Media Gallery: Photos Newest

  • “This photo was taken the first evening of six that I spent at South Georgia Island. It captures a group of penguins on their way to the ocean to feed. As they approached, I knelt down, set the camera low to the ground, and waited for them to reach the spot I envisioned. King penguins are usually depicted as fairly placid, elegant creatures. This image presents a dynamic gang, seemingly with a leader, moving with a purpose. One can even see the articulation of their muscles. The cloudy mountains in the background enhance the sense of drama.” -- Nature's Best Photographer, Steve Gould

    King Penguins, Right Whale Beach, South Georgia Island, Southern Ocean
    Mar 27 2013 - 9:30am
    There are over 30 colonies of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) on South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. The penguins capture their prey, typically lanternfish, by diving at...
  • Many medicines were based on a chemical from the sea sponge Tectitethya crypta.

    From Sea Sponge to HIV Medicine
    Mar 26 2013 - 9:40am
    Tectitethya crypta (formerly known as Cryptotheca crypta) is a large, shallow-water sponge found in the Caribbean. It was first studied for medical purposes in the 1950s when few scientists or...
  • “The male weedy seadragon is entrusted with the pink, fertilized eggs once mating has been completed. It is his task to incubate them until their hatching, approximately eight weeks later. The day this photo was taken, the weather and conditions were unusually perfect: blue skies, little to no wind, and clear water. I took this photo while on my back under the local sea plants, looking up as it swam by.” -- Nature's Best Photographer, Richard Wylie

    Weedy Seadragon, Flinders pier, Flinders, Victoria, Australia
    Mar 25 2013 - 8:55am
    Weedy seadragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) are found off the coast of south and east Australia. Just like seahorses, the male seadragon is tasked with caring for its eggs. The bright pink eggs are...
  • <p>This rare&nbsp;<strong><a href="/jellyfish-and-comb-jellies#section_16225">staurozoan</a></strong>, or stalked jellyfish,&nbsp;<em>Haliclystus californiensis</em>, is about 2 centimeters in length and was collected off the coast of California.</p>

    Staurozoan: The Stalked Jellyfish
    Mar 22 2013 - 9:28am
    This rare staurozoan, or stalked jellyfish (Haliclystus californiensis) is about 2 centimeters in length and was collected off the coast of California. Unlike the traditional bell-shaped...
  • <p>This fossil jaw of <em>Carcharodon hubbelli</em>, a possible great white shark ancestor, contains 222 teeth, some in rows up to six teeth deep.</p>

    Teeth and Jaw of an Ancient Shark
    Mar 21 2013 - 9:20am
    This well-preserved fossil is the only intact partial skull ever found of a white shark that lived about 6.5 million years ago called Carcharodon hubbelli. The fossil jaw contains 222 teeth, some in...
  • A great white shark gaping its jaws at the surface of the water; gaping is used as a form of communication in sharks

    Gaping Jaws of a Great White Shark
    Mar 20 2013 - 9:27am
    A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) emerges from the water's surface, gaping at the photographer. Gaping is a way sharks communicate with each other, and maybe even try and communicate with...
  • <p>The central dark area of this foram (<em>Globigerinoides ruber</em>) is the shell surrounded by spines. The tiny yellow dots are symbiotic algae, which live in the protoplasm of the host organism.</p>

    A Colorful Foram: Globigerinoides ruber
    Mar 19 2013 - 9:00am
    This foraminifer was collected as it floated about 3 meters below the surface off the coast of Puerto Rico. The central dark area is the shell surrounded by spines. The tiny yellow dots are...
  • “On an afternoon dive, I spotted a small group of sweetlips in the current among a shoal of juvenile convict blennies. It took me some time to get close to the fish without spooking them. I took several frames but this one was my favorite because of the position of the fish, particularly the one on the right who seems to be yawning.” -- Nature's Best Photographer, Jose Alejandro Alvarez

    Sweetlips, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
    Mar 18 2013 - 8:38am
    The larger fish in this picture are called sweetlips (Plectorhinchus) because of their big, fleshy lips. There are over thirty species of sweetlips, which tend to live on coral reefs in small groups...

  • Sea Potato
    Mar 17 2013 - 8:11am
    This sea potato (Echinocardium cordatum) looks similar to its root vegetable namesake, but it's a sea urchin! The spines on this urchin are more hair-like than the spikes seen on some more...
  • A purple hard coral releases bundles of pink eggs glued together with sperm.

    Coral Spawning
    Mar 15 2013 - 9:07am
    Corals are sedentery animals, so how do they reproduce? One way is sexually through spawning, when the corals release eggs and sperm into the water (often at the same time due to some sort of trigger...
  • The spiral-tufted bryozoan could hold a medicine for Alzheimer's and cancer.

    A Bryozoan's Medical Endosymbiont
    Mar 14 2013 - 10:40am
    The spiral-tufted bryozoan (Bugula neritina) is being studied for a potential Alzheimer's disease and cancer drug -- but it's not the bryozoan that makes the chemical. The chemical, found in the...
  • <p>A <em>Hubrechtia</em> ribbon worm, found after a long day of searching in mud flats in Fort Pierce, Florida.</p>

    A Ribbon Worm From the Mud Flats
    Mar 14 2013 - 9:46am
    The over 1,000 species of ribbon worms (Nemertea) are mostly found in marine environments (like the Hubrechtia found in a mud flat, in the photo). These worms have both a mouth and an anus (unlike...