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A rendering of an underwater marine scene from the Proterozoic Eon, featuring a creature that resembles a jellyfish and other organisms.
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Ediacaran Community, Proterozoic Eon (2,500 - 542 Million Years Ago)

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What is coral? The answer is coral is an animal. This cutaway diagram of a coral polyp shows the location of its photosynthetic algae, or zooxanthellae, which coral needs to survive.
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What Is Coral? A Coral Polyp and Zooxanthellae

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Phoenix’s entanglement badly injured her right lip, leaving a distinctive scar from that ordeal.
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Beware of Fishing Gear

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This family tree shows how the ancestors of whales moved gradually from land to sea.
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The Whale Family Tree

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Hundreds to thousands of tiny crustaceans live on each right whale, eating algae that settles on their skin.
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Whale Lice

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Close-up of a 17th century painting shows how whales were brought ashore for processing and their blubber rendered into marketable oil.
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Basque Whalers

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In December 2003, researchers spot Phoenix off the coast of Florida with her second calf.
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Phoenix and Second Calf

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In 1996, at age nine, Phoenix has her first calf (North Atlantic right whale #2605) off the southeast coast of Florida.
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Phoenix and First Calf

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January 14, 1987: Phoenix is first spotted as she swims with her mother, Stumpy, off the coast of Georgia.
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Phoenix’s First Sighting

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Phoenix’s mother, Stumpy (number 1004), was killed in a collision with a ship near Virginia in February 2004. She was pregnant with her sixth known calf.
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When Ships Strike

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An illustration of the megalodon shark.
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Ancient Giant Megatooth Shark

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A size comparison chart of a variety of squid species.
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What is the Largest Squid? A Squid Size Diversity Chart

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