A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21622
A sea otter mother hold her pup on her stomach as she rests floating on her back. This pup, just a few days old, probably weighs between 3 and 5 pounds. The pup still has the fluffy fur it was born with, which traps so much fur the pup cannot dive and floats like a cork.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21636
A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21640
Bacteria mats and Grand Prismatic Spring. The orange color is due to bacteria which thrive only on the cooler fringes of the hot spring, while the hotter center of the spring hosts blue-colored bacteria.
Location: Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 26954
Morning Glory Pool, has long been considered a must-see site in Yellowstone. At one time a road brought visitors to its brink. Over the years they threw coins, bottles and trash in the pool, reducing its flow and causing the red and orange bacteria to creep in from its edge, replacing the blue bacteria that thrive in the hotter water at the center of the pool. The pool is now accessed only by a foot path.
Location: Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 26955
Bacteria mats and Grand Prismatic Spring. The orange color is due to bacteria which thrive only on the cooler fringes of the hot spring, while the hotter center of the spring hosts blue-colored bacteria.
Location: Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 26958
Panorama dimensions: 4624 x 8376
Bacteria mats and Grand Prismatic Spring. The orange color is due to bacteria which thrive only on the cooler fringes of the hot spring, while the hotter center of the spring hosts blue-colored bacteria.
Location: Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 26964