Media Gallery: Photos A-Z

  • The fringed baleen plates are easy to observe as this North Atlantic right whale skims the water’s surface while it feeds.

    Baleen in Action
    Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
    The fringed baleen plates are easy to observe as this North Atlantic right whale skims the water’s surface while it feeds. Many baleen whales suck in as much water was possible, and then push it out...
  • Large container ships at port, discharging ballast water in the Port of Oakland

    Ballast Water in the Port of Oakland
    Jul 27 2011 - 1:09pm
    When people sail the sea, marine organisms tag along. If carried long distances, these hitchhikers can invade and disrupt ecosystems far from their natural homes, pushing out the local species. Some...
  • This 200-year-old bamboo coral colony is growing on the Davidson Seamount. The skeleton has bamboo-like segments.

    Bamboo Coral
    Jun 7 2011 - 12:57pm
    This 200-year-old bamboo coral colony is growing on the Davidson Seamount off the coast of California. The skeleton of this deep-sea coral has bamboo-like segments. See more pictures of coral in our...
  • <p>The Banc d'Arguin National Park site in Mauritania was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1989. Fringing the Atlantic coast, the park comprises sand dunes, coastal swamps, small islands, and shallow coastal waters. A wide variety of migrating birds spend the winter, while several species of sea turtle and dolphin, used by fishermen to locate shoals of fish, can also be found here.</p>

    Banc d'Arguin National Park, Mauritania
    Nov 4 2010 - 3:32pm
    The Banc d'Arguin National Park site in Mauritania was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1989. Fringing the Atlantic coast, the park comprises sand dunes, coastal swamps, small islands, and...
  • Close-up of a 17th century painting shows how whales were brought ashore for processing and their blubber rendered into marketable oil.

    Basque Whalers
    Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
    Close-up of a 17th century painting shows how whales were brought ashore for processing and their blubber rendered into marketable oil. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale...
  • An adult giant squid battles its only known predator - a sperm whale.

    Battle with a Sperm Whale
    Oct 11 2012 - 9:46am
    An adult giant squid struggles for survival in an encounter with a sperm whale - its only known predator. The whale will probably overpower and eat the squid. More about the giant squid can be found...
  • When it comes to many of our once-favorite seafoods, there aren't always plenty more fish in the sea. In fact, some studies estimate that up to 90 percent of large predatory fish have disappeared since humans began heavy fishing.

    Be a Picky Eater
    Apr 22 2013 - 9:43am
    When it comes to many of our once-favorite seafoods, there aren't always plenty more fish in the sea. In fact, some studies estimate that up to 90 percent of large predatory fish (those that eat...
  • <p>The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System site in Belize was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. The site is an outstanding natural system, consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, and several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons, and estuaries. The system's seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and are a significant habitat for threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees, and the American marine crocodile.</p>

    Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
    Nov 4 2010 - 11:49am
    The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System site in Belize was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. The site is an outstanding natural system, consisting of the largest barrier reef in the...
  • Phoenix’s entanglement badly injured her right lip, leaving a distinctive scar from that ordeal.

    Beware of Fishing Gear
    Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
    There were fewer than 450 North Atlantic right whales in 2006. Yet it has been illegal to hunt them since 1935. Why haven’t populations increased? Traits that made right whales easy to hunt make them...
  • Big Red Deep Sea Jellyfish

    Big Red Jellyfish
    Aug 18 2010 - 4:44pm
    Marine biologists from MBARI nicknamed this startlingly large jellyfish—which grows over one meter (three feet) in diameter—"big red." It would be hard to miss, except that it lives at depths of 650...
  • An underwater photo of a school of jacks and a scuba diver

    Bigeye Jacks and Diver Balicasag, Philippines
    Aug 27 2012 - 11:52am
    "I was photographing this beautiful school of jacks when a diver slowly approached from beneath. I shifted my position to capture the moment he entered the ball of fish. Seconds later, he was...
  • A Smithsonian specimen helped identify a new family of deep sea squid with long spindly legs.

    Bigfin Squid
    Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
    A specimen from the Smithsonian’s squid collection and videos of a mystery squid helped scientists identify a new family of deep sea squid—the Magnapinnidae, known as the bigfin squids. More about...