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.

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

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...

The Search for an Elusive Ribbon Worm
Mar 12, 2013 - 2:40PM
With 1,400 named species of ribbon worms inhabiting every ecosystem on earth...

How Coastal Seagrass Feeds the Deep
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