Each night, millions of deep-sea animals migrate from the ocean’s twilight zone to the surface to feed under cover of darkness. Using underwater robots equipped with sonar, MBARI researchers found that smaller animals begin their ascent earlier than larger ones, and that predators like Risso’s dolphins can significantly delay squid migrations — revealing that deep-sea vertical migration is driven by complex predator-prey dynamics involving both visual and non-visual hunting strategies.
Posted: July 24, 2026