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Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

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PHOTO Shortfin Mako Shark The shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) is found offshore in tropical and warm temperate waters of all oceans, but has been known to travel to cooler waters at times. It is very strong a...MORE PHOTOS


	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Ray Bradbury and the Sea Today Ray Bradbury died. It might seem strange that I'm writing about Bradbury h...
	IMAGE GALLERY MORE GALLERIES Image Gallery: The Perfect Underwater Photo For nearly 35 years, National Geographic photojournalist Brian Skerry has been i...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Bowl Glazed with Deep Ocean Sediments Massachusetts ceramics artist Joan Lederman glazes her work—including this bowl—...

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					Adélie Penguins Face Off Apr 15, 2013 - 10:25AMThese 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. Krill, a tiny...

Harp Seal, Prince Edward Island National Park, Canada

Apr 3, 2013 - 9:04AM

Harp seals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal...

Grey Reef Shark, West New Britain, Father Reefs, Papua New Guinea

Mar 28, 2013 - 9:45AM

Gray reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are known for being active at...

SPOTLIGHT


Five Questions for Callum Roberts, Author and Professor Callum Roberts is a professor of marine conservation at the University of York in England and an author. His first book,...

The Dumbo Octopus: An Underwater Dance May 11 2011 - 4:10pm This short video takes you two hundred miles off the coast of Oregon and some 6,600 feet below the water's surface to observe the Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis bathynectes). Little is known about this deep-sea creature, but if this footage doesn't inspire a whole cadre of budding teuthologists, we...	X-Ray Image of a Winghead Shark Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am The distinctive form of a winghead shark, Eusphyra blochii, is revealed by an X-ray image. The shark's eyes are spread far apart, giving it superb binocular vision.
Golden Sweepers, Pulau Tulang, Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feb 21 2013 - 10:45am These beautiful pink and yellow shimmering fish (Parapriacanthus ransonneti) live in large groups among corals and in caves where they feed on zooplankton at night.	2011 Student Summit on the Ocean & Coasts Webcast, Part 1 Mar 28 2011 - 2:47pm Recorded Feb. 15, 2011, this video from the Third Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts includes a tribal song written and sung by Suquamish Tribal member Bearon Old Coyote; a welcome to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History by Director Dr. Cristian Samper; a lecture about the "...
Black Skimmer, Nickerson Beach, Long Island, N.Y., USA 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.	Climate Change Education in Coastal Carolina Mar 30 2011 - 1:33pm What is climate change, and how is it affecting coastal Carolina? That is the question that a group teens from Isaac Bear Early College High School set out to answer for their Third National Student Summit on the Ocean & Coasts project.
Getting Under the Ice with Brian Skerry May 25 2012 - 12:14pm Underwater photographer, Brian Skerry, prepares for an icy dive off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan. With all the specialized gear and the large amount of travel necessary to take photos underwater, Skerry says that "being a National Geographic magazine photographer is not unlike being a professional...	"Blue Planet" Music Video Jul 15 2010 - 6:32pm “Blue Planet” is a song on the Oceans Are Talking CD, produced by musician Sam Lardner. Listen to more inspirational songs for kids and adults, including “What Can I Do?” “Humanatee,” and “Pteropods” at Oceans Are Talking. For more about the project, read the Ocean Portal's Q&A with Sam.
Ladies Silurian Atoll from the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Oct 14 2010 - 5:24pm A piece of the Institute For Figuring’s Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef known as the Ladies Silurian Atoll. The HCCR exhibit was on display in the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, from October 16, 2010 through April 24, 2011.	The No-Seafood Grill 2050 Dec 4 2009 - 11:48am What will a restaurant visit be like if our fish supply becomes even more depleted? This public service announcement is a dramatic example of what the "catch of the day" might be if fisheries continue to be exploited. Find out more about the ocean's fisheries and what impacts it has on your...
Dancing for the Oceans May 25 2012 - 12:15pm If you were choreographing a dance about the ocean, how would you do it? Would you dart around like a lobster in a hurry? Dive like a dolphin? Float like a jellyfish?	Five Questions for Musician Sam Lardner Jul 15 2010 - 6:50pm Wherever you live—and whatever your age or walk of life—there is something you can do to help the ocean, a way for you to Find Your Blue. For musician Sam Lardner, that has meant composing and producing “Blue Planet” and 13 other songs on his new CD, “Oceans Are Talking.”
Giant Pacific Manta Ray, Revillagigedos Islands, Mexico Dec 23 2010 - 2:52pm “Manta rays sometimes approach divers; an up-close encounter with such a huge, peaceful animal is unforgettable!” -- Nature's Best photographer, Deborah Smrekar. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest.	Gyotaku Fish Prints Jul 18 2011 - 12:11pm Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese art that began as a way for fisherman to keep a record of the fish they caught. The fisherman would apply sumi ink to one side of a freshly caught fish, then cover the fish with rice paper and rub to create an exact image of the fish. The ink was non-...
When Art Meets Science: Exhibition Inspired by Bioluminescence Aug 25 2011 - 12:45pm Artist Shih Chieh Huang spent a good part of 2007 exploring specimens of deep-ocean animals found in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History. He was a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow and was investigating the unusual evolutionary adaptations that allow these creatures to live...	Gentoo Penguin Mother and Chick Jul 24 2012 - 9:47pm A gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) mother stands with her chick in Antarctica. When walking on land, gentoo penguins waddle with their long tails dragging behind them; but in the water, they are the fastest penguins of them all, reaching swimming speeds of 36 kilometers per hour (around 22 miles...