Photography Related Content

Feb 6 2012 - 6:48pm
The elongated body, characteristic long and narrow snout, and small teeth make the slender snipe eel, Nemichthys scolopaceus, easily identifiable in this X-ray image. in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History use X-ray images, like the one shown, to study the...
Dec 23 2010 - 3:05pm
“Leatherback turtles are critically endangered, and this young hatchling is a symbol of hope for their future.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Jason Bradley. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest.
Oct 31 2012 - 4:34pm
May 25 2012 - 1:37pm
Brian Skerry warily stares down his photography equipment on board the vessel Nai'a on an expedition to the Phoenix Islands. Read about the patience it takes as a traveling photographer and the work that goes into preparing for expeditions like the one pictured here. 
Mar 27 2013 - 9:30am
There are over 30 colonies of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) on South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. The penguins capture their prey, typically lanternfish, by diving at speeds of 12 miles per hour.
Jul 13 2012 - 9:11am
The veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus), also known as the coconut octopus, has a skill beyond other cephalopods: it hides under animal and coconut shell, which it drags along the seafloor for protection. This is one of the few examples -- if not the only example -- of tool use in...
May 25 2012 - 11:40am
Photographer Brian Skerry hikes through a mangrove in Bimini (The Bahamas) to scout locations to photograph baby sharks. Learn more about Brian's life in the field. 
May 14 2013 - 9:19am
An X-ray image of a Monterey skate (Raja montereyensis) reveals a spine that extends like a tail out from the pelvic fin. The skeletons of skates, rays, chimaeras, and sharks are made of cartilage, rather than bone. Scientists in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of...
Jun 29 2012 - 8:42pm
A Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) poses in the waters off Acadia National Park in Maine. Grey seals live on both coasts of the Northern Atlantic, with breeding colonies in Great Britain, Ireland, and down the eastern coast of North America from Canada down to New Jersey. They used to be hunted in...
Jun 6 2012 - 1:29pm
I have been to this location many times, but no other photo has come out like this one composed with the sun behind a turtle’s head.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Pedro Carrillo. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest.
Dec 23 2010 - 2:59pm
“I visited the beach at sunrise after high tide and found this skimmer feeding, providing me with this reflected shot.” -- Nature's Best photographer, James A. Galletto. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest.
Dec 5 2012 - 11:09am
An X-ray image of grooved razorfish, Centriscus scutatus. Razorfish are encased in thin, transparent bony plates attached to their spines, which you can see in the X-ray.
Tridacna maxima
Nov 9 2010 - 12:54pm
Marine World Heritage is a prestigious list of 43 marine ecosystems and biodiversity treasures from across the globe, including  countries such as Australia, Iceland, Russia, South Africa, the Phillippines, United States, and Yemen. Together, they can be considered the “Crown Jewels of our...
X-ray of a white-rimmed stingray
Dec 17 2009 - 7:00pm
Scientists in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History use X-ray imaging to study the complex bone structure and diversity of fish. This image gallery showcases X-ray images of sharks and their relatives and bony fish; revealing how...
Dec 3 2012 - 6:02pm
easel.ly
Jan 11 2013 - 10:40am
“I slowly approached this bird resting on the back of a turtle just under the surface of the water. I got the shot just before the tern flew away.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Nuno Sá. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo...
Dec 23 2010 - 4:16pm
“The largest land migration of any animal on Earth, as many as 120 million crabs carpet the island in red as they move from the rain forest to the coast.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Stephen Belcher. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean...
Apr 15 2013 - 10:25am
These cute Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are actually having a bit of a spat. In the spring (October for them), the penguins form breeding colonies on rocky coasts with thousands of birds in a group.
Jun 21 2011 - 12:52pm
“A tern colony resides here for the better part of the summer, raising their young and preparing for their migration south. In August, the birds often become very busy at dusk as they retrieve fish from the ocean to satisfy the hunger of their rapidly growing chicks." -- Nature's Best photographer...
Dec 23 2010 - 2:14pm
“At night, spotted dolphins move offshore into the Gulf Stream’s deep waters in search of squid.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Andrew Sallmon. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest.
Apr 3 2013 - 9:04am
Harp seals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Although they are not considered endangered, as sea ice melting earlier and earlier each year, available harp seal breeding grounds are being lost in the North Atlantic and Arctic. 
Dec 7 2009 - 11:09pm
This red octopod (Stauroteuthis syrtensis) shines in a novel way. Suckers stretching in a single row down each arm flash on and off. The glowing-sucker octopod drifts through deep waters off the eastern United States—down to 2,500 meters (8,200 feet)—and grows up to 50 cm (18 inches) long.
Jun 21 2011 - 12:22pm
“As an underwater nature photographer, I struggled for a new way to bring back visions of fish and fauna. Soon I discovered that taking water out of the picture, rendering it invisible while it is still evident that it surrounds the subject, is a powerful vehicle for driving the viewer's full...
Feb 7 2012 - 12:32pm
The clearly pictured spines, rays and snout make identifying this longnose butterflyfish, Forcipiger longirostris, straightforward in this X-ray image. Scientists in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History use X-ray images, like the...