![L.K. Ward SCUBA diving in blue water](/sites/default/files/styles/01_contributor_image/public/Flickr_-_JennyHuang_-_wreck_0.jpeg.webp?itok=6ssfkuHu)
L.K. Ward
L.K. Ward is a former science writer for the Ocean Portal and a graduate of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California. Currently an Earth Science Video Producer for NASA, L.K. worked as a science writer chronicling National Geographic scientific and exploratory expeditions around the world prior to joining the Smithsonian team. If L.K. had to choose a favorite animal, it would be Tylosaurus - because who doesn’t love giant prehistoric ocean dinosaurs.
![A close-up image of deep-sea fish Argyropelecus aculeatus](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Argyropelecus_aculeatus%2C_Image_No1%2C_DP02-16AUG15-MOC19-B080N-026-N3%2C_LRM_.jpg.webp?itok=0_F7p7ib)
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15 Creatures in the Gulf of Mexico that are Stranger Than Fiction
![A great white shark in the waters of the coast of Guadelupe, Mexico.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/GennaroGWShark_0.jpg.webp?itok=Kl642whE)
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How Realistic is the Shark Science in "The Shallows"?
![An orange sunset over the ocean.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/25691336465_982637ea03_o.jpg.webp?itok=DxagcAfa)
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What’s the Ocean Worth...in Dollars?
![Chevrolet's Mako Shark A Chevrolet Mako Corvette](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/1966_Chevrolet_Ad-Mako_shark_II.jpg.webp?itok=2E8Lyzn4)
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These Sleek, Sexy Cars Were All Inspired by Fish
![A close up profile of an adult anglerfish female from the Linophryne family collected in the northern region of the Gulf of Mexico. © 2016 DEEPEND/ Dante Fenolio](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/DP04-07AUG16-MOC10-SW4D-060-N2-Linophryne_sp%2C_Adult_female%2C_Image_No5%2C_LR-M.jpg.webp?itok=k14OugUu)
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Meet the Tiny Bacteria That Give Anglerfishes Their Spooky Glow
![A lionfish dish is laid out and ready to eat.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/10-2_3.jpg.webp?itok=AIoGEtHr)
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Swap Your Turkey for a “Turkeyfish” This Thanksgiving
![A Ship-Wary Beaked Whale A beaked whale at the ocean's surface](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/gervaisbeakedwhale_sefsc.jpg.webp?itok=XKX-ejao)
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Seeing with Sound: Acoustic monitoring of beaked whales
![Although in reality an ichthyosaur and plesiosaur would have likely never battled, this widely shared lithograph by artist, geologist and paleontologist Henry De la Beche even inspired author Jules Verne to pen a similar scene in his book, Journey to the C](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/DG001578_tif.jpg.webp?itok=J1jjMhMZ)
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Unearthing History: Mary Anning's Hunt for Prehistoric Ocean Giants
![A Gulf Shrimp Boat A shrimp boat fishes in the Gulf of Mexico](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/DftG_Shrimp_Boat_2.jpg.webp?itok=DQyyVact)
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Live Stream Event: Dispatches From the Gulf
![These schools of colorful reef fish call Raja Ampat, the global centre of fish diversity, home.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Cape_Kri_Raja_Ampat_%283%29.jpg.webp?itok=ugRyIKT0)
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Nature’s Secret Weapon Against Climate Change
![Illustration of a real oarfish vs the Pokémon counterpart.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2024-01/Giant-oarfish_2c-John-Norris-Wood_2c-Purnell_27s-Encyclopedia-of-Animal-Life.jpg.webp?itok=hi0BmglD)
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Our Favorite Water Pokémon and Their Real-Life Doppelgängers
![An underwater photo of sharks](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/SLI6665_web.jpg.webp?itok=xGRrb3qf)
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Why Are We So Afraid of Sharks? It Could Be the Background Music
![Colorful corals are disappearing in the Great Barrier Reef.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/coral-great-barrier-reef.jpeg.webp?itok=PXWQqd_0)
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