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Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

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PHOTO Fish Using Counterillumination The fish at left stands out against the lighter waters above. At right the same fish—now with bioluminescent structures on its underside lit—blends in. Many deep sea creatures have evolved t...MORE PHOTOS


	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Anemonefish in their Host Anemone Two bright orange anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) poke their heads between an...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Uncovering Biodiversity Before It Disappears Editor's Note: See more information and details about the organisms displayed in...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Cardinalfish Dad with a Mouthful of Eggs Cardinalfish (Cheilodipterus sp.) dads do their part to protect their eggs by gi...

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					Scaly Dragonfish May 8, 2013 - 9:26AMThe long barbel on the chin of this dragonfish (Stomias boa) has a glowing tip that may attract prey. With its large mouth and sharp, curved teeth, the fish makes quick work of any prey that venture too close. Scaly dragonfish...

Seven New Fish Discovered

Apr 25, 2013 - 8:06AM

Starksia blennies, small fish with elongated bodies, generally native to...

A School of Hawaiian Squirrelfish

Apr 10, 2013 - 9:03AM

Check out the eyes on these Hawaiian squirrelfish (Sargocentron...

SPOTLIGHT


The Big Five of the Ocean: Exploring the Waters of East Africa A whale shark swims with a diver off the coast of Southern Mozambique. Photo: Caine Delacy. When we think "Africa," we think...

Parrotfish in Mucus Cocoon Dec 14 2012 - 10:15am A parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) creates a mucus cocoon to protect it from parasites, like bloodsucking isopods, while it sleeps. Read more from the Citizens at Sea blog.	Cut of Atlantic Salmon Dec 21 2010 - 1:31am A beautiful cut of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a popular species among seafood lovers that is in severe decline. Check out our guest blog post by Oceana's Emily Fisher on the explosion of salmon farming in Chile, and learn more about making smart seafood choices in our Sustainable Seafood...
Sea Toad Specimen from Caribbean Aug 10 2012 - 5:54pm A year in the waiting! During the summer of 2011, DROP researchers almost caught a sea toad off of Curaçao. However, when the sub crew tried to collect the sea toad with the sub's suction tube, the fish inflated itself with water becoming too large for the tube. The skilled crew maneuvered the...	Orange Roughy and Bycatch Jul 27 2011 - 3:44pm Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) is a deep ocean fish that grows and matures at a sluggish rate compared to most shallow water fish. They don't reproduce until they are at least 20 years old and can reportedly live to well past 100 years. In the last few decades fisherman have expanded their...
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...	A World Adrift: Life in the Sargassum May 18 2012 - 4:43pm Smithsonian Marine Science Network Postdoctoral Fellow, Seabird McKeon, returns from the Smithsonian field site in Belize. Together with Dan Barshis of Stanford University, Seabird reports on the seemingly invisible inhabitants of drifting sargassum seaweeds. As with many parts of the ocean, a ball...
Tapetail Oct 23 2010 - 5:37pm This fish’s tail looks like a long streamer. It lives near the ocean’s surface and grows only up to 45 mm (1.7 in) long. Find out how this fish was part of an international scientific mystery.	Bioluminescent Animals Photo Gallery Aug 18 2011 - 4:24pm Bioluminescence is one of the more captivating adaptations that have evolved in marine animals. It's the ability of organisms to create and emit light. Dive underwater and you may witness lightshows of red, green, and blue. Chemical reactions release energy that produces the light. Many species use...
Celebrating Marine Moms May 11 2012 - 2:12pm This Mother's Day we honor moms everywhere. Whether with gills, fins, flippers, claws, tentacles or arms, we appreciate all you do for us. Here is a Happy Mother's Day salute to devoted moms above the waves and below. To learn more about ocean moms check out our blog post on marine menopausal...	X-Ray Image of a Long-Spined Porcupine Fish Feb 6 2012 - 6:58pm The robust oval, spine covered body of a long-spined porcupine fish, Diodon holocanthus, is revealed 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 one shown, to study the complex...
Adolf’s Eelpout Jan 6 2011 - 4:34pm Scientists are excited when they discover an animal where they had never seen it before. This eelpout fish, Lycodes adolfi, was seen on the Pacific side of the Arctic in 2009. Previously, scientists had thought it was only found on the Atlantic side.	Spotfin Lionfish Nov 22 2012 - 11:28am The spotfin lionfish (Pterois antennata), with venomous spines extended, is native to Indo-Pacific reefs, but has invaded reefs in Florida, the Caribbean and is moving up the Atlantic coast. It probably escaped from an aquarium. Lionfish are aggressive predators and threaten local species. It is...
Seafood for Thought Nov 18 2010 - 4:49pm Sunday, November 21 marks World Fisheries Day, an annual occasion observed in many fishing communities around the world. It’s a great opportunity—even for those of us who do not fish for a living—to pause and reflect on the importance of maintaining healthy fisheries.	Candy Basslet Jul 25 2012 - 10:16am A candy basslet (Liopropoma carmabi) was just one of the specimens Smithsonian scientists collected from the deep reefs of Curaçao, in the southern Caribbean. To study biodiversity far below the water's surface, the researchers use a five-person submersible.
Arctic Ocean Diversity Sep 4 2012 - 1:31pm The ArcOD project brought together existing information about the diversity of Arctic ecosystems, collected new samples to fill in gaps of knowledge and looked for species and community changes over time in the region. Determining a baseline of information about the Arctic is especially important...	Hawaii’s Maro Coral Reef Sep 28 2012 - 10:35am This bluefin trevally is lucky to call Hawaii’s Maro Coral Reef, part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, its home. Maro is the largest reef in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands and just one of the many marine ecosystems protected in the 140,000 square miles of...