Ocean Over Time

Life began in the ocean around 3.5 billion years ago and as evolution progressed, many species went extinct -- and some left behind fossils -- as others appeared. And even now, the ocean hasn't stopped changing as evolution continues and humans leave their mark.

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Whale fossils on the mainland, and into a CT scanner

May 21, 2012 - 1:23PMAfter a few long days of hard work on the island, we were finally able to excavate and remove, not just one, but two skeletons of an early "toothed" baleen whale from the rocks near the Carmanah Lighthouse. All told, it took...

Dispatches from the Field: Treacherous s...
May 11, 2012 - 9:58AM
Editor's note: Read Nick's first blog post about "toothed" baleen whales to...

Excavating a "toothed" baleen...
May 7, 2012 - 3:34PM
The whales that we see in today's world can broadly be split into two groups...

SPOTLIGHT

Did Whale Evolution Go Backwards?

Whales swim, but their ancestors walked. Whales are mammals (like us) whose ancestors lived on land. Life probably began in...
MORE OCEAN OVER TIME

AUDIO / VIDEO

  • <p>In this video marine ecologist Stuart Sandin, of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, explains why the structure of coral reefs matters and how human activity can impact it.</p>

    Visit the Line Islands with Reef Ecologist Dr. Stuart Sandin
  • A time-lapse video of the excavation of an extinct toothed whale on a Panamanian beach.

    Excavating an Extinct Toothed Whale
  • Take a dive in a submersible to find deep-sea corals with scientist Brendan Roark.

    Submersible Collects Deep-Sea Corals
  • See an animation showing over time, the receding of summer sea ice in the Arctic.

    Receding Ice Cover
  • <p>A video of the Palauan primitive cave eel (<em>Protanguilla palau</em>) swimming in the Pacific off the Republic of Palau. A Japanese research diver first discovered the new genus and species in a Palauan reef cave in 2009. The eel has an independent evolutionary history that dates back some <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-over-time">200 million years</a></strong>, helping it earn it the 'living fossil' label. Scientists published the first full description of the animal in the August 17, 2011 online issue of the<em> <strong><a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2011.1289">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a></strong></em>.</p>

    Video of the Palauan primitive cave eel (Protanguilla palau)
  • A photo of the cliffs at Mistaken Point, in Newfoundland

    Ediacaran Fossils: One Species at a Time
  • <p>The ocean is not as natural as it once was. Where there used to be large predators that we took for sea monsters, now there are tiny fish and jellyfish. But there are a few untouched places left in the ocean, remote oases of life where sharks are the kings of the underwater world. These last wild places can show us what we have lost, but also help us understand how the ocean works and how to preserve it.&nbsp;</p><p>To celebrate World Ocean Day, <strong><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/explorers/enric-sala.html">National Geographic Ocean Fellow Enric Sala</a></strong> takes us on a virtual expedition of the biologically-rich waters of Chile, Costa Rica, and Kiribati.&nbsp;Sala is a marine ecologist who dedicates his career to restoring ocean health. A former professor at <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-collaborators/scripps">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</a></strong>, his work includes exploration, research, <strong><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/08/death-and-the-sea-world-ocean-day-2011">communication</a></strong>, and policy.</p><p>This webcast was recorded at the <strong><a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/">Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History</a></strong> on June 9, 2011.&nbsp;</p>

    The Last Wild Places In the Ocean Webcast
  • <p>A video emphasizing that ocean fish aren’t as big as they used to be.</p>

    Really Small Fry: Shifting Baselines in Marine Fish Stocks
  • <p>Brian Huber studies tiny fossil organisms to learn about climate change.</p>

    Smithsonian Paleobiologist Brian Huber
  • <p>Dr. Karen Bice studies the <a href="http://ocean.si.edu/slideshow/forams/#http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/Xx467/photos/Amphistegina-Hallock_92_1-full.jpg">foraminifera</a> in ocean sediment.</p>

    Foraminifera on the Seafloor
  • <p>Whales have existed for million of years. Watch this animation, from the <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/about/about-sant-ocean-hall">Sant Ocean Hall</a></strong>, to see how they evolved from land-dwellers to the animals we know today.</p>

    Evolution of Whales Animation
  • <p>Dr. Jan Backman studies geological samples that are rich in data to reveal clues to events that had an effect on climate change.</p>

    Dr. Jan Backman, Marine Geologist
  • Dr. Jeremy Jackson presents his 'Brave New Ocean' talk at the National Museum of Natural History as part of the Changing Tides lecture series on World Ocean Day, 2010.

    Changing Tides - Brave New Ocean

IMAGE GALLERIES

  • The Ocean Throughout Geologic Time, An Image Gallery

  • Foraminifera

  • Rudist Reefs

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

    Deep Ocean Diversity

  • Shark Ancestors

PHOTOS

  • Fossils Get a CT Scan

  • Carbonate Reef (Cretaceous Period: 145 - 65 Million Years Ago)

  • Preparing a Fossil Whale Specimen

  • Dislodging the Fossil

  • Whales Returned to the Sea

  • Exploring Chile's Marine Fossil Record in the Atacama Desert

  • An Ancient Whale Skeleton, Unexcavated

  • Early Whale with Webbed Feet

  • Multispecies Communities of Seacows

  • Smithsonian Scientists Describe a New Fossil Whale

  • Cambrian Period (542 – 488 Million Years Ago)

  • Megalodon Teeth

  • Ediacaran Community, Proterozoic Eon (2,500 - 542 Million Years Ago)

  • Recliner Rudists