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Needlefish
Photograph by David Doubilet
A school of tiny fish swims past a brain coral formation in the waters around the Seychelles. More than 90 percent of all marine life inhabits the shallow waters surrounding the Earth's landmasses.
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Nudibranch on Ocean Floor
Photograph by David Doubilet
A dazzling pattern of spots and stripes decorates this nudibranch photographed in the Seychelles. Nudibranchs are soft-bodied sea slugs that often wear wildly colorful designs for camouflage and defense.
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Napoleon Wrasse
Photograph by Heather Perry
A Napoleon wrasse patrols the waters off the coast of Palau in Micronesia. This fish uses its well-padded lips to absorb the barbs of urchins and other spiny reef creatures it often feeds on.
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Cleaner Wrasse Fish
Photograph by Timothy G. Laman
Two tiny cleaner wrasses (one above; one in mouth) groom a bigeye fish in the blue waters of the Republic of Palau. Cleaner wrasses, known as the reef's vacuum cleaners, suck morsels of food, parasites, and dead skin from reef fish.
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Portuguese Man-of-War
Photograph by Raul Touzon
A Portuguese man-of-war lies on the shore of Miami, Florida. Man-of-war stings can be extremely painful, but are rarely deadly. Their sting is still potent even after death.
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Green Sea Turtle
Photograph by Timothy G. Laman
A green sea turtle floats past a reef toward open waters near Palau in the Pacific Ocean. Green sea turtles are one of the most endangered animal species on the planet.
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Bearded Seal
Photograph by Flip Nicklen
A mature bearded seal swims in sunlit Arctic waters near Norway's Svalbard Archipelago. Bearded seals get their name from the whiskers they use to feel for food on the sea floor.
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Brittlestar
Photograph by Wolcott Henry
A bright red brittlestar clings to a coral head in the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. Sea stars get their name from the five-armed varieties, but species exist that have 10, 20, and even 40 arms.
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