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Chuniphyes are siphonophores—colonial organisms in the same phylum as jellyfish, working together to survive.

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Ultimate Teamwork

March 2016

Known as “viperfish”, these cryptic fish use their giant teeth to prey on other fish and can grow to be 2 feet long (24 inches).

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Midnight Hunter

March 2016

The view from Fira, Santorini's capital city on the Aegean Sea, includes an active volcanic island formed by the same volcano that formed the Santorini islands.

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Santorini Island View from Fira

May 2015

"This shot was taken during a dusk dive in Southern Leyte in the Philippines. I ended the dive with an amazing sunset," wrote Paul Cowell of his winning image.

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Surfacing into a Sunset

May 2015

Plastic does not biodegrade; it photodegrades, which means that sunlight breaks it down into smaller and smaller pieces. These bits of plastic and plankton were collected during a 3:00 am manta net tow, and are just a sample of the plankton-like plastic pi

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Plastic Bits from the Gyre

July 2015

Dr. Maya Yamato and colleague John Ososky dissect the head of a deceased stranded fin whale in the Chesapeake Bay to examine soft tissue associated with the ears. In 2015, Yamato’s team of researchers from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural H

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Learning From A Stranded Fin Whale

March 2015

Corals Get Covered: The Gulf oil spill was different from many big oil spills in history because oil spewed from a well in the deep sea instead of leaking onto the ocean's surface. GoMRI scientists have found that oil remains in the deep to this day—and

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Corals Get Covered

February 2015

An underwater blizzard of oil, marine microbes, "sea snot", and algae.

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A Dirty Blizzard In the Gulf of Mexico

January 2015

Marsh Erosion Sped Up: One of the worst places for oil to end up after a spill is in marshes, where it can kill grass and cause erosion. But how much damage does it do, how far inland does it reach, and how long does the damage last? Pictured here is oiled

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Marsh Erosion After An Oil Spill

January 2015

A comic from illustrator Karen Romano Young.

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Antarctic Log 2.1

March 2018

An unidentified earplug from the National Museum of Natural History collection.

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Whale Earwax

January 2016

Red Pigfish and Blue Mao-Mao school at the edge of a cavern in New Zealand's Poor Knights Islands. Read photographer Brian Skerry's story behind this photo.

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Protected Pigfish and Mao-Mao School

February 2018