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Meet Your Champion

The green algae (Micromonas) is a eukaryotic, photosynthetic microorganism widely distributed in marine ecosystems around the globe, even in arctic waters. At under 2 micrometers in diameter, it’s considered a picoeukaryote.

Blink and you'll miss the members of this division. The little skate (L. erinacea) buries itself under the sandy substrate with only its eyes protruding, relying on its mottled sand-colored camouflage to stay hidden.��MBLscientists use skates and their embryos to study skeletal development. The common cuttlefish (S. officinalis) can produce many appearances thanks to special color-changing organs in their skin called chromatophores. Chromatophores act as pixels across the cuttlefish’s body, changing their size to alter the pattern and color on the animal’s skin.

Meet the camouflage crusaders!

Little Skate�� (Leucoraja erinacea)
Common Cuttlefish�� (Sepia officinalis)

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The two members of this division get by with a little help from their friends. Like almost all corals, northern star coral (A. poculata) houses symbiotic microorganisms called zooxanthellae inside its body. In return for this protection, these tiny creatures provide the coral with nutrients. To avoid being eaten, Hummingbird bobtail squid (E. berryi) have a symbiotic relationship with Vibrio fischeri, a species of bioluminescent bacteria, which provides camouflage so Euprymna are not silhouetted by the moon at night when the animals are most active.

Meet the super-powered symbionts!

Hummingbird Bobtail Squid�� (Euprymna berryi)
Northern Star Coral�� (Astrangia poculata)