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.

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West Indian Manatee Portrait

May 17, 2013 - 9:24AMWest Indian Manatees, Trichechus manatus, are found in warm, shallow coastal ecosystems along the southeastern North America and northeastern South America. They graze plants in mangrove ecosystems and seagrass beds, occasionally...

Searching for Crustaceans in the Deep Sea
May 16, 2013 - 9:04AM
In this video Smithsonian research zoologist Dr. Martha Nizinski takes...

Colorful Caribbean Crustaceans
May 15, 2013 - 8:12AM
Discovering new species is an exciting quest, right? Well, some parts are—...
Anemonefish in their Host Anemone
Jul 9 2012 - 9:33am
Two bright orange anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) poke their heads between anemone tentacles. Anemonefish are able to swim amongst the stinging tentacles without getting stung -- but no one knows exactly sure how. One dominant theory explains that they have a protective slime coating their...
What is the Largest Squid? A Squid Size Diversity Chart
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Squids come in a wide range of sizes, from smaller-than-your-thumb to the enormous giant squid. Giant squid grow up to 16 meters (50 feet). Learn more the life, range, and ecology of the giant squid in the Giant Squid section.
What is the Largest Whale? A Cetacea Size Comparison Chart.
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
How do right whales size up? North Atlantic Right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are big, but they're not the biggest whales. That distinction goes to the Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal on Earth. While the Orca, or Killer whale size of up to 31 feet make it the largest dolphin.
Isopod Engorged With Blood
Nov 19 2012 - 10:49am
Isopods (small, shrimp-like animals) like this one (Gnathia aureusmaculosa) are the mosquitoes of the sea, sucking the blood of fish while they sleep. Find out more in "No Fouling Around" from the Citizens of the Sea blog series.
Red Tree Coral
Jun 7 2011 - 12:45pm
Tree corals like this Calyptrophora bayer can grow several meters high and resemble brightly colored trees. This deep-sea coral was found 1,683 m (5,522 ft) deep on the Davidson Seamount. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.
Phragmites australis
Mar 31 2011 - 3:53pm
An invasive strain of the plant Phragmites australis dominates this Chesapeake Bay wetland. The plant can easily grow up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall and alter coastal ecosystems. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are trying to figure out the biological mechanisms driving...
Kelp off the California Coast
Aug 31 2012 - 4:40pm
Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is large, brown algae that grows in dense forests along coasts around the world. Their long stalks anchor each plant to the seafloor, and they grow meters high like giant trees towards the surface. Kelp forest ecosystems are home to a variety of animals, including...
Moray Waits for a Meal
Dec 19 2011 - 2:53pm
A yellow moray eel, Gymnothorax prasinus, inside of a sea sponge in the waters off of Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand. Photographer Brian Skerry takes an artistic eye to his underwater photography, such as the blurred yellow illuminating the otherwise well-hidden eel. In his book Ocean Soul, he...
What is the Largest Squid? A Squid Size Comparison Chart
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Squids come in a wide range of sizes but despite differences in size and shape, all work basically the same way inside. More about the giant squid can be found in the Giant Squid section.
Giant Squid Myth
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
A giant squid attacks a boat - something that has not been known to happen in real life. For centuries, rare glimpses of this huge sea creature led to fantastic explanations for what people's astonished eyes saw - or thought they saw. More about the giant squid can be found in our Giant Squid...
Gold Coral Close-up
Jul 27 2011 - 11:09am
This close-up photograph of gold coral (Gerardia sp.) was taken at the Cross Seamount in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 400 m (1,312 ft).
The Baltic Sea faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species.
Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea
Oct 12 2011 - 4:56pm
In the spring of 2011, a research crew from Oceana spent two months in the brackish Baltic Sea. The Baltic faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species. Oceana researchers gathered data, samples, photographs, and videos with the goal of proposing an...
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...
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 deep ocean exploration can be found in our Deep Ocean Exploration featured story.
Mantis Shrimp Carries Eggs
May 20 2012 - 1:03pm
A mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) holds her clutch of eggs in her clubbed claws. Usually these claws are weapons that punch hard-shelled prey at speeds of more than 50 miles an hour.
Coral Reef Watch Satellite
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
A Coral Reef Watch satellite monitors the temperature of the world’s oceans. When ocean waters get too hot, corals release the microscopic algae that provide them with color and, more importantly, food. Without the algae, the corals turn white—or bleach—and may die. More about coral reef ecosystems...