Ocean Life & Ecosystems

From the tiny to the titanic, from the familiar to the undiscovered, the ocean offers a stunning diversity of marine life and nearly every kind of habitat imaginable. Dive in and explore them here.

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Earth Day, Spawned from the Sea

Apr 22, 2013 - 10:29AMSometimes I think that our planet Earth, named for the Old English word for “dry land” (eorthe), should get a new name. Despite our knowledge that more than 70% of the planet’s surface is ocean—definitely not “dry land”—we still...
Mar 12, 2013 - 2:40PM
With 1,400 named species of ribbon worms inhabiting every ecosystem on earth...
Feb 11, 2013 - 1:53PM
It is a well-known fact that for animals living in the deep sea, food can be...

SPOTLIGHT

Sea Creatures from the Deep: A Video by National Geographic and the Census of Marine Life

The Census of Marine Life - a ten-year effort by scientists from around the world to answer the age-old...
Sea Creatures from the Deep  A Video by National Geographic and the Census of Marine Life
MORE OCEAN LIFE & ECOSYSTEMS

AUDIO / VIDEO

  • Emergency response teams rush to the aid of North Atlantic right whales that become entangled in fish gear.

    Whale Rescue

  • <p>Extracting DNA from fins helps scientists identify a shark's species and where it was born--information that is critical to conservation efforts.</p>

    Shark Fin Genetics

  • <p>In this video excerpt, Dr. Clyde Roper—squid expert-- explains how he developed a passionate interest in the giant squid, fueled by his early beginnings as a lobster fisherman off the coast of New Hampshire.</p>

    Clyde Roper: Squid Hunter - Eyeball to Eyeball

  • <p>Watch a Discovery video on Smithsonian squid expert Clyde Roper’s search for giant squid in Kaikoura Canyon off the coast of New Zealand.</p>

    Quest for the Giant Squid

  • Dr. Stefan Huggenberger from the University of Cologne gives a presentation about sound production in sperm whales this his presentation, "Moby Dick's Boom Box: Nasal Complex of Sperm Whales."

    Moby Dick's Boom Box: Sound Production in Sperm Whales

  • <p>Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's Dr. Chris Reddy studies the biological impacts of oil on a Massachusett's salt marsh that was inundated with oil after a spill in 1969.</p>

    Oil and Water Don't Mix, Even After 40 Years

  • <p>Scientists on the tiny island of Moorea are gathering one of every life form large enough to pick up with tweezers in a quest to build a detailed catalog of the entire ecosystem.</p>

    The Moorea Biocode Project

  • Tube worms called riftia occupy a deep-sea vent

    Riftia Worms: One Species at a Time

  • <p>Scientists journey to the isolated island of Moorea on a quest to catalog every life form big enough to pick up with tweezers.</p>

    Welcome to the Moorea Biocode Project

  • <p>The Census of Marine Life, a decade-long effort to catalog life in the sea, was completed in October 2010. Census researchers released the most comprehensive inventory of ocean species to date.</p>

    Census of Marine Life Video Release

  • sea cucumber

    Sea Cucumber: One Species at a Time

  • <p>Shark nets on South African coastlines have a devastating effect on sea life.</p>

    Protecting Sharks: How Nets Hurt

  • a bowhead whale and her calf, seen from above

    Bowhead Whale: One Species at a Time

  • Arctic scientists study a range of marine animals – from large, like polar bears, to microscopic, like phytoplankton.

    Arctic Scientists at Work

IMAGE GALLERIES

  • an orange sea star clinging to rocks in the ocean, documented by Census of Marine Life scientists

    Census of Marine Life: Wild and Wonderful Creatures

  • An oceanic whitetip shark swims near a biologist in the Bahamas.

    Image Gallery: Swimming with Sharks

  • Photos, such as this cockatoo squid, illustrate the diversity of deep sea creatures

    Deep Ocean Diversity

  • a photograph of a bioluminescent squid at Sunset Reef Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

    Ocean Views from Nature's Best Photos

  • A Right Whales Shows Its Baleen

    Baleen: From Whales to People

  • A Hawaiian monk seal

    Backbone of Biodiversity at Risk

  • A healthy coral reef in Indonesia

    Two Views of Coral Reefs: Thriving and Threatened

  • An underwater photo of a school of jacks and a scuba diver

    Ocean Views Award Winners, 2011

  • Zooxanthellae

  • The Baltic Sea faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species.

    Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea

  • Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Corals

  • Shark Ancestors

  • X-ray of a white-rimmed stingray

    X-Rays of Fish Reveal Diversity

  • This swimming snail is transparent and has shiny black eyes.

    Zooplankton Biodiversity

PHOTOS

  • Diving in Guam

  • Dead Great White Shark

  • Ichthyologist

  • Squid Babies

  • Right Whale Baleen

  • Galapagos Tortoise

  • Cardinalfish Dad with a Mouthful of Eggs

  • Snapping Shrimp Queen with Eggs

  • Baleen Close Up

  • Scorpion in a Mangrove

  • Juvenile plane-head filefish

  • Sharks caught in nets

  • X-Ray Image of a Longnose Butterflyfish

  • Listening for Bowhead Whales