Search | Smithsonian Ocean

Search

Showing results for

Like a typical jelly, the tentacles of Haliscera biglowi trail behind it as it moves, causing water flow to push small organisms into the path of the jelly’s deadly stinging grip.

Photo

Stinging Grip

March 2016

This young Gonatus squid is still translucent, making it tricky for predators to spot it.

Photo

Deep Sea Squid

March 2016

These shrimp-like crustaceans called Gnathophausia are incredibly hardy and only need to eat every few months.

Photo

Intense Fasting

March 2016

This female hyperiid (Phronima sedentaria), a type of marine crustacean, is surrounded by her young inside the hollowed out barrel-shaped body cavity of a salp.

Photo

Extreme Parenting

March 2016

Tomopteris's bristles produce yellow bioluminescence, a unusual color among midwater animals, nearly all of which make some sort of light.

Photo

Glow Worms

May 2016

Chuniphyes are siphonophores—colonial organisms in the same phylum as jellyfish, working together to survive.

Photo

Ultimate Teamwork

March 2016

Aegina citrea are stealth predators that push their tentacles ahead of their body or bell as they swim through the water.

Photo

Ocean Lemon Drop

March 2016

Bathochordaeus stygius are filter feeders closely related to sea squirts in the phylum Chordata, the same phylum to which humans belong.

Photo

Mucus Home

March 2016

Known as “viperfish”, these cryptic fish use their giant teeth to prey on other fish and can grow to be 2 feet long (24 inches).

Photo

Midnight Hunter

March 2016

Cystisoma (a type of hyperiid crustacean) has one huge pair of eyes.

Photo

Giant Eyes

March 2016

Corolla moves through the water by flapping a wing plate nearly twice the size of its gelatinous shell, giving it the nickname “sea butterfly”.

Photo

Sea Butterfly

March 2016

Photo

Loro del Mar

March 2018