Books, Film & The Arts

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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...

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,...
Blue Shark
Sep 29 2011 - 1:39pm
A blue shark swims through waters off the coast of New England in this image captured by National Geographic photojournalist Brian Skerry. A red-colored female copepod (Echthrogaleus coleoptratus) has hitched a ride on the shark's dorsal fin.  The two long, red tails on the copepod are her...
dinoflagellates
Dinoflagellates: One Species at a Time
Jun 8 2010 - 8:33pm
Ari Daniel Shapiro is joined for this episode of The Podcast of Life by science contributor Josh Kurz, who tells the story of dinoflagellates through "music from the bottom of the food chain." There are "billions of these microscopic creatures in every bucket of the salty sea," Kurz reveals. Learn...
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.
Sea Monster Attack
Jun 6 2012 - 2:17pm
A sea monster attacks a ship in an illustration for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. The illustration is by publisher and artist Pierre-Jules Hetzel, who is most famous for his drawings in Verne's books. This terrifying monster looks a lot like an octopus or squid, which do little harm...
A Gathering of Seabirds and Seals
Mar 18 2011 - 2:25pm
A menageries of seabirds (including cormorants and pelicans) and seal gather on a rocky outcrop. The photo is a still from The Changing Sea, part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival, which was held in Washington, DC in 2011. See more pictures from the festival's movies.
Your Ode to the Big Blue
Apr 6 2011 - 10:53am
April is National Poetry Month here in the United States. We'd like you to help us celebrate by penning a poem in the comment field below or on our Facebook page.  Not the next Walt Whitman? Fear not.   
a photograph of a bioluminescent squid at Sunset Reef Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Ocean Views from Nature's Best Photos
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...
Ocean Acidification in the Puget Sound
Ocean Acidification in the Puget Sound
Feb 14 2011 - 4:13pm
Scientists predict that ocean acidification will impact communities around the world. One of them is the Suquamish Nation, an American Indian tribe on the Puget Sound, in the Pacific Northwest. Students from the Suquamish Tribal Early College High School produced this video to raise awareness about...
Ocean Views 2012 Contest Winners
Feb 12 2013 - 11:10am
  From Nature's Best Photography Explore the winning photos from the 2012 Nature's Best Photography Ocean Views contest! You can also see the winners from 2011 and 2010.
Pearl and Hermes Atoll Coral
Apr 6 2011 - 3:18pm
A rainbow of tropical fish hovers over a coral head near the Pearl and Hermes Atoll, part of the Papahānaumokuākea World Heritage Site.  
Face to Face with a Tiger Shark
May 25 2012 - 1:09pm
What would you do if you came face to face with a shark? Brian Skerry lives for these moments and is ready with his camera. Here he is seen photographing a large tiger shark on the seafloor near the Bahamas. Read more about Life in the Field with Brian Skerry. 
'Ocean' in Korean Calligraphy
May 9 2011 - 10:10am
"The ocean is essential to all," reads a sign written in Korean by calligrapher Myoung-Won Kwon, a resident of Maryland. The artist showcased his craft for visitors at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History during a May 2011 event in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month...
The Bright Beneath, a 2011 Installation by Shih Chieh Huang
Aug 25 2011 - 4:41pm
Artist Shih Chieh Huang creates work using plastic bags, household objects, computer cooling fans, LED lights, and other assorted materials.
Shortfin Mako Shark
Jan 7 2013 - 10:06am
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 and the fastest known species of shark. These qualities make the shortfin mako a prized catch among...
X-Ray Image of a Longnose Butterflyfish
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...
Myoung-Won Kwon
May 9 2011 - 10:00am
Calligrapher Myoung-Won Kwon's pen name is Mook Jae. He poses here with a work that has an ocean-themed message. Kwon moved to the United States from South Korea in 1986. While he's a master of his craft, he calls calligraphy his hobby. During the day, he and his wife run a store in Gaithersburg,...