Coral Sand Under a Microscope

Coral sand is aptly named: it's sand made up of tiny bits of coral and other ocean animals such as foraminifera, molluscs, and crustaceans. This picture -- at 100x magnification -- took 18th place in Nikon's 2012 Small World contest, which celebrates scientific photos taken under the microscope. It was taken by Dr. David Maitland, a zoologist and photographer from Feltwell, United Kingdom. Learn more about sand and the life that lives between the grains.