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PHOTO Shortfin Mako Shark The shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) is found offshore in tropical and warm temperate waters of all oceans, but has been known to travel to cooler waters at times. It is very strong a...MORE PHOTOS


	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Ray Bradbury and the Sea Today Ray Bradbury died. It might seem strange that I'm writing about Bradbury h...
	IMAGE GALLERY MORE GALLERIES Image Gallery: The Perfect Underwater Photo For nearly 35 years, National Geographic photojournalist Brian Skerry has been i...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Bowl Glazed with Deep Ocean Sediments Massachusetts ceramics artist Joan Lederman glazes her work—including this bowl—...

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					Adélie Penguins Face Off Apr 15, 2013 - 10:25AMThese cute Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are actually having a bit of a spat. In the spring (October for them), the penguins form breeding colonies on rocky coasts with thousands of birds in a group. Krill, a tiny...

Harp Seal, Prince Edward Island National Park, Canada

Apr 3, 2013 - 9:04AM

Harp seals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal...

Grey Reef Shark, West New Britain, Father Reefs, Papua New Guinea

Mar 28, 2013 - 9:45AM

Gray reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are known for being active at...

SPOTLIGHT


Five Questions for Callum Roberts, Author and Professor Callum Roberts is a professor of marine conservation at the University of York in England and an author. His first book,...

Calligrapher Celebrates the Ocean May 9 2011 - 9:54am "The ocean is essential to all" is one of the Ocean Literacy Principles, and it seems to look more arresting when written in Korean calligraphy than it does in any computer font. Artist Myoung-Won Kwon shared his talents during a visit to the National Museum of Natural History.	Gyotaku Fish Prints Jul 18 2011 - 12:11pm Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese art that began as a way for fisherman to keep a record of the fish they caught. The fisherman would apply sumi ink to one side of a freshly caught fish, then cover the fish with rice paper and rub to create an exact image of the fish. The ink was non-...
Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem May 10 2013 - 2:47pm Laysan albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis) are incredible birds. They have a wingspan of more than 6 feet, soaring vast distances without flapping their wings.	X-Rays of Fish Reveal Diversity Dec 17 2009 - 7:00pm Scientists in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History use X-ray imaging to study the complex bone structure and diversity of fish. This image gallery showcases X-ray images of sharks and their relatives and bony fish; revealing how...
Red Crab Migration, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean Dec 23 2010 - 4:16pm “The largest land migration of any animal on Earth, as many as 120 million crabs carpet the island in red as they move from the rain forest to the coast.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Stephen Belcher. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean...	Coral Hermit Crab Dec 19 2011 - 2:48pm A coral hermit crab, Paguritta harmsi, about the size of two grains of rice, living in coral in the waters of Japan's Ogasawara Islands.
California Market Squid Jul 23 2012 - 9:30am Two California market squids, Loligo opalescens, mate in the waters off of California's Channel Islands. While spawning, the males' arms blush red as he embraces the female; a warning to other competing males to back-off.	Artist Shih Chieh Huang Aug 25 2011 - 2:53pm Artist Shih Chieh Huang assembling one of his installations. Huang was a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow in 2007 and spent his time studying bioluminescent marine animals.
Citizens of the Sea Jul 12 2010 - 11:25am	X-Ray Image of a Winghead Shark Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am The distinctive form of a winghead shark, Eusphyra blochii, is revealed by an X-ray image. The shark's eyes are spread far apart, giving it superb binocular vision.
Southern Elephant Seal, Gold Harbour, South Georgia Feb 4 2013 - 10:24am The largest of all seal species, the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is found in chilly Antarctic and Subantarctic waters. The male seals dive as deep as 1,430 meters (over 4,600 feet) and stay at depth for up to two hours.	Getting Under the Ice with Brian Skerry May 25 2012 - 12:14pm Underwater photographer, Brian Skerry, prepares for an icy dive off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan. With all the specialized gear and the large amount of travel necessary to take photos underwater, Skerry says that "being a National Geographic magazine photographer is not unlike being a professional...
Life in the Field as an Underwater Photographer May 29 2012 - 1:19pm Brian Skerry, an award winning photographer for National Geographic, explores the underwater world searching for the perfect photo. But getting that photo is never easy. Read more from Brian about the perfect underwater photo and other adventures in the field on his blog.	Patience is a Virtue Jun 18 2012 - 1:37pm As an underwater photographer, time in the field is the most valuable thing I can be given. With time, I can usually overcome challenges and the problems that occur. Time also allows me to learn firsthand about the place in which I am working, what happens at different times of day and how animals...
The Coral Gardener Mar 22 2011 - 10:18am A still from The Coral Gardener, part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. The film is about Austin Bowden-Kerby, a man who gardens corals to help rebuild reefs.	Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World Dec 14 2009 - 7:00pm With striking imagery from her book Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World, Deborah Cramer makes a powerful case for a basic truth about the ocean: we need the sea, and now the sea needs us.