Up-close image of a translucent krill.

Plankton

Forams are tiny single-celled organisms.

The World of Foraminifera

Take a closer look at a few members of this fascinating life form in this slideshow.

Read More

Featured Content

Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.
see all lesson plans see plankton lesson plans

Plankton Articles

On Biodiversity: Understanding its Meaning and Importance

Nine small invertebrates held on two fingers.

Thirty Days to Submission: How I Made a Video for Ocean180

The Amazon River carries all the rainwater that lands in the Amazon rainforest, covering some 2.1 million square miles, into the ocean. And with it, it carries vital nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon.

Ángeles Alvariño: Woman of Many Namesakes

An arrow-worm from the genus Spadella. Alvariño discovered and classified the species Spadella gaetanoi in 1978.

With Every Breath You Take, Thank the Ocean

Kelps are large, brown algae that grow along coasts around the world, especially in cooler regions.

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

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