LiveScience Image Gallery

Under the Sea: Life in the Sanctuaries

NOAA Photo Library /Kip Evans

Black Rockfish

Black rockfish are large, powerful swimmers. They, like other rockfish, suspend themselves in the Kelp's stipes so that smaller fish (prey species) can't see them. Click to enlarge.
NOAA Photo Library /Kip Evans

Purple Striped Jellyfish

A purple striped jellyfish -- Pelagia panopyra - possesses very potent stingers. This purple striped jellyfish is just one example of the many types of jellies that mysteriously appear and vanish throughout the year in the Sanctuary. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Glenn Allen

Sea Lions

The most abundant pinniped (seals and sea lions) in the Sanctuary is the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). Over 80,000 California sea lions live and breed in the Channel Islands. Sea lions live in herds and can weigh up to 700 pounds! One will usually see these playful mammals basking in the sun on shore or playing with other sea lions underwater. Click to enlarge.
NOAA Photo Library /Jackie Reid

A Townsend Angelfish

A Townsend Angelfish (Queen & Blue mix) taken at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Click to enlarge.
NOAA Photo Library

The Great White Shark

Not as big as the dinosaurs, but possibly as old, sharks first appeared 450 million years ago! As the largest predatory fish in the ocean, great white sharks are the top predators of the sea. Shortly after the release of “Jaws,” long behold, sharks had gotten a bad reputation as fearful, harmful, man-eating creatures. Of course, this concept is totally incorrect, as shark attacks on humans are rare. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Gulf of the Farallones NMS

Black-Necked Stilts

Black-necked Stilts rest in the shallow water of an estuary in the Gulf of the Farallones. Click to enlarge.
NOAA Photo Library /Jackie Reid

Orange Tessellated Blenny

An Orange Tessellated Blenny taken at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Cordell Bank Expeditions

School of RockFish

A mixed species school of rockfish hang mid water in the boundless blue ocean above Cordell Bank. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Dan Shapiro

Humpback Whales

Humpback whales engage in cooperative lunge feeding on krill-tiny crustaceans abundant over Cordell Bank. These baleen whales filter the tiny shrimp-like animals from the water column in big mouthfuls. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Laurel Canty-Ehrlich

West Indian Manatee

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is visited by several marine mammal species, including the endangered West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). Manatees are winter visitors, while species like the spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins can be seen throughout the year. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Chris Huss - Florida Keys NMS

The Four-Eye Butterflyfish

The four-eye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) is one of hundreds of fish species, which inhabit the reef environment of the Florida Keys. The butterflyfish mates for life and therefore you will often see two of them. If you can imagine two butterflyfish nose to nose, they look like a butterfly. It is easy to see how they got their name. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Jan Roletto

Elephant Seals on the Farallon Islands

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is home to one fifth of California's harbor seals. These marine mammals rely on safe havens within the Sanctuary to haul-out, rest, and breed. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Ken Balcomb

Whale Dolphin

A Norther Right Whale Dolphin off the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Gulf of the Farallones NMS

Mola Mola

A giant ocean sunfish, or mola mola, cruises slowly through the water column. At the surface these unusual-looking fish will sometimes be mistaken for a shark because of their tall dorsal fins. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Photo: Stan Butler

The Green Sea Turtle

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), also known as honu, is the most common sea turtle in Hawaiian waters. It feeds on marine plants in shallow coastal waters throughout the islands and can grow to 200 pounds or more. Sea turtles hold an important role in Hawaiian culture and were prominently represented in ancient Hawaiian mythology and petroglyphs. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Joe Heath

Octopus

A small octopus hides amid the rocks in a shallow tidepool. Click to enlarge.
NOAA, Photo Library/Daniel Gotshall

Torpedo Ray

Torpedo rays (Torpedo californica) are identifiable by their flat gray bodies and black spots. Interestingly these animals catch their prey by stunning them with a jolt! Click to enlarge.