Vida Oceánica | Smithsonian Ocean

Translucent jellyfish in the ocean

A photo of a squid using bioluminescence to hide in the deep sea.

Bioluminescence Overview

For some ocean creatures, creating light is a matter of life and death. Learn about how light is used in the ocean.

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Featured Content

Two octopuses sitting underwater highlight the different textures the animals can take on.

Overview (es)

Octopuses and Squids

Two Adélie penguins on Paulet Island, Antarctica

Overview (es)

Penguins

Corals, sponges, and algae are the major components of most coral reef communities as shown in this picture.

Overview (es)

Corals and Coral Reefs

Chrysaora melanaster is a jellyfish found in the Arctic.

Overview (es)

Jellyfish and Comb Jellies

Great hammerhead in Bimini, Bahamas.

Overview (es)

Sharks

Vida Oceánica Articles

An 'austral' or southern breeder, Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) migrate from breeding islands far to the south in the Atlantic before traveling to the Northern Atlantic to feed.

Slideshow

Migratory Seabirds: A Slideshow

a heart in a petri dish

Video

Dispatches from the Gulf: Centers of Innovation

two brittle stars in a tank

Artículo

Brittle Star Splits

A photo of a sea toad specimen.

Artículo

A Sub and a Sea Toad

Cartoon t-shirts with got plankton.

Artículo

The Cloud Factories that Live in the Sea

Phoenix swimming with her calf.

Artículo

Scientists Use Bioacoustics to Protect Marine Mammals

A close-up image of deep-sea fish Argyropelecus aculeatus

Artículo

15 Creatures in the Gulf of Mexico that are Stranger Than Fiction

A spiraled diatom with spines.

Slideshow

The Ocean Under the Microscope: Images from Nikon Small World

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) live in the warm coastal waters of tropical and subtropical oceans. Adults sometimes eat sponges, salps (floating jelly-like animals), and jellyfish, but they feed mostly on plants, like seagrass and algae. The pigment f

Slideshow

Meet the Seven Sea Turtle Species

a squid

Artículo

Meet the Only Squid that Willfully Lops off its Arms

An assortment of microbe illustrations seen by Leeuwenhoek under the microscope.

Timeline

Milestones In Marine Microbiology

This 1874 illustration of California gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) shows a group of individuals at the edge of their modern day range in the North Pacific Ocean, blocked from traveling further east into Arctic waters by thick ice barriers.

Artículo

In the Arctic, the Times, They Are a-Changin: You Can Pitch in to Understand How