The Alien World of Deep Sea Molluscs

Sink in with this Coral Triangle documentary, the richest marine ecosystem on Earth, and explore the extraordinary reefs of Raja Ampat and the surrounding seas. From freaky frogfish and strange crabs hiding among coral to manta rays, whale sharks, blue whales, clownfish, sea snakes, and masters of camouflage like octopuses, this relaxing ocean documentary follows life across one of the most biodiverse underwater worlds on the planet. Drift through coral reefs alive with colour, mimicry, camouflage, hunting and survival. Enter deep reef caves where venomous sea snakes search for prey, watch reef creatures disappear into their surroundings, and encounter giants of the open ocean moving through the same tropical waters. With calming narration, underwater ambience, natural history and marine biology, this film is made for relaxation, sleep, study, focus, meditation, ASMR, or simply getting lost in the beauty of the ocean. If you love wildlife documentaries and relaxing nature films, marine life, coral reefs, ocean animals, underwater nature, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, and strange sea creatures, this is for you: an immersive journey into one of the wildest and most remarkable

The process of chemosynthesis is similar to photosynthesis. Both can be defined as the creation of organic matter from the fixation of inorganic carbon using energy. But what differs is the source of that energy. In parts of the deep sea, primary production is fuelled by chemical energy, rather than energy from the sun. But this can only take place at certain sea-floor environments where the required chemicals are released into the water. The two main examples of such environments are hydrothermal vents, and cold seeps. The former were only discovered in 1977 when scientists were exploring an oceanic spreading ridge near the Galapagos Islands. What they discovered was a hidden world that revolutionised our understanding of how and where life on Earth can exist. Since then, hundreds more vent field have been discovered, often at depths of 2km or more, along Earth’s convergent plate boundaries and at sea-floor spreading regions where the oceanic crust is moving apart. Written, Narrated and Edited by Leo Richards Vent Animation custom made by Fabio Albertelli and Jakub Misiek I do not own any

The deep sea is rife with competition and conflict. Deep sea biodiversity relies on the scattered organisms interacting in order to survive, whether they’re working together in symbiosis, scavenging, being predated, or parasitising a host animal. But there is one ecological interaction that does more than any other to influence organisms to change and diversify, and thus plays an important role in the success of deep sea communities. The limited resources mean only a small number of niches can exist. Thus, there is greater competition between different species trying to fill the same niches. This explains why the deep sea has so much competition, for animals must share the ecosystem with other competing species all trying to consume the same limited resources. Footage used belongs to the incredible marine conservation societies of Schmidt Ocean Institute (who are absolutely brilliant and you should check out their full-length ROV dives on the original video platform), MBARI, WHOI and the Ocean Exploration Institute, along with various other the original video platform sources. Music Used: Home by Jorge Mendez Amnesia by Jorge Mendez Away

In the deep ocean, life is concentrated at chemosynthetic oases where primary production is made possible via chemosynthesis at cold seeps and deep sea hydrothermal vents. The non-chemosynthetic regions of the deep are divided into two very different worlds. First is the midwater, where pelagic wanderers tread migratory routes that span entire oceans, and planktonic drifters and their predators take part in bioluminescent light shows. It is separated into zones based on depth, including the sunlight zone (epipelagic), twilight zone (mesopelagic), midnight zone (bathypelagic), abyssal and hadal zones. And below, lies the deep sea floor. A kingdom of mud and ooze, where sessile creatures cling to any solid outcrop and corals craft kingdoms on the seamount crusts. The worlds of the deep sea could not be more different, and yet their stories are fundamentally intertwined. In this episode, we delve into the Twilight Zone. Episodes: 1 - The Twilight Zone 2 - The Midnight Zone - coming soon 3 - The Abyssal Plain - coming soon 4 - Seamounts and Canyons - coming soon 5 - Hydrothermal Vents - coming

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is home to the worlds third largest coral barrier reef, and is home to all kinds of diverse species of flora and fauna. To take pressure off the reef and allow for regeneration, the retired Military ship Vandenberg was deliberately sunk in 2009 which has since given divers and marine life a new space to inhabit. However, one of its new inhabitants is the invasive worm snail, the Vandy. Could this non-native species spread past the ship and to other coral reefs?

The degradation of food-falls at the bottom of the ocean can create partially chemosynthetic environments. In the case of sunken whale carcasses (whale falls), the supply of organic material supports an ecological succession of communities. But perhaps less well-documented than the scavengers at whale-falls are the creatures that rely on wood instead. When trees become uprooted by storms or ships capsize at sea, losing their buoyancy as the pressure of the ocean forces out any air trapped within, bits of wood sink to the ocean floor where they create fleeting oases of life (wood falls), including shipwrecks, like that of the Titanic. The scarcity of food in parts of the deep ocean creates an environment where very little goes to waste. The animal and microbial life that dwells down here has become resourceful, able to make the most of even unexpected resources. So it comes as no surprise that the deep ocean hosts complex biological communities adapted to thrive on this sunken wood. Written, Narrated and Edited by Leo Richards I do not own any of the footage. I write