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This 1936 blue whale specimen from the Gulf of Alaska (above: preserved in alcohol, below: CT scan) is part of a rare Smithsonian collection of whale fetuses that were collected in association with commercial whaling operations in the early to mid-20th cen
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Blue Whale Specimen

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Gulf Marsh Animals Bounce Back But Monitoring Continues: One of the biggest questions is how Gulf animals will fare in the years after the spill, since oil spill impacts don't often happen immediately. One group of GoMRI researchers studied salt marsh anim
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Fiddler Crabs In a Gulf Marsh

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Guitarfish, rays, and other bycatch are tossed from a shrimp boat in La Paz, Mexico in 2006.
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Bycatch Raining Down From Above

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This male dancing fiddler crab (Uca terpsichores) has built a sand “hood” at the entrance to his burrow, which he hopes will attract females to his humble abode—as if that big beautiful claw of his weren't enough!
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The Dancing Fiddler Crab Shows Off

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Traditional fishing techniques now involve monofilament nets, with snorkelers diving down to ensure the bigger fish don't get away.
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Fishing with a Net

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Photograph of several large jellyfish with orange bells, dark red tentacles, and pale ruffly oral arms, swimming against a bright blue aquarium background.
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Pacific Sea Nettles

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As soon as Dampier set foot in Australia, he began making observations and collecting specimens of plants, which he carefully pressed between the pages of books to be studied by the “ingenious” and “curious” upon his return to England. As Dampier conducted his investigations, his artist made detailed sketches like these.
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Australian Plants

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A 3-D reconstruction of the skull of a fin whale fetus.
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3-D Reconstruction Of Fin Whale Skull

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A diver clears the bottom of a cargo ship of specimens.
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Collecting Invasive Species on a Boat Hull

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Madison Stewart, known to many simply as “shark girl,” is an inspiring young woman with a passion to protect the creatures most people fear: sharks. She’s been diving with sharks since the age of twelve. Here she is feeding a group of Caribbean reef
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Shark Girl With Caribbean Reef Sharks

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