cucumbers and the incredible things that they do, check out the recap of our first-ever Ocean Hero Huddle!
#marinemegafaunamondays #marinemegafauna #seacucumbers #echinoderms #marineconservation #srilanka #oceans

📢 New blog post alert!📢 Our volunteer inter

📢 New blog post alert!📢
Our volunteer intern, Ayani, wrote a blog to share her experience with us, the role she had in the team and the life lessons we can take from the mighty ocean. Having been a nature lover and a wildlife enthusiast since childhood, working with Oceanswell was another milestone in her dream of becoming a marine biologist. She reflects on how she felt being in the ocean and how it made her grow even closer to nature!
Head to www.oceanswell.org/ocean-chronicles or click on the link in our bio, titled ‘Ocean Chronicles’ to read her piece. Stay tuned for part two, where she shares the sightings they had!
@feramzzz
#oceanchronicles

Not much is known about dwarf sperm whales as they

Not much is known about dwarf sperm whales as they are rarely spotted out in the ocean. Much of what is known about them has been found by studying stranded specimens. Find out some of what we know by checking out this week’s Marine Megafauna Monday!
#marinemegafaunamondays #marinemegafauna #dwarfspermwhales #dolphins #marineconservation #srilanka #oceans