Pic o’ the Week: Reef Stonefish

Giant squid, killer sharks, huge whales: these are some of the dangerous and monstrous creatures described in the novel I’m reading, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But there’s a frightful small ocean creature that you may not have even heard of. Did you know that the Reef Stonefish, measuring just 30 cm long, …

Pic o’ the Week: Yellownose Gobies in Brain Coral

A healthy coral reef can be one of the most colorful places on earth: here, a pair of curious yellownose gobies gaze out from their refuge of richly textured bolder brain coral. Todd Mintz snapped this stunning photo in of yellownose gobies, Elacatinus randalli, and bolder brain coral in Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. This pic won …

Pic o’ the Week: Snacking Sand Perch

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Or in this case, a fish-eat-crab world. Ocean photographer Steve Kovacs captured snacktime for a sand perch (Diplectrum formosum), as it dined on a crab. This moment in nature was snapped at in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida's Riviera Beach. Check out his pics - beautiful and a study …

Spotlight: the coelacanth

To kick off a new year, we're revisiting one of our favorite creatures of the sea. A hollow-spined fish species dating from  a zillion years ago, coelacanths were thought to be extinct until 1938, when one was caught by fishermen off South Africa's coast and pulled off the docks by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, curator at a small …

Spotlight: bluefin tuna on the verge

Photo ©Tom Puchner Growing up to 10 feet long and up to 1,400 pounds, with retractable fins and a bullet-shaped body for faster speed, bluefin tuna are among the largest, fastest , most wondrous migratory finfish in the world. They're also one of the most prized and pricey fish for sushi lovers around the globe. …

Pic o’ the Week: Unidentified Deep Sea Fish

This curious creature, seen in Indonesian waters in the Sangihe Talaud Region, has not yetbeen definitively identified by scientists. The Little Hercules ROV captured this image of what scientists think is an anglerfish during dives from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in Indonesia. Scientists are working to further identify this creature and many others they encountered this …

Pic o’ the Week: Spotted Scorpionfish

Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri), Florida Keys Can you tell where the oceanfloor ends and the fish begins? Terrific camouflage. Students from Missouri's Saint Joseph School District encountered this creature during their spring field study in the Florida Keys. In their words - "This spotted scorpionfish was photographed in shallow water off Burnt Point in the Florida …