Media Gallery: Photos Newest

  • This bait ball shows how small fish can react when larger predators are near by gathering tightly together in a ball-like formation that exposes the least number of fish.

    Bait Ball
    Jan 31 2013 - 10:11am
    This bait ball shows how small fish can react when larger predators are near by gathering tightly together in a ball-like formation that exposes the least number of fish. Fish species found in the...
  • A photo of a swimming Protanguilla palau, the newly discovered genus and species of eel

    Palauan primitive cave eel (Protanguilla palau), a 'living fossil'
    Jan 30 2013 - 10:21am
    The Palauan primitive cave eel (Protanguilla palau) has an evolutionary history that dates back some 200 million years. Because of this and the fact that it has retained some primitive features,...
  • Cooks Bay in Moorea is one of the places that researchers are scouring in their quest to collect one of every life form big enough to pick up with tweezers.

    Cooks Bay, Moorea
    Jan 29 2013 - 11:19am
    Cooks Bay in Moorea is one of the places that researchers are scouring in their quest to collect one of every life form big enough to pick up with tweezers. In the background is Mt. Rotui—the...
  • The elusive giant squid

    Giant Squid Caught Live On Screen
    Jan 25 2013 - 11:21am
    In 2012, the long-elusive giant squid was finally filmed live in its natural habitat. The squid was found by placing glowing lures outside of a submersible to mimic jellyfish, which typically...
  • In this photo of a shallow coral reef in the Pacific there are three species of forams. Their colors come from the symbiotic algae that live inside the foram shells.

    Shallow Coral Reef Foraminifers
    Jan 24 2013 - 10:32am
    In this photo of a shallow coral reef in the Pacific there are three species of forams. On the left, Peneroplis planatus. In the center, Amphistegina lessonii. And on the right, Laevipeneroplis sp....
  • In the 19th century, many women wore tight corsets that were stiffened with stays made from baleen.

    Whale Products in Fashion
    Jan 23 2013 - 12:35pm
    In the 19th century, "whalebone" was an important fashion tool—however, it wasn't made out of bone, but whale baleen. Dried baleen was flexible yet strong, and used to create structure in clothing,...
  • Giant eyes spot prey. Huge claws grab the prey, and a tiny mouth rips it to shreds.

    Phronima
    Jan 22 2013 - 10:53am
    This tiny, shrimplike creature is no more than 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long, but it’s as ferocious as a shark. Its giant eyes spot prey. Huge claws grab the prey, and a tiny mouth rips it to shreds...
  • Entoprocts, small, sessile, tentacled animals, lived 520 million year ago (and are still around today).

    Ancient Entoproct Community
    Jan 18 2013 - 10:28am
    For a long time, scientists thought that some small tentacled fossils were early ancestors of jellyfish. But a new study has found that these ancient animals are actually related to an entirely...
  • The whitish spots on this fish are individual parasitic trematode worms.

    Parasitic Worms in a Fish
    Jan 17 2013 - 10:20am
    The whitish spots on this fish are individual parasitic trematode worms. Trematodes have complicated life cycles that usually involve multiple hosts -- often starting in a snail and then moving on to...
  • A close up view of Phoenix and the rough patches of skin known as callosities that are found on all North Atlantic right whales.

    Phoenix’s Callosities
    Jan 16 2013 - 10:49am
    A close up view of Phoenix and the rough patches of skin known as callosities that are found on all North Atlantic right whales. These callosities are inhabited by small amphipods called whale lice...
  • Squid at Sunset Reef Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

    Squid at Sunset Reef Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
    Jan 15 2013 - 10:51am
    “Upon returning from the reef after a night dive, I swam toward a bright reflection and came eye-to-eye with this beautiful, curious squid," said Charles Viggers, a Nature's Best photographer.
  • Polar bears have evolved to survive in the Arctic.

    Polar Bear on the Ice
    Jan 14 2013 - 11:22am
    Polar bears have evolved to survive in the Arctic with large, oar-like front paws for better swimming, as well as insulating blubber, and two layers of fur for the frigid temperatures. They rely on...