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A diver on the reef near Moorea collects samples.
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Research Diver in Moorea

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Close-up photograph of translucent coral polyps, showing the symbiotic algae living inside.
Slideshow

Zooxanthellae and Coral Bleaching

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A rendering of an ocean scene as it may have looked 65 million years ago, when an astroid fell to Earth and triggered a mass extinction event.
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Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary (65 Million Years Ago)

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A photo of a squid using bioluminescence to hide in the deep sea.
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Midwater Squid, Abralia veranyi

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The research submersible Alvin uses bright lights to illuminate the dark seafloor.
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Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin

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It took a while for scientists to identify what made this spiral track.
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Spiral Track on Ocean Floor

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In the 19th century, many women wore tight corsets that were stiffened with stays made from baleen.
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Whale Products in Fashion

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Yankee Whalers: An 1856 Currier & Ives print shows whalers harpooning a right whale.
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The “Right” Whale to Hunt

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This magnified photo provides a close-up look at copepods—tiny crustaceans that right whales feed on.
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Copepods: Right Whale Food

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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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Squid expert Dr. Clyde Roper examines specimens stored in jars in the Smithsonian collection.
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Dr. Clyde Roper

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Phoenix the right whale diving in North Atlantic.
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A Tale of a Right Whale

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