Best North Atlantic

The green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) is a cold-water marine echinoderm native to the coastal environments of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Characterized by its greenish test and protective spines, the species inhabits rocky subtidal zones where it grazes on algae and kel...

Stauroteuthis syrtensis is a deep-sea cirrate octopus found in the North Atlantic, where it inhabits dark waters far below the surface. Structures associated with its suckers have developed into photophores that produce blue-green light, an unusual adaptation among octopuses. The light may help attr...

Smoo Cave is a large sea cave and geological formation located near the village of Durness in Sutherland, Scotland. The cave features a unique combination of marine and freshwater erosion, characterized by a massive tidal sea entrance and a collapsed sinkhole in its main chamber. Inside, the Smoo Bu...

The hooded seal is a true seal belonging to the Phocidae family found in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions. It’s notable for the large inflatable red bladder present in adult males, utilized during elaborate mating rituals on sea ice. These seals are particularly vulnerable due to population dec...

The Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus glacialis) is a distinct seal species found in the North Atlantic. It differs from the Pacific walrus through its smaller stature and paler skin. Primarily inhabiting coastal waters off northeastern Canada and Greenland, this subspecies faces challenges due to...

The gray seal is a true seal belonging to the Phocidae family. It’s a large marine mammal inhabiting the North Atlantic coastline. Gray seals are notable for their distinctive facial structure and significant size, making them a subject of study for biologists and researchers interested in marine ma...

*Palmaria palmata*, commonly known as dulse, is a type of edible red algae belonging to the Rhodophyta group. It grows abundantly along the North Atlantic coastlines offering a significant source of protein, iodine, and other minerals. Primarily harvested by coastal communities, it’s suitable for in...

Akvariet i Bergen showcases North Atlantic marine life within a historic building dating back to 1960. It was formerly recognized as Northern Europe’s largest public aquarium offering visitors an opportunity to observe and learn about this unique ecosystem. The aquarium is primarily for educational...

*Chondrus crispus*, widely known as Irish moss, is a species of red algae that grows abundantly along the rocky coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is heavily harvested for its rich concentration of carrageenan, a gelatinous polysaccharide that serves as a highly effective thickening and...

The Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus, is a robust oceanic dolphin native to temperate and subarctic parts of the North Atlantic. It is identified by a dark back, pale underside, conspicuous white flank patch, and a yellow or tan blaze near the rear of the body. The species is soci...

The western Atlantic harbor seal is a marine mammal recognized as a subspecies of the common harbor seal. Its range extends across the North Atlantic, spanning from the Canadian Arctic down to the eastern seaboard of the United States. As true seals, they are highly adapted to coastal environments w...

The Boreoatlantic armhook squid is a species of gonatid squid widely distributed across the subarctic and Arctic waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Reaching a maximum mantle length of approximately 30 to 35 centimeters, it is among the most abundant cephalopods in its range. The species serves as a vital...

Sigurd Stefánsson was a late 16th-century Icelandic teacher notable for creating the Skálholt Map, an important early cartographic depiction of the North Atlantic region.

The Atlantic bobtail squid is a small marine cephalopod belonging to the family Sepiolidae, found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. This benthic species inhabits shallow coastal waters, where it buries itself in sand or mud during the day. It is well known for its mutuali...

"Osmundea pinnatifida" is a species of small red algae commonly found on the lower rocky shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the currently accepted taxonomic name for the seaweed historically known as "Laurencia pinnatifida." In culinary traditions, particularly in the British Isles and Atlant...

The Atlantic puffin is a small auk that breeds on rocky islands and coastal cliffs around the North Atlantic. It has black upperparts, white underparts, and a deep triangular bill that develops bright orange, yellow, and blue-gray coloring during the breeding season. Atlantic puffins use their wings...

Dried dulse flakes are made from Palmaria palmata, an edible red seaweed native to cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Dulse has a savory, mildly salty flavor and has long been eaten in places including Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, and Atlantic Canada. In flake form it can be sprinkl...

The northern shortfin squid is a species of squid found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Newfoundland to Florida. It is a highly migratory and short-lived species, typically surviving for less than a year. As a commercially important marine resource, it is harvested extensively by inter...

The white-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris, is a robust oceanic dolphin of cold and temperate waters in the North Atlantic. It has a short, often pale beak, a strongly curved dorsal fin, and a complex gray, black, and white body pattern, although coloration varies among individuals. The sp...

*Laurencia pinnatifida*, frequently reclassified as *Osmundea pinnatifida* and commonly known as pepper dulse, is a species of edible red alga found in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean regions. It grows attached to rocks in coastal intertidal zones. Historically foraged in Scotland and other coa...

The European flying squid (Todarodes sagittatus) is a large ommastrephid squid found across the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Adults reach mantle lengths of approximately 75 cm, placing it among the larger commercially significant squid species in the region. Like other members of Omma...

Saccharina latissima, widely known as sugar kelp, is a large brown marine alga naturally distributed across the cold coastal waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The seaweed is identifiable by its single long, undivided, yellow-brown frond that features distinctive crinkled ruffles along...

The veined squid (Loligo forbesi) is a large species of coastal squid belonging to the family Loliginidae, native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its geographic range extends from the coasts of Norway and the British Isles down to the western coast of Africa. It is distingui...

MacKinnon's Cave is a large tidal sea cave located on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is recognized as one of the deepest and most extensive coastal caverns in Scotland, stretching roughly 500 feet into the cliffside. The interior contains a natural rock formation known as the pu...

Asparagopsis armata is a red alga (Rhodophyta) native to Australia and the Southern Hemisphere that became established as an invasive species along European Atlantic coastlines by the early 20th century and is now widely naturalized there. It is commonly known as 'harpoon weed' due to the barbed, ho...

Trawler is a 2003 nonfiction book by Redmond O'Hanlon documenting a winter voyage aboard a deep-sea commercial fishing trawler in the North Atlantic. The travelogue recounts O'Hanlon's experiences with the crew of a Dutch trawler as they work dangerous conditions, offering detailed observations of c...

A deep-sea octopus native to the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, inhabiting soft sediment floors at depths typically ranging from 200 to over 2,000 meters.

Himanthalia elongata is an edible brown alga commonly known as sea spaghetti, found along the northeastern Atlantic coasts of Europe. The species produces distinctive long, strap-like reproductive fronds that can extend well over a meter in length from a small button-like base attached to rock. It i...

One of the oldest known true seals, this extinct phocid from the Miocene epoch is recognized from fossils found at the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland.