Ocean Wonders: Disease in the Depths

The ocean is rife with bacteria, viruses, and pathogens. And though the vast majority of these microbes wouldn’t harm a scale on a fish’s side, some are known to cause everything from the common cold to cancer in those living below the waves. Dive into this episode to uncover what illnesses swirl in the soupy seas, and how oceanic animals survive a myriad of marine maladies.
Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Ocean Wonders:
- What kinds of pathogens live in the ocean and where do they come from?
- What effects do they have on animals that live in the ocean?
- What role do these microbes play in marine ecosystems?
- How are humans impacting ocean diseases?
- How do marine animals fight off illness?
- Bacterium, virus, parasite, fungus, pathogen, STD, California sea lion, fish, oyster, bottlenose dolphin, sea lice, salmon, cancer, sea star, sea star wasting disease, urchin, whale
This episode is part of our series Ocean Wonders, where we dive beneath the waves to explore the mysteries of life underwater-everything from how sleep and the sense of smell work in the murky depths of the ocean to how animals build homes, survive sickness, and grow to some of the oldest, ripest ages on Earth.
Created by the Hakai Institute
Executive produced and written by Meigan Henry
Edited and narrated by Kristina Blanchflower
Videography by Grant Callegari, Tavish Campbell, Markus Thompson, and Bennett Whitnell
Additional footage provided by Storyblocks, Adobe Stock, Dr. Walter Jahn, and Wild Fish
Illustrations by Mercedes Minck
This publication is endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a Decade Activity. Use of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development logo by a non-UN entity does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations of such entity, its products or services, or of its planned activities. For more information please access: forum.oceandec...

[@iancanuckistan2244]

I'm always surprised that you're not at 100K subscribers.

[@WireMosasaur]

bit odd to show spinner dolphins every time you talked about bottlenose dolphins lol- still super interesting vid though!

[@user-wv4ug2eo2t]

Coulda done a better job with the sea lice section. The zooplanktor you show and subsequently allude is the sea lice on salmon (Leps or Caligus spp.) is NOT the species you show @ 3:00.