Three giant black sea bass, gathering in a mating/courtship aggregation amid kelp forest at Catalina Island. In summer months, black seabass gather in kelp forests in California to form mating aggregations. Courtship behaviors include circling of pairs of giant sea bass, production of booming sounds by presumed males, and nudging of females by males in what is though to be an effort to encourage spawning.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33355
Giant Black Sea Bass with Unique Pattern of Black Spots at Catalina Island. The giant sea bass is an endangered species reaching up to 8' in length and 500 lbs, amid giant kelp forest.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33356
The leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) is found on the southern and western coasts of Australia. Its extravagent appendages serve only for camoflage, since it has a nearly-invisible dorsal fin that propels it slowly through the water. The leafy sea dragon is the marine emblem of South Australia.
Species: Leafy seadragon, Phycodurus eques
Location: Rapid Bay Jetty, South Australia
Image ID: 39134
Kelp fronds and pneumatocysts. Pneumatocysts, gas-filled bladders, float the kelp off the ocean bottom toward the surface and sunlight, where the leaf-like blades and stipes of the kelp plant grow fastest. Catalina Island, California.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37282
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