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Identifying Ocean Animals with FathomVerse

Updated: Aug 7

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Introduction

Diagram showing animal classification hierarchy: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Each level is color-coded.
Figure 1. Classification system from broadest to narrowest. Image credit of Encyclopedia Britannica, in the public domain.

Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms. The domain is the broadest category and species is the narrowest. Classifying organisms within a taxonomic system is essential for understanding biodiversity and studying ecosystems. Scientists communicate biological information that includes finding, understanding, and organizing the biodiversity of Earth through the use of taxonomy. It is also crucial to accurately identify organisms for ecological research, conservation efforts, and biotechnology. Here you will learn to identify organisms in different animal groups using FathomVerse: a mobile game that uses images of animals collected by researchers during scientific expeditions. Expertly labeled images from the FathomNet Database are used in FathomVerse to train players how to correctly identify animals. Once trained, players label images new to science. Once the FathomVerse community has reached consensus on a new label, that data is shared back with FathomNet and used to train the AI and machine learning tools scientists use to process their visual data.


FathomVerse is a mobile game created by a multi-institutional, collaborative team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the Monterey Bay Aquarium, &ranj Serious Games, and more partners. The game offers an interactive community science experience where players engage with real ocean images collected by researchers and robots from around the world. By playing the game, players improve the AI that is being used to discover ocean life.


As science and technology rapidly advance, our ability to collect data far outnumbers our ability to properly process and analyze that data. The goal is to collect images of animals and then label them. The constant exposure to different images of ocean animals familiarizes you with the diversity of ocean animals. The more you play the game, the quicker and more skilled you will become at identifying organisms. 


FathomVerse is part of FathomNet, a research and development program working to accelerate ocean discovery with artificial intelligence. When organisms are identified or “labeled” by placing a box around the organism and linking the name of the organism to the specific box, it helps to train AI algorithms what that organism looks like. This results in a computer program that automatically identifies marine organisms and speeds up the identification process for new video. Additionally, platforms like Tator (CVision AI) utilize previously collected video footage from ROV deep-sea missions and annotations (organismal identification) by marine experts to assist in quantifying organismal abundance, location, and correlating environmental parameters to create analyzable data sets and assist in better understanding marine habitats.  


Pre-Activity Videos

Prior to beginning this lab, it will be helpful for you to become familiar with the FathomVerse gaming platform by watching these videos:


Activity

Play FathomVerse to improve your organism identification skills. You will also learn more about 3 ocean animals of your choosing as a way to familiarize yourself with some animals that live in the deep ocean. You should think about why the animals look the way they do, how the animals might live in a cold, dark habitat, and what adaptations these animals have.  


Getting to Know FathomVerse

  1. Download the FathomVerse from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store 

  2. Open the app and click on the training option (See Figure 2a)

  3. Select one animal from the animal library for your first training mission 

    1. Be sure to read the introduction and animal characteristics of the animal you choose

  4. Click on “dive” to start (See Figure 2b)

    Three screens of a blue-themed app. Figure 2.a: "training" button. Figure 2.b: Dive mission text. Figure 2.c: Underwater scene with progress bar.
    Figure 2. a) View of the "home screen" on FathomVerse app. b) view of screen after selection of oranism and before training dive begins. c) Progress bar highlighted in yellow. The organisms that need to be collected appear as pulsing bubbles.

  5. The focus animal of the mission will appear at the top of the screen but be sure to collect all organisms you come across 

  6. “Collect” an organism (that appears as you move along the track during your dive) by clicking on the white “pulsing bubble” and dragging it to your avatar (See Figure 2c)

    1. Clicking on the icon with an arrow at the bottom of your screen below will increase your speed 

      White arrow in a blue circle with dotted border. Pink and white dots surround it, set against a dark blue background.

  7. When there is an intersection available, arrows will appear. Be sure to tap the arrows to explore all the possible tracks in your training dive.

  8. Progress of identified animals will be shown on the “progress bar” at the top of the screen. Be sure the bar is complete before exiting your dive.

  9. Once the bar is full (See Figure 3) then click the icon on the right. It should read that 25/25 animals have been revealed and collected.

    Icons of a jellyfish, crab, and starfish on a blue background with white placeholders below. A circular arrow on the right.
    Figure 3. Image of a full progress bar on FathomVerse app.

  10.  Next, label the 25 organisms that you collected from your dive as either your selected organism or “none of these.” 

  11.  Contribution Points (CP) are awarded for every animal you collect and identify.  CP allows you to level up and receive awards 

  12.  Once all organisms have been labeled then continue on with your next dive with an added mission animal (See Figure 4)

    Crab on sandy background in app interface. Blue screen with three buttons labeled: jelly, crab, none of these. Heart icon in corner.
    Figure 4. Image of a user who had "jelly" and "crab" as their chosen organisms on FathomVerse app.

  13. Continue to repeat steps 5-11 until all “Training” dives are completed, which will be when you have been “certified” for 3 different mission animals. 

  14. Make sure to take a screenshot of your confirmations that you have completed all training dives.  This screen will have 3 medals on them.


Completing Expedition Dives

Next, you will complete three expedition dives for the 3 animals you certified in (Figure 5). This will look nearly identical to the training dives, with the exception that you can collect 50 organisms instead of 25 and see more difficult images that are not expertly labeled. You will take a screenshot of your selected animals for your expedition (as in Figure 5).

Figure 5. Screen of a user who trained for animal mission in "jelly," "crab," and "sea star" on FathomVerse app.
Figure 5. Screen of a user who trained for animal mission in "jelly," "crab," and "sea star" on FathomVerse app.

Assignment

You will turn in a report that will include the screenshots from your player dashboard (see pictures below).  You can get to your dashboard by visiting the dashboard website linked here. You will need your player ID.  To access this you will tap the settings icon on the top right within the FathomVerse App. Your ID will be in the top left corner. 


You will also include a screenshot of your 3 selected animals for your expedition.  Complete background research on these 3 selected animals, which should include at least two primary literature sources and one reputable outside source (i.e. a museum, academic institution, etc.). Write a report that will be similar to an introduction section of a scientific journal article (for more information, see this lab).  You should properly cite in APA format (or whatever format your instructor requests) both in-text and in a literature cited section.  Your report should be 1,200 to 1,500 words in length, and you should submit your report to the digital dropbox your instructor sets up in the learning management system your institution uses (i.e. Canvas, Brightspace, etc.) 


Dashboard for fathomnaut 37950-A with charts on annotations and discoveries. Blue background, data from May to June 2025.
Unlocked missions display with icons, showing: echinoderm (9 dives), jelly (8 dives), mollusc (7 dives). Blue background, zero scores.
Figure 6: These are examples of your dashboard images that should be included as figures in your report.







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