Oceans represent Earth's last great unexplored wilderness.
Despite making up more than 70% of the Earth's surface, there is still much about the oceans that we do not know.
Exploring and studying them is critical to protect these valuable resources for future generations. Uncover why we need to protect the oceans, find out how to get involved and dive into cutting-edge research about life underwater.
Quick questions
Marine science
The Museum's scientists study marine specimens from around the globe, from tiny fossils to vast whale skeletons.
This scientific research informs debates on issues including climate change, ocean acidification and plastics in the sea.
Life underwater
Explore stories of animals and plants that spend their lives beneath the waves.
Coral reefs
Ancient oceans and prehistoric marine life
A sea dragon brought to life
Encounter Rhomaleosaurus, a prehistoric sea dragon, as it comes back to life before your eyes in virtual reality.
Find yourself virtually transported inside the Museum and watch this marine reptile roam the galleries.
Whales
Uncover the secrets of the largest animals in the ocean.
Explore the blue whale
Relive the history of the Museum's 25-metre blue whale skeleton in the interactive online experience.
Take part
Find out how you can be involved in the Museum's citizen science, or see more of our marine specimens.

See the blue whale
Visit the Museum to walk beneath the largest animal ever to have lived.

Big Seaweed Search
Explore the UK coast and submit your seaweed sightings to help research.

Spirit Collection Tour
Meet Archie, our 8.62-metre-long giant squid, in this behind-the-scenes tour.
More stories about the ocean and its inhabitants
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News
Microplastics in seabirds linked with increase in illness-causing bacteria
Microplastics aren't just affecting large animals, they're also affecting microscopic species too.
27 March 2023 -
Science news
Plastic diet could be causing seabird chicks to shrink
The body mass of young shearwaters has deteriorated in just over a decade, with plastic consumption believed to be the most likely cause.
24 March 2023 -
News
Bird flu kills thousands of South American sea lions as outbreak continues
An outbreak of bird flu has swept the world over the past year, raising fears that humans could become more vulnerable.
9 March 2023 -
News
New fossils challenge the identity of the oldest bryozoan
The oldest colonial animal might actually be one of the oldest types of seaweed.
8 March 2023 -
News
Historic treaty to protect the world's oceans finally agreed
Nations have reached a historic agreement to protect the world's oceans from exploitation.
6 March 2023 -
Science news
'Plasticosis': a new disease caused by plastic that is affecting seabirds
A new disease has been described in seabirds, but it might just be the tip of the iceberg.
3 March 2023 -
News
Legendary beasts from ancient literature may have been whales gulping down fish
Ancient Norwegian and Greek literature may have described trap feeding as much as 2,000 years before it was first observed in 2011.
28 February 2023 -
News
UK creates three new 'highly protected' marine nature reserves in England
While conservationists have welcomed the announcement, they've also raised concerns that the proposals aren't enough to protect vulnerable marine habitats.
28 February 2023 -
News
'Unusually high' number of turtle strandings in the UK and Ireland
While these strandings are thought to be the result of an unseasonably stormy year, climate change could make them more common in future.
27 February 2023 -
News
The largest ever penguin species has been discovered in New Zealand
Kumimanu fordycei weighed an estimated 150 kilogrammes, demonstrating that penguins became large early in their evolution.
17 February 2023 -
Science news
Boring bivalves are much more diverse than non-boring molluscs
A new study reveals that there are many ways these animals bore through solid rock, but a lack of habitat may lock them into an evolutionary dead end.
8 February 2023 -
Science news
Creatures from the deep: exploring the seas around remote South Atlantic islands
Museum scientists joined a six-week voyage to understand more about the fragile environments surrounding South Atlantic islands.
3 February 2023 -
Behind the Science: Carla Greco investigates how cyanobacteria thrive in Antarctica's lakes
PhD student Carla on exploring how cyanobacteria survive in the cold temperatures of Antarctic lakes.
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Science news
Unique trilobite trident could be the oldest evidence of male sexual combat
Fighting for mates may be a behaviour that dates back over 400 million years.
16 January 2023 -
News
Invasive rats are affecting the behaviour of algae-farming fish
Invasive rats are devastating tropical islands, with effects reaching far beyond the land.
5 January 2023 -
News
Walrus spotted on beach in southern UK
A walrus has been seen hauled out on a beach in Hampshire, UK.
12 December 2022 -
News
Evidence of the world's oldest meal may have been discovered
Algae and bacteria were on the menu for the early animal Kimberella shortly before it was buried over 500 million years ago.
24 November 2022 -
News
Europe's largest ever turtle species has been discovered
Measuring almost four metres in length, Leviathanochelys aenigmatica reveals that giant turtles were more common than previously thought.
17 November 2022 -
Science news
Destruction of forests and grasslands is biggest cause of biodiversity loss
A new study has looked at what is driving the biodiversity crisis.
9 November 2022 -
News
Rediscovered casts bring back historic ichthyosaur fossil destroyed in war
The first complete ichthyosaur skeleton has resurfaced, despite being thought destroyed during World War Two.
2 November 2022 -
News
World war shipwrecks are leaking pollutants into the world's oceans
Carcinogenic fuel, explosives and chemical weapons are leaking into the seas from sunken naval vessels.
18 October 2022 -
News
HMS Challenger: How a 150-year-old expedition still influences scientific discoveries today
Over a century ago, one of the most important scientific expeditions in history departed from the UK to explore the oceans of the world.
6 September 2022 -
News
Solitary whales and dolphins could be becoming more common
Scientists and conservationists are continuing to investigate this phenomenon, with the exact reasons remaining unclear.
17 August 2022 -
News
Concerns grow for beluga whale swimming in France's River Seine
A beluga whale has been spotted heading towards Paris, thousands of miles from its natural habitat.
10 August 2022 -
Science news
Whales have altered their development to be able to echolocate
The ability of dolphins and toothed whales to echolocate is shaped before they're even born.
3 August 2022 -
News
The oldest known animal predator has been uncovered in Leicestershire
The 560-million-year-old specimen of Auroralumina attenboroughii reveals that the origins of complex life may date back further than was previously known.
28 July 2022 -
News
First report of deadly disease raises concerns for Europe's starfish
A disease that causes starfish to disintegrate has been reported in the UK and Europe, raising fears for marine ecosystems.
27 July 2022 -
Science news
Pacific expedition may have discovered over 30 new deep sea species
Over 30 potential new species, from starfish to sea cucumbers, have been discovered living at the bottom of the sea.
27 July 2022 -
News
Underwater noise pollution is risking the lives of whales and dolphins
Loud sound bursts throwing cetaceans out of balance and risk their health, amid growing concern over the impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution.
14 July 2022 -
News
Killer whales that attack great white sharks are changing a marine ecosystem
By scaring away the great whites, the killer whale hunters are altering the habits of other sharks, abalone and even penguins.
1 July 2022 -
News
Bird flu outbreak devastates UK seabird colonies
Thousands of seabirds are dropping dead from bird flu at some of the UK's most important seabird colonies.
28 June 2022 -
News
The world's largest bacteria are visible to the naked eye
Measuring over a centimetre long, Thiomargarita magnifica is over 5000 times bigger than the average microbe.
23 June 2022 -
Science news
Invasive mice are pushing the Tristan albatross to the brink of extinction
A Critically Endangered species of albatross may be in more danger than previously thought.
21 June 2022 -
News
Greenland polar bears have learned to hunt without sea ice
A group of newly-discovered polar bears may reveal how the Arctic mammals could survive climate change.
17 June 2022 -
What on Earth?
Whale sharks: Meet the world’s biggest shark
Whale sharks can be huge. But even experts aren’t entirely sure just how big they can get.
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News
The world's largest plant is an Australian seagrass clone
Believed to be at least 4,500 years old, Shark Bay's Posidonia australis covers an area bigger than Washington DC.
1 June 2022 -
News
Great white sharks could have contributed to megalodon extinction
Great whites and megalodon may have been competing for the same prey in the last years of the megalodon's life.
31 May 2022 -
News
Protected areas could help world's biggest ray to bounce back
Crowdsourced photographs are helping to demonstrate the value of nature reserves to one of the world's largest fish.
17 May 2022 -
News
Critically Endangered porpoise can bounce back from edge of extinction
There are fewer than 10 vaquita left in the world, but it's still possible to save the species.
5 May 2022 -
News
Giant ichthyosaur fossils reveal the last days of Triassic marine reptiles
Some of the largest animals that ever lived retained their size right up until they were wiped out 200 million years ago.
29 April 2022 -
Science news
Seabird declines threatening coastal nutrient supply
Over half of all seabirds have been lost in the past 50 years, seeing less of the nutrients vital to life moved from sea to land.
22 April 2022 -
News
Artificial whale poo could help restore ocean biodiversity
While it could provide a useful stopgap, there is no guarantee the technique, or whales, will ever fully restore what has been lost.
9 March 2022 -
News
Treaty to end plastic pollution moves a step closer
175 countries voted to start preparations for a new treaty aimed at regulating and controlling plastics last week.
8 March 2022 -
News
Octopus ancestor with 10 arms named after President Joe Biden
The fossil uncovered in Montana suggests the ancestor of all squid and octopus had 10 arms, with some of these then lost by its descendants.
8 March 2022 -
News
Megalodon sharks grew biggest in colder waters
The finding could offer insights into the impact of climate change on its modern relatives.
7 March 2022 -
What on Earth?
Giant and colossal squid: revealing the secrets of the largest invertebrates
Scientists have only just begun to reveal what the lives of giant and colossal squid are like in the past two decades.
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News
Fossil-eating sponges discovered in the Arctic
The unique ecosystem is one of the most diverse of the high Arctic.
8 February 2022 -
Science news
Two thirds of life in the seabed is unknown to science
The deep seafloor could be up to three times as diverse as the overlying waters, with much of this diversity yet to be discovered by science.
4 February 2022 -
Science news
Snails narrow down the impacts of the largest ever extinction
A group of fossilised snails and clams are challenging suggestions that ocean acidification contributed to the largest extinction in history.
31 January 2022 -
News
Britain's largest ever ichthyosaur is discovered in Rutland Water
The largest and most complete ichthyosaur ever found in the UK has been unearthed in the nation's smallest county.
10 January 2022 -
News
Ancient shipwreck reveals 'ecological memory' of reefs
An ancient battle fought thousands of years ago has provided an oasis of life on the wrecks it left behind.
23 December 2021 -
What on Earth?
Are lobsters immortal?
Biological immortality is exceptionally rare. But is there any truth to the memes that claim lobsters can live forever?
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News
Coral reefs at risk of being wiped out in western Indian Ocean
Some of the world's most picturesque coral reefs are at risk of being wiped out in the next 50 years.
8 December 2021 -
What on Earth?
The blue-ringed octopus: small, vibrant and exceptionally deadly
Blue-ringed octopuses are stunning animals. But their flashy rings are not an idle threat.
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News
Climate change could cause more animals to get divorced
Climate change could lead to an increase in break-ups as it puts pressure on the animal kingdom.
25 November 2021 -
News
Will walruses become established in UK waters?
A walrus has been spotted taking a rest on the coast of north-eastern England.
16 November 2021 -
News
Arctic whales may be consuming thousands of microplastics each year
Beluga whales may be consuming hundreds of thousands of microplastics each year due to the fish they eat.
7 November 2021 -
News
Numbers of North Atlantic right whales fall by almost 10%
Populations of the North Atlantic right whale fell by almost 10% in 2020, leaving only a few hundred of the animals surviving.
28 October 2021 -
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: life and death in an underwater world
Underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta has won the Grand Title in the fifty-seventh Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his photo, Creation.
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News
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 winning images
Winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 announced.
12 October 2021 -
Science news
Documenting one of the most abundant vertebrates in the world before it's too late
Lanternfish are one of the most abundant vertebrates on Earth. Yet despite their huge numbers, almost nothing is known about them.
1 October 2021 -
News
Lionfish caught off the coast of Dorset could be a record for the UK
Scientists at the Museum urge anyone who knows more about it or its location to get in touch.
30 September 2021 -
News
Over half of coral reef cover across the world has been lost since 1950
Coral reefs have declined by over half since the 1950s as they suffer from the effects of climate change and overfishing.
26 September 2021 -
What on Earth?
Sea monsters and their inspiration: serpents, mermaids, the kraken and more
Discover the real sea creatures behind the lore.
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News
Young minke whale freed by rescuers after stranding in the Thames
People are urged to keep an eye out for the whale last seen off Isleworth.
11 May 2021 -
Science news
Seals have evolved two different ways to swim
Seals either swim with their tails or with their flippers.
7 May 2021 -
What on Earth?
Immortal jellyfish: the secret to cheating death
Meet the tiny, gelatinous animal that has found a way to live forever.
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Anthropocene
Will the ocean really be dead in 50 years?
The oceans are facing down three huge threats: overfishing, pollution and climate change.