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Davina

@davinagifford.bsky.social
542 followers 378 following 83 posts

PhD student at Griffith University studying jellyfish ecology. Obsessed with the deep sea, jellies and plankton. Co-mod of @livestreamocean.bsky.social Discord She/Her, autistic, ADHD 🏳️‍🌈 In Meanjin/Brisbane on Turrbal/Jagera land.

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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Very beautiful. Very powerful.
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Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Shrimp drifting into the weekend like "weeeeeee" 2500m #OkeanosExplorer EX2606 dive 5 #MarineLife
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Livestream Oceanographic @livestreamocean.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Okeanos EX2606 dive 5 www.youtube.com/live/qqCqKFX...
youtube.com
Camera 1: 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping Exploration (EX2606)
YouTube video by NOAA Ocean Exploration
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Chris Mah @echinoblog.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
XENOPHYPHORE! giant bottom living amoebas! at about 5135 m eastern basin, American Samoa #okeanos dive 4
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Danna Staaf @dannastaaf.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Cutest whale fall everrr
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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Finally made Denizen of the Deep in @fathomverse.bsky.social slightly embarrassed about how long that took me 😆
Badge from the Fathomverse game with a picture of a black anglerfish and the words Denizen of the Deep
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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
A paper that I am co-author on has been published! My first ever!
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UQ Centre for Biodiversity & Conservation Science @uq-cbcs.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A global team of researchers, including CBCS’s Associate Professor Chris Roelfsema, have created the first complete map of the world’s seagrass for clear shallow water, identifying important areas of seagrass as well as vulnerable regions: cbcs.centre.uq.edu.au/project/firs...
cbcs.centre.uq.edu.au
First complete global seagrass map reveals new opportunities for conservation
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University of Tasmania @utas.edu.au · 07/08/2026
Developed by @imas-utas.bsky.social, the Reef Life Explorer tool will now integrate global, long-term reef monitoring data from over 4,800 sites. Examining ecological trends has never been easier and is now accessible to anyone: utas.au/jX
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Prof Helen Bostock @oceanhelen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Successful first week on the #RVInvestigator in the Sourhern Great Barrier Reef 🪸. Lots of samples and data - great team, and lots of great science. Everyone finally over their sea sickness. 🌊🐋
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Prof Helen Bostock @oceanhelen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Some very curious humpback whales 🐋 spy-hopping to check out the ship while we were coring in the southern Great Barrier Reef 🪸 🌊
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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Last month, I had the honour of receiving the UQ University Medal for Outstanding Scholarship, for my Honours thesis. It was an absolute privilege to work with @oceanhelen.bsky.social and Professor Anthony Richardson, as well as Wayne Rochester from CSIRO.
A woman in a black graduation gown accepts a purple velvet box from a man in black and gold robe
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Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
@schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 943 part 2 #deepwonders #MarineLife www.youtube.com/live/Nycf1Ed...
youtube.com
Site 3C | SOI Divestream 943 - Part 2
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean Institute
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Cephalopods Daily @cephalopodsdaily.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
this is what I look like btw
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Dr Craig R McClain @drcraigmc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Carinaria is a sea snail that swims upside down in the open ocean with a tiny shell perched on its back like a party hat several sizes too small. It's a mostly transparent predator in a party hat, and there is no party. There was never going to be a party. #MolluscMonday #marinelife
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Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
They were just saying today is a 14hr dive so still 6 more to go
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Friends, I've spent the last few months developing an online take-at-your-own-pace certificate on finding jobs in marine conservation through Conservation Careers. It's now available for signups! Save 33% if you book soon! I'm happy to answer any questions! www.conservation-careers.com/marine/
conservation-careers.com
Certificate in Marine Conservation | Conservation Careers
Certificate in Marine Conservation
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Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
REJOICE FOR BEST COMPETITION OF THE YEAR NOMINATE YOUR BUGS www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Nominate your invertebrate of the year
We’re asking people from around the world to nominate their favourite spineless species for our third Invertebrate of the Year competition
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Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Great zooms on this Enteropneusta during @nautiluslive.org dive on 7.1.26 #MarineLife
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Schmidt Ocean Institute @schmidtocean.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
🚨Not one, but two Magnapinna squid! 🚨 the #doldrums team observed 2 elusive Magnapinna sp., commonly known as bigfin squid, at approximately 4,300 m (about 2.7 miles). Magnapinna is the deepest-dwelling squid. Sightings of these animals are extremely rare — seeing two in one dive is extra exciting!
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Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Bathypterois viridensis @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 935 part 2 #deepwonders #MarineLife
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Livestream Oceanographic @livestreamocean.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
@nautiluslive.org starting their dive #MarineLife www.youtube.com/live/F4xfnxO...
youtube.com
Nautilus Live | Channel 1 Stream
YouTube video by EVNautilus
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Dr Craig R McClain @drcraigmc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The metal-rich nodules that deep-sea mining wants to strip off the seafloor also concentrate naturally radioactive material. Disturb them and you mobilize that radioactivity into the food web. #marinelife
oceanographicmagazine.com
Unregulated radioactivity - yet another risk deep-sea mining poses - Oceanographic
A new report on deep-sea mining has exposed the unstudied risk of radioactive contamination in marine food chains.
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Dr. Dawn Wright @deepseadawn.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
First the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), and now Argo! We must continue to FIGHT BACK! 🌊 🦑 ⚒️ 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41... Thank you @alexwitze.bsky.social and cc @scrippsocean.bsky.social
nature.com
US funding uncertainties threaten to sink key global oceanography projects
The United States has led the world in observing the oceans — but cuts and threats of cuts have researchers worried it is no longer a reliable partner.
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MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
The deep sea's most graceful commuter 💫⁠ ⁠ This Grimpoteuthis octopus moves through the water using large fins and webbed arms. Those ear-like fins have earned this group the nickname "dumbo octopuses." They use finger-like cirri lining their arms to help detect and capture small prey.
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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I've started doing cross stitch. Super pleased with how this jellyfish turned out!
A cross stitch of a blue jellyfish on black fabric. The jellyfish is surrounded by green seaweed on the left and red coral on the right.
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Erika Ishii @erikaishii.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Please do it for my best friend Aabria she’s been having contractions for 5 weeks straight and keeps shouting “ONE MORE STRETCH GOAL” 😭
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Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 21/06/2026
Last week's processing was all about the ghost #sharks (#chimera). These are from fisheries bycatch. Love these ancient prototypes that are still rocking it in the deep sea. Their snouts are stitched with a variety of sensors that allow them to detect buried prey.
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UQ Centre for Biodiversity & Conservation Science @uq-cbcs.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Register now for our CBCS 2026 Winter R Workshops @ UQ if you're ready to take your R skills to the next level! Join us to elevate your R proficiency and become a data manipulation and presentation expert! For more: mathmarecol.github.io/RWorkshop/wi... Any questions: cbcs-workshops@uq.edu.au
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Dr swift parrot @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Baby gang-gangs are too much ❤️
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Goblin Sharks Caught on Camera in Their Natural Habitat for the First Time
nautil.us
Goblin Sharks Caught on Camera in Their Natural Habitat for the First Time
Goblin Sharks Caught on Camera in Their Natural Habitat for the First Time: Two of these mysterious sharks were recorded by deep-sea submersibles.
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Coral City Camera @coralcitycamera.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Did you know that all parrotfish are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they start their lives female and transition into males, often changing their coloration and patterning entirely between phases? Life on the coral reef is often non-binary and queer af 💪🌈🌈🌈💪 #coralcitycamera
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Dr. Katy Croff Bell @katycroffbell.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
“This reflects the further lack of understanding that the current administration has of scientific value and scientific merit,” [Craig] McLean said. “By dismantling such a system, we push the United States back yet again into a rear seat in global scientific leadership.”
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Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Meet a very happy batch of our pet juvenile (~2-3 months) upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana). They need to acquire algal photosymbionts to go from sessile polyp to swimming ephyrae in a process called strobilation 🧪🦠🪸🌊🌿🪼🐙🌎
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Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
This deep sea creature is as sharp & clear as broken class, & can grow as long as your hand. This giant amphipod, (Cystisoma) only has two colored body parts: the dense orange stomach/egg pouch, & two MASSIVE eyes, which are a glittering holographic orange layer completely covering its head. 📽️ MBARI
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Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Life hack from a marine biologist: When your blue sea dragons need a little snack, remember that they never evolved to swim, so you have to drive the Portuguese man-o-war around and pick them up like a little bus 🎥 by me during field work :)
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Livestream Oceanographic @livestreamocean.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
##OkeanosExplorer have gone live with shakedown EX2603 #MarineLife www.youtube.com/live/2NqjOcW...
youtube.com
Camera 1: 2026 ROV Shakedown (EX2603)
YouTube video by NOAA Ocean Exploration
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Livestream Oceanographic @livestreamocean.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
@schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 926 part 3 #Doldrums #MarineLife www.youtube.com/live/pkyJjNi...
youtube.com
Newly Discovered Vents on the ITR1 Western Flank | SOI Divestream 926 Part 3
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean Institute
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Coral City Camera @coralcitycamera.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
A rare longnose batfish galumphed its way into the Coral City Camera Catalog of Fishes this morning as a brand new species of fish (Number 220) we’ve never seen before after 6 plus years of observing! 👃🦇🐟 #longnosebatfish #batfish #coralcitycameracatalogoffishes #coralcitycamera #elegantoddball
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MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Last week, a team of MBARI researchers participated in the sixth Marine Imaging Workshop, sharing new technology for observing marine life, including artificial intelligence tools to enable real-time classification of ocean animals. Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbari-r...
mbari.org
MBARI researchers share latest AI tools for ocean imagery analysis at Marine Imaging Workshop • MBARI
Last week, a team of MBARI researchers participated in the sixth Marine Imaging Workshop, sharing new technology for observing marine life, including artificial intelligence tools to enable real-time ...
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MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Let’s hear it for the acorn worms 🙌🏽 Did you know that enteropneusts are more closely related to humans than to worms? As they feed on marine snow, they help recycle nutrients and redistribute carbon across the deep seafloor—playing an important role in ocean ecosystems and the global carbon cycle.
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UQ Centre for Biodiversity & Conservation Science @uq-cbcs.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Register now for our CBCS 2026 Winter R Workshops @ UQ if you're ready to take your R skills to the next level! Join us to elevate your R proficiency and become a data manipulation and presentation expert! For more: mathmarecol.github.io/RWorkshop/wi... Any questions: cbcs-workshops@uq.edu.au
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Elizabeth Beston @elizabethbeston.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Last month I came across this little dude in my plankton sample. I didn’t recognise it at first, and then I saw its scales (elytra). It’s a scale worm larva! Scale worms are bristle worms, but with added accessories. #marineplankton 🦑
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MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Ancient, elusive, and built for the deep, ghost sharks glide above the seafloor using buoyant oily livers and hunt for prey using their keen sense of smell. These razor-sharp survival skills help them thrive in the ocean’s depths. Dive in: youtu.be/0OMHqn5tvTQ?...
youtu.be
Ghost sharks are denizens of the deep with super senses
YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Huge news! I have officially started my PhD! I am at Griffith University on the Gold Coast studying jellyfish ecology. 🪼🪼🪼🪼
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Saimi Hanma ⚔️ サイミ @saimihanma.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Draw NUDIS with me next month!
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Davina @davinagifford.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Submitted my honours thesis today!!! Time for a rest. 😅
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MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
MBARI’s Video Lab has developed the first benchmark dataset for multi-object tracking in deep-sea video. 🤖🌊DeepSeaMOT tests machine learning models in real ocean environments. This publicly available tool will help advance AI for ocean exploration. Learn more: arxiv.org/pdf/2509.03499
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The Saturday Paper @thesaturdaypaper.com.au · 21/09/2025
Kathleen Jennings – whose first novel, 2020’s ‘Flyaway’, won a British Fantasy Award and was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award – imbues her narrative with a gloriously gothic sensibility. 'Honeyeater' is a book of real power and beauty. satpa.pe/Cc4uW0W
satpa.pe
Honeyeater
Toni Morrison once observed that “all water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was”. Morrison was talking about writing, but her thinking was steeped in the fluvial, the tendency of rivers to reassert themselves in the face of human interference. As Morrison said, “ ‘floods’ is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding; it is remembering”.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
I’m giving a (rescheduled until Thursday) free public talk about marine biology, ocean conservation, and sharks! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Why Sharks Matter: The science and law of saving threatened sharks from extinction. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining t...
Sharks are some of the most ecologically important, most threatened, and most misunderstood animals on Earth. Learn all about them with a presentation from marine conservation biologist Dr. David Shif...
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