A great white shark swims through the clear waters of Isla Guadalupe, far offshore of the Pacific Coast of Mexico's Baja California. Guadalupe Island is host to a concentration of large great white sharks, which visit the island to feed on pinnipeds and use it as a staging area before journeying farther into the Pacific ocean.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 19454
Flama de la Amistad, a statue by Leonardo Nierman. Installed in the San Diego Convention Center’s outdoor amphitheater, Flame of Friendship is a polished, stainless-steel statue set against San Diego Bay weighing 3,700 pounds and standing 20 feet tall and eight feet wide.
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 26556
Mobius Arch at sunrise, framing snow dusted Lone Pine Peak and the Sierra Nevada Range in the background. Also known as Galen's Arch, Mobius Arch is found in the Alabama Hills Recreational Area near Lone Pine.
Location: Alabama Hills Recreational Area, California
Image ID: 27627
The Wave at Night, under a clear night sky full of stars. The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only.
Location: North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
Image ID: 28621
Panorama of Crater Lake from Watchman Lookout Station, panoramic picture. The Watchman Lookout Station No. 168 is one of two fire lookout towers in Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. For many years, National Park Service personnel used the lookout to watch for wildfires during the summer months. It is also a popular hiking destination because it offers an excellent view of Crater Lake and the surrounding area.
Location: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Image ID: 28633
Panorama dimensions: 4885 x 11229
Dorsal and Caudal fins of the Ocean Sunfish Mola mola, as it Swims in the Open Ocean, near San Diego. The caudal fin is not a true tail but is a tail-like structure called a clavus that serves as a rudder. The dorsal (top) and anal (bottom) fins are used for propulsion.
Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola mola
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 39407
California Brown Pelican claps its jaws, sometimes rapidly several times, perhaps to dislodge debris or simply because its fun and feels good. This is not the same as the "yawn" that precedes a head throw. Adult winter non-breeding plumage. Mandible clap, jaw clap.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 38593
Panoramic photo of San Diego embarcadero, showing the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina (center), Roy's Restaurant (center) and Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel (left) viewed from the San Diego Embarcadero Marine Park.
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 26568
Panorama dimensions: 4706 x 9454
A sliding rock of the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter.
Location: Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 25239
Colorful dendronephthya soft corals and various hard corals, flourishing on a pristine healthy south pacific coral reef. The soft corals are inflated in strong ocean currents, capturing passing planktonic food with their many small polyps.
Species: Dendronephthya soft coral, Dendronephthya
Location: Nigali Passage, Gau Island, Lomaiviti Archipelago, Fiji
Image ID: 31383
Colorful dendronephthya soft corals and various hard corals, flourishing on a pristine healthy south pacific coral reef. The soft corals are inflated in strong ocean currents, capturing passing planktonic food with their many small polyps.
Species: Dendronephthya soft coral, Dendronephthya
Location: Nigali Passage, Gau Island, Lomaiviti Archipelago, Fiji
Image ID: 31387