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Sunbeams filtering through Water Surface, Caribbean Sea, Dominica.

Sunbeams filtering through Water Surface · REINHARD DIRSCHERL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Scuba diver and Spiral Wire Coral (Stichopathes), Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia.

Scuba diver and Spiral Wire Coral · REINHARD DIRSCHERL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Bait ball of blue jack mackerel (Trachurus picturatus). A bait ball is a defensive manoeuvre performed by schooling fish that makes it harder for the predators to pick out individuals. However, it can also draw the attention of other predators, some of which have learnt how to take advantage of the bait ball. Photographed in the Azores.

Blue jack mackerel bait ball · CHRISTOPHER SWANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Photographed at Vava'u, Tonga, South Pacific.

Humpback whale · Francois Gohier/VW PICS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Spotted dolphins. Group (pod) of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) swimming underwater. This dolphin may reach a length of almost three metres. It inhabits offshore waters in warm seas, usually up to eight kilometres from shore, but comes into shallow water seasonally. It lives in schools numbering up to 50 individuals, although smaller groups are more common. The young are born without spots, which are gradually accumulated with age. It feeds on fish and squid. Photographed off the Bahamas.

Spotted dolphins · ALEXIS ROSENFELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with juvenile golden trevallies (Gnathanodon speciosus). The whale shark is found in tropical seas, and is the world's largest fish, reaching an average length of 8 metres. It is harmless to humans, moving slowly through the water as it uses specially adapted gill arches to filter the water, removing anything edible. Its 1.5 metre diameter mouth can circulate up to 6000 litres of water an hour. It is thought to live to an age of 60-150 years. Photographed in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the coast of Djibouti, in the Indian Ocean.

Whale shark · ALEXIS ROSENFELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus) fish. Photographed in the Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Bluefin trevally fish · GEORGETTE DOUWMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Striped catfish. Shoal of juvenile striped catfish (Plotosus lineatus). These fish inhabit the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region. Unlike most catfish they are not tolerant of fresh water, and rarely if ever enter rivers. They may reach a length of up to 30 centimetres when mature. These fish have poisonous spines in their fins which deter predators. Photographed off Mabul, Malaysia.

Juvenile catfish · MATTHEW OLDFIELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
West Mata underwater volcano. Sonar map of the West Mata volcano, showing the summit (red) and the base (blue) descending 4000 feet (1.2 kilometres) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. West Mata was discovered in May 2009 and is the deepest erupting volcano yet discovered. It lies on the seabed in an area bounded by Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

West Mata underwater volcano, sonar map · NOAA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Zebrafish head. Coloured 3D reconstructed micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scan of the head of a zebrafish (Danio rerio), showing one of its large eyes (upper centre-left). This tropical freshwater fish is native to the Himalayas. It is a popular model organism in biological research.

Zebrafish head, micro-CT scan · K H FUNG/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Blueline snappers (Lutjanus kasmira) over a reef. Shoal of blueline snappers swimming over a reef. These fish are native to the Indian Ocean. Photographed in the Indian Ocean, Maldives.

Blueline snappers over a reef, Maldives · ALEXIS ROSENFELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Golden butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvaut), Red Sea Eritrean butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus) and a hooded butterflyfish (Chaetodon larvatus) swimming past soft corals (Dendronephthya sp.). Photographed in the Red Sea, Egypt.

Butterfly fish and soft corals · GEORGETTE DOUWMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Butterflyfish and wrasse on a reef. Golden butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvatus, yellow), hooded butterflyfish (Chaetodon larvatus, right) and chequerboard wrasse (Halichoeres hortulanus) amongst soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.) on a reef. Photographed in the Red Sea, Egypt.

Butterflyfish and wrasse on a reef · GEORGETTE DOUWMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Barrel sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria) and sea fan (Melithaea sp.). Photographed off Amed, Bali, Indonesia.

Barrel sponge and sea fan · REINHARD DIRSCHERL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Pink anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) sheltering in its host anemone. Photographed off Rinca Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia.

Pink anemonefish sheltering · GEORGETTE DOUWMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Mouth of a marble ray. Close-up of the mouth and other underside structures of a marble ray (Taeniura meyeni). Photographed at Vaavu Atoll, in the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean.

Mouth of a marble ray · SCUBAZOO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Grey whale eye. Close-up of an eye of a grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Whales generally have moderately good eyesight, though their eyes are small relative to their body size. This whale is found in coastal waters, migrating with the seasons from Arctic waters to tropical equatorial waters. It can grow up to 15 metres in length and weigh 16 tonnes. It feeds on crustaceans and worms extracted from seabed sediment. Photographed off Baja California, Mexico.

Grey whale eye · CHRISTOPHER SWANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
An Indian sailfin tang, Zebrasoma desjardinii, showing the spots and stripes pattern around the head. Photographed at South Ari Atoll, Maldives.

Indian sailfin tang in the Maldives · SCUBAZOO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Octopus, coloured X-ray.

Octopus, X-ray · SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata). Lion's mane jellyfish are the largest known species of jellyfish. They can reach over 2 metres across with tentacles of around 30 metres long, containing millions of nematocysts (stinging cells). They range from Arctic waters to the coasts of Florida, USA, and Mexico. This specimen was photographed in the White Sea on the northwest coast of Russia.

Lion's mane jellyfish · ALEXANDER SEMENOV/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Lytretail Fairy Basslet (Pseudanthias squamipinnis). Marsa Alam, Red Sea, Egypt.

Lytretail Fairy Basslet · REINHARD DIRSCHERL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Baby swimming underwater.

Baby swimming underwater · CHRISTINE HANSCOMB/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Dolphin skeleton. Coloured 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showing the bones of a dolphin. Dolphins are agile aquatic mammals, which vary in size from 1.2 metres (Maui's Dolphin) to 9.5 metres (the Orca, or Killer Whale).

Dolphin skeleton, 3D MRI scan · THIERRY BERROD, MONA LISA PRODUCTION/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) tail. The lighter regions are areas of skin shedding that help eliminate parasites. This toothed whale is found in oceans worldwide. The male reaches an average of 16 metres in length, and can weigh over 45 tons. A sperm whale can live for over 70 years. It is a social animal, living in groups of around a dozen individuals. It feeds on squid, octopus and fish, diving for over an hour to depths of 300 to 800 metres, sometimes as deep as 1-2 kilometres. Photographed off Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

Sperm whale tail · ALEXIS ROSENFELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Diver with sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), some with remora (suckerfish) attached to them. These toothed whales are found in oceans worldwide. The male reaches an average of 16 metres in length, and can weigh over 45 tons. Females average 11 metres, while newborns are 4 metres long. Sperm whales can live for over 70 years. They are social animals, living in groups of around a dozen individuals. They feed on squid, octopus and fish, diving for over an hour to depths of 300 to 800 metres, sometimes as deep as 1-2 kilometres. Photographed off Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

Diver and sperm whales · ALEXIS ROSENFELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in a pool at a public aquarium. The bottlenose dolphin can reach a length of four metres, although females are smaller than males. They are highly intelligent, and in the wild they work in teams, plan hunting strategies and have an intricate social system. In captivity, their intelligence allows them to easily learn tricks and games. Photographed at Marineland, Antibes, France.

Dolphin in captivity · ALEXIS ROSENFELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Back of a blue whale breaking the surface. The bones of its spine, the vertebrae, can be seen. Photographed at dawn.

Blue whale · CHRISTOPHER SWANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Into the blue

Oceans are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe. Dive into the deep blue ocean and discover the magical underwater world.

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