Sea Creatures

Tourists watch leatherback sea turtle hatchlings crawl toward the sea under the glow of less intrusive red lights. Artificial white lighting can attract the hatchlings away from the ocean, where predators may be lurking.

From Prolonging Wallaby Pregnancies to Disorienting Hatchling Turtles, 11 Ways Artificial Lights Affect Animals

From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequences

Two comb jellies have fused together and are being probed by a pipette.

These Frankenstein-Like Sea Creatures Can Actually Fuse Their Bodies Together

Two comb jellies can merge their digestive and nervous systems and even sync their bodily functions, according to new research. The discovery could have implications for human medicine

Jellyfish are among the planet’s simplest creatures, made up of about 95 percent water and lacking brains, spines, blood or hearts.

Delight in These 15 Photos That Capture the Exotic Undersea Lives of Jellyfish

Despite their often dangerous stings, these creatures create serene scenes as they float through the deep sea

A team of scientists in the Red Sea captured footage of a big blue octopus hunting with other fish species.

Watch Octopuses Team Up With Fish to Hunt—and Punch Those That Don't Contribute

The collaboration across species reveals a surprising social behavior of octopuses, researchers say

An artist imagines what Globidens alabamaensis would have looked like when present-day Texas was still submerged.

Rare Jaw Fossils Discovered in Texas Shed Light on a 20-Foot-Long Mosasaur

Unearthed last year, the remains could reveal new information on the extinct sea reptile, which crushed mollusks and shelled creatures with its large, round teeth

An Australian sea lion captures video while swimming through an invertebrate reef habitat.

Scientists Enlist the Help of Sea Lions to Reveal a Unique View of the Ocean Floor

Australian researchers glued satellite-linked GPS cameras to the animals' backs to capture footage that could be vital to marine conservation efforts

A ctenophore, or comb jelly, swims in waters near New Zealand.

How Deep-Sea Comb Jellies Hold Their Shape Under Crushing Pressure

The delicate sea creatures fall apart when brought to the surface but can survive miles deep in the ocean due to special cell wall structures, according to a new study

Pottery fragments found onsite are lined in purple pigment, suggesting they were once containers for dye.

In This Ancient Workshop, Greeks Crushed Snail Glands to Make the Purple Dye Worn by Royalty

Archaeologists discovered remnants of the small factory on an island in Greece

Otters in the Aleutian Archipelago, the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

You Ought to See These Otters

View 15 outstanding otter images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

A hawksbill sea turtle munches away on a sponge near Juno Beach.

Journey Under the Sea With 15 Amazing Photos of Marine Life

These Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest images feature the captivating creatures that live beneath the waves

A two-spot octopus at the Aquarium of the Pacific in California. Female two-spot octopuses lay an average of 70,000 eggs.

Family Accidentally Ends Up With 50 Baby Octopuses After Their Pet—Thought to Be Male—Laid Dozens of Eggs

Now, the Oklahoma residents are working with aquariums and researchers that might take the babies

Imagine dragons—or go for a dive in the Pacific Ocean and keep an eye out for this astonishing two-inch sea slug known as Goniobranchus sp. 1.

Dive Into the Exotic World of Nudibranchs, the Spectacular Slugs of the Sea

Psychedelic hedgehogs, purple pineapples, living strawberries—these tiny creatures show off their big personalities off the Australian coast

An elephant seal pup on South Georgia Island

Why Did Seals and Sea Lions Never Commit to a Life Fully at Sea?

While whales moved from living on land to an existence immersed in water, pinnipeds embraced an amphibious lifestyle

Curator Frances McIntosh says the collection's survival is "nothing short of a miracle."

Shells From Captain Cook's Final Voyage Were Rescued From a Dumpster

Long presumed lost, the collection of rare shells is now on display in England

A dugong, also known as a sea cow, in a protected marine reserve in the Philippines. On the mammal’s underside, remora fish snack on parasites—and dugong poop.

The Dugong, a Huggable, Seagrass-Loving Sea Cow, Has a New Best Friend: Drones

Keeping tabs on the species' populations is surprisingly hard. A new aerial effort tracks the marks they leave behind

A sea otter basks in the water with some kelp. Sea otter populations plummeted as they were killed for their pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Hungry Sea Otters Help Prevent Erosion on California's Coast

The marine mammals, which were once hunted nearly to extinction, feed on crabs that would make the land more susceptible to erosion by digging holes in the soil and eating roots

A mother "Dorado" octopus, one of the newly announced species, protects her eggs some 3,000 meters under the ocean's surface.

Biologists Discover Four New Octopus Species in the Deep Ocean Off Costa Rica

One species was found brooding eggs near low-temperature hydrothermal vents, a rare sight that could unlock new information on deep-sea cephalopods

Researchers examined how key genes behave across the sea star body by staining genetic material with fluorescent labels.

A Starfish 'Body' Is Just One Giant Head, Study Finds

Genes associated with the torso are largely absent in a species of starfish, upending how scientists perceive these creatures

Alaska canceled its snow crab harvest for two seasons in a row.

Why Ten Billion Snow Crabs Disappeared Off the Coast of Alaska

The unprecedented die-off represents roughly 90 percent of the eastern Bering Sea population

A killer whale in the Salish Sea is observed harassing a porpoise.

Why Do Orcas Keep Harassing Porpoises?

An endangered group of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest has been toying with porpoises for decades—and new research offers some possible explanations

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