Photograph courtesy Ximena Olds, RSMAS
A headshield sea slug pauses on a blade of grass in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the winning image of the University of Miami's 2012 amateur Underwater Photography Contest, whose results were announced this month.
(See more sea slug pictures from National Geographic magazine.)
"Everybody looked at that photo and said, Wow ... Everything is just so appealing to the eye," according to judge Michael Schmale, an amateur underwater photographer and professor of marine biology and fisheries at the university.
The judges—Schmale and two other underwater photographers—were also impressed by how sharply photographer Ximena Olds captured the tiny creature, which is less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) long.
"One of the great things about a contest like this is that it gets people seeing the ocean through other eyes," Schmale said.
"A really good photographer, like a painter or sculptor, doesn't just make a snapshot of something—but they capture something about the environment that strikes them."
(See "Pictures: Best Underwater Views of 2010 Announced.")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Todd Mintz, RSMAS
Two yellownose gobies peek out of a brain coral off the Caribbean island of Bonaire (map) in a macro, or close-up, picture.
"There's something really appealing at looking at the macro world," Schmale said. "All three of the [winning] macro photos made a huge impression on me."
Created in 2005 for South Florida photographers, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science's Underwater Photography Contest has surprised organizers by catching on internationally. This year's competition saw 500 entries from around the world, Schmale noted.
(Get National Geographic's tips for photographing underwater.)
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Douglas Kahle, RSMAS
Pictures of whales in the open ocean "often take my breath away, because I realize what an incredible encounter that must have been—to be that close to a juvenile sperm whale [pictured], which, by the way, probably has a watchful mother nearly," Schmale said.
In this image captured near the Caribbean island of Dominica, "you see the dappled sunlight on the whale's nose—the whole feeling of that photo conveys just an incredibly dramatic scene."
(See pictures: "Best Aquatic Views From 2009 Contest.")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Mark Fuller, RSMAS
Lionfish swim among smaller fish in Israel's Red Sea.
"What they'll often do is use their pectoral fins like fans and gently herd a school of little fish in front of them ... and then inhale them once the fish is in front of their mouth," Schmale said.
This "beautiful" fish has spread beyond its native environment, however, and is now a threat to other fish species in the Caribbean.
(See related pictures: "Sharks Taught to Hunt Alien Lionfish.")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Kyra Hartog, RSMAS
A whale shark feeds at the surface near Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
The ocean's biggest fish—reaching lengths of up to 40 feet (12 meters)—whale sharks usually stick to themselves as they cruise tropical waters looking for plankton and other small prey.
But in 2009 aerial and surface surveys spotted a swarm of at least 420 of the sharks rubbing fins as they gorged on fish eggs. (See pictures of the whale shark swarm.)
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Rockford Draper, RSMAS
An Eschmeyer's scorpionfish stares down the camera in Bali, Indonesia.
The "remarkable and very rare fish" has some clever adaptations to blend into its environment, Schmale said.
In addition to its camouflaging colors, the fish has transparent spots in its pectoral fins. The "windows" help break up its outline, making it easier to sneak up on prey.
Lastly, the fish's false eyes (the two white dots) might also help trick prey, Schmale speculated.
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Philip Gillette, RSMAS
Harlequin shrimp—such as the one in this winning picture taken in Thailand's Similan Islands—mate for life, and the pairs work together to capture and kill their favorite prey: starfish.
One of the shrimp locates a starfish, flips it over, and drags the prey into the shrimp's lair. The couple then devours the starfish's internal organs, starting from the tips of its arms down to its central disk—keeping their victim alive for as long as possible.
(See "Prozac Pollution Making Shrimp Reckless.")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Matt Potenski, RSMAS
Schools of fish flash among red mangrove in the Bahamian island of South Bimini.
Mangroves serve as vital, intermediate nurseries as coral reef fish journey from their "cribs" in seagrass beds to the large coral reef ecosystems where the fish spend their adulthoods.
(Read more: "Mangroves Are Nurseries for Reef Fish, Study Finds.")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Davide Lopresti, RSMAS
Perhaps only a half inch (1.3 centimeters) long, according to Schmale, a porcelain crab perches on a feathery sea pen in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.
"The color palette is almost monochromatic ... I thought that was beautiful," Schmale said.
(See "Pictures: New Purple Crab Species Found.")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Nicholas Samaras, RSMAS
Nudibranchs—such as this Cratena peregrina caught on camera off Greece—are roughly finger-size sea slugs whose 3,000-odd species thrive in seas cold and warm, shallow and deep. Whereas their ancient ancestors slipped across the seafloor in defensive shells, these gastropods come armed with toxic secretions and stinging cells.
(See video of nudibranchs from National Geographic magazine.)
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Marcello Di Francisco, RSMAS
Emperor shrimp hitchhike on the back of a sea cucumber in Ambon, Indonesia.
The tiny shrimp—each eye is only a millimeter wide—use the sea cucumbers as dining cars, eating whatever passes by.
The "picture captures that environment—they're riding on top of the train," Schmale said.
(See "Three-Foot 'Shrimp' Had More Than 30,000 Lenses Per Eye?")
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Austin Gallagher, RSMAS
A young tiger shark (top) and lemon shark hover near the sea bottom in the Bahamas.
A widespread species, the tiger shark is comfortable in both the open ocean as well as shallow coastal waters, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The less wide-ranging lemon shark inhabits subtropical, shallow waters among coral reefs, mangroves, enclosed bays, sounds, and river mouths.
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Bill Lamp'l, RSMAS
Orange anthias fish swim amid soft corals in the Fiji Islands. Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but support about 25 percent of all marine creatures, according to the Coral Reef Alliance.
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy Todd Aki, RSMAS
Backlighted by the rising sun, a sea nettle jellyfish pulses across California's Monterey Bay in the Rosenstiel School contest's first "fan favorite" picture, chosen via online poll.
Its trailing appendages covered in stinging cells, a sea nettle typically transfers captured prey from the jelly's slender tentacles to its ruffled mouth-arms to its mouth, hidden inside the sea nettle's bell. (See pictures of giant jellyfish off Japan.)
Published April 26, 2012
Photograph courtesy NERC CHESSO Consortium
Published April 26, 2012
An amazing collection of captivating images which I am certain that many will appreciate! A picture does paint a thousand words and for those who do not know much about sea creatures and the kind of habitat they have underwater, these images are indeed of great help to them.
Using ice cores, geochemistry, tree rings, and ancient texts, scientists discover which volcano erupted in the 13th century with worldwide effects.
For the first time, astronomers can forecast cloudy skies on a distant exoplanet.
The extinct animal's face structure could help explain how vertebrates, including people, evolved our distinctive look.
NG's new Change the Course campaign launches.
Future of Fish is helping fishermen improve their bottom line while better managing stocks for the future.
The Change Reaction blog investigates in California.
