A huge blue whale swims through the open ocean in this underwater photograph. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on Earth.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 34567
Spectacularly colorful dendronephthya soft corals on South Pacific reef, reaching out into strong ocean currents to capture passing planktonic food, Fiji.
Species: Dendronephthya soft coral, Dendronephthya
Location: Fiji
Image ID: 31322
Burrowing owl, Cape Coral, Florida, subspecies Athene cunicularia floridana. This 10-inch-tall burrowing owl is standing beside its burrow. These burrows are usually created by squirrels, prairie dogs, or other rodents and even turtles, and only rarely dug by the owl itself.
Species: Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia floridana, Athene cunicularia
Location: Cape Coral, Florida
Image ID: 40585
Western Grebes rushing in a courtship display. Rushiing grebes run across the water 60 feet (20m) or further with their feet hitting the water as rapidly as 20 times per second. Lake Hodges, San Diego.
Species: Western grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis
Image ID: 36888
Bull elephant seal exits the water to retake his position on the beach. He shows considerable scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15458
Mesa Arch spans 90 feet and stands at the edge of a mesa precipice thousands of feet above the Colorado River gorge. For a few moments at sunrise the underside of the arch glows dramatically red and orange.
Location: Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Image ID: 18040
Hammerhead sharks swim in a school underwater at Wolf Island in the Galapagos archipelago. The hammerheads eyes and other sensor organs are placed far apart on its wide head to give the shark greater ability to sense the location of prey.
Species: Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini
Location: Wolf Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Image ID: 16271