Media Gallery: Photos

  • Pirates Ann Bonny and Mary Read. After their capture, they were granted stays of execution because of their conditions.

    Bonny and Read in Jamaica
    Jul 29 2010 - 3:26pm
    In the Caribbean, Ann Bonny and Mary Read served with Captain “Calico” Jack Rackham. In 1720 Rackham and his entire crew were captured and executed—except for Bonny and Read. They said to the judge...
  • This is the cover of the book Dampier wrote about his first trip around the world.

    Book Cover for Dampier's Account of his First Trip Around the World
    Jul 6 2010 - 5:06pm
    This is the cover of the book William Dampier -- pirate and naturalist -- wrote about his first trip around the world, one of four that he eventually made and described in a series of bestselling...
  • <p>Special ships called ‘icebreakers’ are needed to access some areas of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean.</p>

    Bow of an Icebreaker
    Jan 4 2011 - 5:13pm
    Special ships called ‘icebreakers’ are needed to access some areas of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean.
  • The bowhead whale has a massive, bow-shaped skull.

    Bowhead Whales
    Jan 6 2011 - 3:24pm
    The bowhead whale has a massive, bow-shaped skull to break through thick Arctic ice, and more blubber than any other whale.
  • Artist Joan Lederman glazes her work with deep ocean sediments.

    Bowl Glazed with Deep Ocean Sediments
    Jul 16 2012 - 10:22am
    Massachusetts ceramics artist Joan Lederman glazes her work—including this bowl—with deep sea sediments. Some contain tiny single-celled organisms called foraminifera. Lederman has noticed that...
  • a photo of Ocean Portal intern Brandon adkins in snorkel gear looking at a preserved giant squid in the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall

    Brandon Adkins, Ocean Portal Intern
    Aug 4 2011 - 11:04am
    Ocean Portal Intern and Blogger Brandon Adkins
  • Dr. Brandon Southall in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the NATO research vessel Alliance

    Brandon Southall aboard The Alliance
    Jan 4 2011 - 1:23pm
    Dr. Brandon Southall in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the NATO research vessel Alliance
  • <p>The Brazilian Atlantic Islands site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001. The rich waters of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Rocas Atoll are extremely important for the breeding and feeding of tuna, shark, turtle, and marine mammals. The site is home to the largest concentration of tropical seabirds in the Western Atlantic. Baia de Golfinhos has an exceptional population of resident dolphin, and at low tide, the Rocal Atoll provides a spectacular seascape of lagoons and tidal pools teeming with fish.</p>

    Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves
    Nov 4 2010 - 11:52am
    The Brazilian Atlantic Islands site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001. The rich waters of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Rocas Atoll are extremely important for the breeding...
  • <p>Great White Sharks breach to hunt -- with split-second timing they grab their prey in one swift snatch. <a href="http://ocean.si.edu/slideshow/photo-sequence-great-white-shark-hunting"><strong>Follow the whole breaching action in this slideshow</strong></a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

    Breaching Great White Shark on the Hunt
    Jul 18 2012 - 10:45am
    It's hard to imagine a 2000-pound animal launching itself out of the water while hunting, but the great white shark does just that. This spectacular behavior is called breaching, and great white...
  • A frame-by-frame view of a Great White Shark breach.

    Breaching Sequence
    Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
    Great White Sharks breach to hunt -- with split-second timing they grab an unsuspecting seal or sea lion in one swift snatch. Follow the action in this slideshow. Learn more about the great white...
  • Brian Skerry in a room with all his photography equipment cases.

    Brian Skerry's Photography Gear
    May 25 2012 - 1:37pm
    Brian Skerry warily stares down his photography equipment on board the vessel Nai'a on an expedition to the Phoenix Islands. Read about the patience it takes as a traveling photographer and the...
  • plastic bottles, cans, a yellow hard hat, and other human refuse litters a tropical beach

    Bring Your Own Container to Avoid Trash
    Sep 16 2011 - 7:34pm
    More than ever, the fate of the ocean is in our hands. To be good stewards and leave a thriving ocean for future generations, we need to make changes big and small wherever we are. To make a positive...