Coasts

NIWA scientists have found a new active fault in Wellington Harbour after analysing data from a recent marine survey.

Brachiopods might look like a mollusc, but they are actually more closely related to bryozoans (lace corals).

You might occasionally come across this long-spined beauty, the spiny murex or Poirieria zelandica, washed up at the beach, arguably one of our most impressive shells

When we for the first time surveyed the Admiralty and Scott Island seamounts to the north of the Ross Sea in 2008, we encountered striking meadows of stalked crinoids at around 600 m depth.

The Government’s latest National Science Challenge announced today represents the single biggest investment in ocean-related research for New Zealand.

While the world’s crustacean experts gather in Frankfurt for the 8th International Crustacean Congress (including three of our own NIWA scientists), we of course have to celebrate a crustacean.

Most octopus species live on or close to the bottom, but there are exceptions.

Continuing our series ‘the face behind the name’, this week’s critter takes a closer look at the prominent 19th century naturalist Theodore Lyman III and the species Ophiomusium lymani.

We guess we would look grumpy too if our common name was ‘wrinkled swimming crab’.

Who doesn’t want to have a species named after them? It’s usually one of the ultimate acknowledgements and the taxonomist describing the species can honour colleagues who have made a particular contribution to a field of science or have provided support for their work.

This delicate little gorgonian coral was collected from around 1300 metres depth from the Louisville seamount chain east of New Zealand.

If this is looking familiar, you may have read the NIWA press release or one of the many news sites that featured the exciting discovery of this living fossil.