Today's Catch
Jun 28, 2012
Credit:Phillip Colla/Nature’s Best Photography
“As we motored around Paulet Island in a Zodiac boat, these two curious penguins waddled across an iceberg to get a closer look at us.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Phillip Colla . See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest. These Adélie penguins live in Antarctica and rely on tiny crustaceans, called krill, as their main...Read more
Jun 22, 2012
Credit:© Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.com
A blue cod and sea pens , a unique type of cnidarian , speckle the seafloor in New Zealand's Fiordland region.You can see more beautiful underwater photos from Brian Skerry in his image gallery .Read more
Jun 20, 2012
Credit:Image Courtesy Edie Widder
Under white light, this shortnose greeneye fish ( Chlorophthalmus agassizi ) looks unimpressive. But, in dim blue light—the type usually seen at depth—it shows its true fluorescent colors. NOAA scientists collected this specimen during a 2004 expedition for optical studies . The scientists believe the green flouresence of the fish’s eye lenses help it detect prey better in dimly lit water...Read more
Jun 18, 2012
Credit:K. Raskoff, Monterey Peninsula College, Arctic Exploration 2002, NOAA
Chrysaora melanaster , one of the largest jellyfish commonly found in the Arctic, swims underneath the Arctic ice . Its tentacles can stretch to more than 3 meters long and pack a mean sting for humans.Read more
Jun 12, 2012
Credit:© David Shale
This lizardfish ( Bathysaurus ferox ) rests on the ocean bottom with its head slightly elevated—waiting to snatch prey with its large mouth and sharp teeth. It lives at depths of 600-3,500 meters (1,969-11,483 feet) and grows up to 64 centimeters (25.2 inches) long. More about deep ocean exploration can be found in the Deep Ocean Exploration section .Read more
Jun 6, 2012
Credit:Pedro Carrillo/Nature’s Best Photography
I have been to this location many times, but no other photo has come out like this one composed with the sun behind a turtle’s head.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Pedro Carrillo. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest.Read more
Jun 5, 2012
Credit:The Rakefish Project
This four-foot long fish sculpture was created by art students at A.W. Cox Elementary School in Guilford, CT. The purpose of the Rakefish Project is to raise awareness of marine litter among elementary school children as it travels to schools throughout the United States - from Washington, D.C. to Hawaii. Students covered the surface of the rakefish with single word responses and questions that...Read more
Jun 4, 2012
Credit:Michael Vecchione/NOAA
The yellow bioluminescent ring on this female octopus ( Bolitaena pygmaea ) may attract mates. Bioluminescence is an important adaptation that helps many deep sea animals survive in their dark world. More about deep ocean exploration can be found in our Deep Ocean Exploration section .Read more
May 30, 2012
Credit:Joseph Poupin, Institut de Recherche de l'Ecole Naval
Hermit crabs, like this one collected in Moorea, usually protect their soft, vulnerable abdomens from predators by reusing empty snail shells. They are picky home owners and they will trade shells with other crabs to get a better fit or a less damaged shell. This specimen shows the crab without its customary borrowed shelter. Learn more in our Scientists Catalog Life on the Island of Moorea...Read more
May 29, 2012
Credit:© Trevor Sewell/Electron Microscope Unit, University of Cape Town
Great White Sharks are stealthy hunters and the secret is in their skin. Shark skin is covered by tiny flat V-shaped scales, called dermal denticals, that are more like teeth than fish scales. These denticles decrease drag and turbulence, allowing the shark to swim faster and more quietly. Olympian swimsuit designers have taken a page from the shark’s playbook and created a fabric that mimics the...Read more