Explore by topic
Choose a topic, then a subject. dis-MOI gradually presents the available questions.
Species
Habitats
Diet
Behaviours
Ecology
One question is enough to begin
dis-MOI: ask questions about Mediterranean marine biodiversity
Why does an octopus change colour? Where does the dusky grouper live? What is the role of Posidonia?
With dis-MOI, a question becomes the starting point for exploring the Mediterranean.
I ask → I search → I understand → I explore.
A different way to search
Simply start with what you want to know
Dive.Explo360 brings together knowledge about species, habitats, behaviour and the functioning of Mediterranean ecosystems.
But when a question comes to mind, where do you look?
With dis-MOI, you do not need to know a species’ scientific name or which section to search in.
I ask
→
I search
→
I understand
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I explore
Choose how you want to search
dis-MOI lets you start with what you already know, or simply with whatever sparks your curiosity.
Ask your question
Simply type what you want to know.
Why do fish live in shoals?Search the site
Find a species, a dive, an article or other content on Dive.Explo360.
A direct search across the site’s resources.
Try it
What are you curious about?
Click a question to open dis-MOI directly.
A few answers to get started
The answers below reproduce the content consulted by dis-MOI at the adult level. Click a question to open it in dis-MOI and choose another reading level.
Why does an octopus change colour?
Rapid colour changes rely in particular on chromatophores, coloured cells in the octopus’s skin. These expandable pigment sacs are opened or contracted by muscles, changing the visible colour almost instantly. This contributes to camouflage and can also reflect different behavioural situations.
What is the role of Posidonia?
Posidonia forms meadows that provide shelter, breeding grounds and living areas for many fish and invertebrates. It therefore contributes to the biodiversity of Mediterranean coastal seabeds.
Why do fish live in shoals?
In a shoal, several fish can detect danger and trigger a collective escape. The many moving individuals can also make it harder for a predator to select its prey. This protection reduces some risks without eliminating them.
How do fish see underwater?
Yes, fish can see underwater: their eyes perceive the light reflected by objects and other organisms. Their vision depends on lighting, depth and water clarity.
Where does the red bandfish live?
The red bandfish mainly inhabits soft sandy and muddy seabeds. It has been recorded at depths of 15 to 400 metres and lives in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, among other areas.
It builds a vertical burrow in the sediment as a refuge. However, it does not remain there permanently: it can emerge and rise above the seabed. This explains why it may sometimes be seen swimming in open water while remaining closely connected to its habitat.
What does the dusky grouper eat?
The dusky grouper catches crustaceans, fish and cephalopods such as octopuses. Its diet varies with its size: juveniles mainly eat small crustaceans.
A knowledge base
The answers are not invented
dis-MOI does not freely generate an answer to each question.
It searches a structured collection of documents dedicated to Mediterranean marine biodiversity.
The knowledge therefore remains consistent with Dive.Explo360’s other content: species profiles, articles, dives, habitats and learning paths.
The question changes. The knowledge base stays the same.
The same question, four reading levels
Anyone can wonder why a cuttlefish changes colour. But the explanation is different for an eight-year-old, a fourteen-year-old and an adult.
6–10 years
Simple sentences and concrete vocabulary to understand the essentials.
11–14 years
The first scientific terms are introduced and explained.
15–17 years
Biological and ecological mechanisms are explored in greater detail.
Adults (18+)
An accessible, detailed explanation for a general audience.
The subject stays the same. What changes is the depth of the explanation.
From one question to the next
Curiosity builds the path
One question often leads to another.
A very simple question can gradually lead to an understanding of the relationships between species, their behaviour and their environment.
A question is not an end. It can open a path.
Why does an octopus change colour?
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Camouflage
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Chromatophores
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Underwater vision
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Predators and prey
Understand the words of marine biodiversity
These definitions reproduce the text from dis-MOI’s verified adult-level corpus. Select a word to open it in dis-MOI at your reading level.
- Chromatophore
- A chromatophore is a pigmented structure in the skin. In cuttlefish and octopuses, it can expand or contract very quickly, making a colour appear or disappear. Thousands of chromatophores can therefore create different patterns on the body.
- Rhizome
- A ‘rhizome’ is a stem that usually grows horizontally and bears roots and new shoots. Posidonia rhizomes spread through the seabed. To remember it, picture a branch lying beneath the sand from which the plant grows again.
- Epiphyte
- An ‘epiphyte’ is an organism attached to a living plant without necessarily being a parasite. Small algae can grow on Posidonia leaves. To remember it, picture a tiny tenant on an underwater leaf.
- Benthic
- ‘Benthic’ describes what lives on the seabed or in close association with it. A sea cucumber moving across the sand is benthic. To remember it, picture the inhabitants of the sea floor.
- Filter feeder
- A ‘filter feeder’ is an organism that removes food particles from the water. A sponge passes water through its body to collect particles. To remember it, picture a living sieve that catches tiny food items.
Discover who they are
How can you recognise the common dentex? Where does the greater amberjack live? What does the swallowtail seaperch eat? How does the red bandfish reproduce?
A species can be discovered through its appearance, habitat, diet, behaviour, reproduction or ecological role.
Explore the profilesGo well beyond species
How does the swim bladder work? Why do fish live in shoals? What is a coralligenous habitat? Why are Posidonia meadows important?
Observing an organism gradually leads to an understanding of how the marine environment works.
Learn more in the articlesFrom questions to exploration
dis-MOI is connected to the rest of Dive.Explo360. A question can lead to a species, its habitat, an article or a learning path.
QUESTION
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ANSWER
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SPECIES
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HABITAT
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ARTICLE
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LEARNING PATH
The same knowledge can be discovered in different ways.
For curious minds of all kinds
You do not need to know what to look for
I discover
I follow the topics and questions that spark my curiosity.
I dive
I find a species I have observed or prepare for my next dive.
I teach
A question can become the starting point for an activity or a discussion.
I share knowledge
Educators can adapt explanations to their audience’s level.
Understanding dis-MOI
What is dis-MOI?
dis-MOI is a tool for searching and exploring Dive.Explo360’s knowledge of Mediterranean marine biodiversity.
Does dis-MOI use artificial intelligence to invent its answers?
No. dis-MOI searches for its answers in a structured collection of documents.
What topics can you search for?
Species, habitats, diet, reproduction, behaviour, anatomy, senses, ecological roles and the functioning of underwater environments.
Who is dis-MOI for?
Answers are available at four reading levels: ages 6–10, 11–14, 15–17 and adults.
A question can be the start of an exploration.
Observation sparks questions. An answer brings new ones to mind.
With dis-MOI, curiosity becomes a way to explore and understand the Mediterranean.