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Ancient sea cow vertebra found in the Gatun Formation in Central America, Panama
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Ancient Sea Cow Vertebra

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paleobiology field equipment for excavating a fossil whale in central america
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Equipment for a Fossil Excavation

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Photo of a Hawaiian monk seal on the beach, with the ocean in the background.
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The Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

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Discovered in 2004 and named in 2009, Gersemia juliepackardae coral lives on seamounts in the northeast Pacific Ocean at depths of 500-2,000 m (1,640-6,562 ft).
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New Soft Coral

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Scientists discovered this 1.5-m (5-ft) tall yellow bamboo coral in 2007 off the coast of Hawaii in 1,459 m (4,787 ft) of water.
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New Bamboo Coral Discovery

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Found 1,751 m (5,745 ft) below the surface of Hawaii’s waters in 2007, this orange bamboo coral is 1.2–1.5 m (4–5 ft) tall.
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New Genus of Bamboo Coral

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This species of bamboo coral, discovered in 2004 in the Pacific Northwest, has unusually long and impressive tentacles.
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New Bamboo Coral

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Smithsonian zoologist Dr. Steve Cairns named and described this deep-sea coral species, Stephanocyathus paliferus, now preserved at the National Museum of Natural History.
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Corals at the Smithsonian

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Searching for useful chemicals, ocean scientists grow bacteria associated with deep-sea coral on nutrient agar.
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Growing Bacteria from Corals

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White growth emerges from a deep-sea coral sample stained pink to enable ocean scientists to measure its growth rate.
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Growth Experiment

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A marine scientist performs a genetic analysis on a sample of deep-sea coral to find out if it is a known or new species.
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Genetic Analysis of Coral

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Marine scientists photographed and measured this gorgonian coral and deep-sea shrimp just as they were collected—together.
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Deep-sea Coral and Shrimp

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