Books, Film & The Arts

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH

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...
Apr 3, 2013 - 9:04AM
Harp seals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal...
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,...
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?
Feb 6 2012 - 6:58pm
The robust oval, spine covered body of a long-spined porcupine fish, Diodon holocanthus, is revealed 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 one shown, to study the complex...
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...
National Ocean Science Bowl winning video
Jul 6 2010 - 2:35pm
From discovering new marine life to exploring the wreck of the Titanic, ROV’s and other technology are helping us get a closer look at the more than two thirds of our planet that are underwater. Find out how in Ocean Exploration: The Future--the winning video from the 2010 National Ocean Sciences...
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...
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...
a photograph of a bioluminescent squid at Sunset Reef Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Dec 23 2010 - 1:40pm
The winners of the 2010 Nature's Best Photography Ocean Views Contest are a stunning sample of marine wildlife and ocean vistas from around the globe. The 2011 contest is open to photographers of all levels through January 5, 2011, and winners will be published in the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of...
Dec 23 2010 - 3:32pm
“As I set up for a sunset shot—one last, solitary surfer exited the water and I quickly fired a few frames trying to capture the serenity of the moment.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Karen Doody. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views...
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.
Oct 12 2011 - 11:24am
What does a bioluminescent creature that lives more than 2 miles below the surface of the ocean and a glow stick have in common? More than you think. Bioluminescence is the process by which living organisms produce their own light. Using a photographic technique called light painting, you can do...
Sep 29 2011 - 1:53pm
Three bar jacks and a female tiger shark, nearly 4-meters long, swim off the coast of the Bahamas in this image captured by National Geographic photojournalist Brian Skerry. 
Jun 5 2012 - 10:15am
This four-foot long fish sculpture was created by art students at A.W. Cox Elementary School in Guilford, CT. The purpose of the Rakefish Project is to raise awareness of marine litter among elementary school children as it travels to schools throughout the United States - from Washington, D.C. to...
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...
Smithsonian Ocean  Our Water  Our World
Dec 14 2009 - 7:00pm
With striking imagery from her book Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World, Deborah Cramer makes a powerful case for a basic truth about the ocean: we need the sea, and now the sea needs us.
Jun 18 2012 - 1:37pm
As an underwater photographer, time in the field is the most valuable thing I can be given. With time, I can usually overcome challenges and the problems that occur. Time also allows me to learn firsthand about the place in which I am working, what happens at different times of day and how animals...
Brian Skerry prepares to dive in icy waters.
May 29 2012 - 1:19pm
Brian Skerry, an award winning photographer for National Geographic, explores the underwater world searching for the perfect photo. But getting that photo is never easy. Read more from Brian about the perfect underwater photo and other adventures in the field on his blog.