Reef squid (Cephalapod sp.). Palau.
A large reef squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Baseodiscus mexicanus, a species of proboscis worm in the family Valenciniidae.
Colorful shrimp doing yoga on a blackwater dive in Truk Lagoon.
Squat lobster in a crinoid. Indonesia.
Bobtail squid postures to defend itself against the bright beam of my focus light.
Swimming pelagic marine copepod (5.7 mm). Hawaii.
Collected sea swallow (Glaucus atlanticus), a pelagic aeolid nudibranch. Hawaii.
Collected unidentifed pelagic crustacean larva. Hawaii.
A sea elephant (Pterotrachea coronata) at night in the open ocean.
Nudibranch (Chromidoris sp.). Philippines.
A swimming bristle worm at night. Indonesia.
Portuguese man-of-war reeling in a damselfish larva at night in the open ocean.
A reef squid on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Larval mantis shrimp on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Juvenile saron shrimp near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Juvenile banded mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilla maculata) reflecting off the surface on a blackwater dive in Palau.
Larval squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemenes sp.). Indonesia.
Bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana). Philippines.
A banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) in the Bahamas.
Yellow spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Fairy crab (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Truk's wrecks are covered in orange sun corals that feed at night.
A flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) lifts off from the muck in search of food. Indonesia.
Larval squid releasing ink. Papua New Guinea.
Over-under scene of jellyfish under mangroves in Palau.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris michaeli). Philippines.
Head on shot of painted spiny lobster (P. versicolor). Fiji.
Peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensiger). Papua New Guinea.
Larval mollusk on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Dozens of starfish cover a sand bed at Cocos Island. Costa Rica.
Juvenile Hawaiian Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Two-spot lizardfish (Synodus binotatus) with four stages of parasitic isopods. Tonga.
Hermissenda opalescens nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Squat lobster on a sponge. These decapod crustaceans are not lobsters at all, but are more closely related to porcelain crabs, hermit crabs and then, more distantly, true crabs. Halmahera, Indonesia.
Crab on a softcoral. Papua New Guinea.
Juvenile squid schooling at night. Florida.
Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus). Saron shrimps are quite variable in color and pattern. They may have greenish, brown, or even red, purple or blue markings. Ambon, Indonesia.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans). Philippines.
A reef squid (Sepioteuthis sp.) in full irridescence. Cephalopods create this amazing camouflage using specialized color changing cells (chromatophores) and reflecting cells (iridocytes) in the skin. Indonesia.
Crab close up. Indonesia.
Nudibranchs (Chromodoris willani) at night. Philippines.
Mating nudibranchs (Nembrotha lineolata). Indonesia.
Ctenophore (about 2") feeding on a bristle worm on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
A cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) at dusk.
Flabellina iodinea nudibranch. California.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a sea star (Linkia sp.). Indonesia.
A mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) peers out of its den. Indonesia.
A bright orange bristle star on a soft coral. Tonga.
Lobster larva near settlement. Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha sp.) on a tunicate. Indonesia.
A close-up of the of the red pencil urchin's (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) spines and skeleton (test). Hawaii.
Pyrosome at night. Pyrosomes are actually free-floating colonial tunicates made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. California.
Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) juvenile on Halimeda algae. Papua New Guinea.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) on a sea cucumber. Indonesia.
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). California.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) out and about on a colorful reef. Indonesia.
Pram bug (Phronima sedentaria) in the barrel of salp.
Green-eye dancing shrimp (Cinetorhynchus sp.). Fiji.
Crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea) off Oahu, Hawaii. Crown jellyfish have a deep groove running around the bell, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Hawaii.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) at night. Palau.
Saw blade shrimp (Tozeuma armatum) carrying eggs. Philippines.
Larval polychaete (Polychaeta) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Odd looking donald duck shrimp (Leander plumosus) on a coral. Indonesia.
Hyperiid amphipod frequently parasitize hydromedusa and other gelatinous animals.
Juvenile octopus reflects off the surface (Octopus sp.) in Papua New Guinea.
Yellow crinoid shrimp. Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana). Papua New Guinea.
Collected pink jellyfish (Pelagia species). Hawaii.
Two soft corals attached to a giant giant clam (Tridachna gigas) in Palau.
Two bubble coral shrimp (Vir philippinensis) in an anemone. Papua New Guinea.
An emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator ) on a serpentine sea cucumber. Indonesia.
Blue starfish and soft coral reef scene. Indonesia.
Head on shot of a shrimp's eyes. Philippines.
Blue boxer shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris). Indonesia.
Bristle star and crabs on a soft coral. Papua New Guinea.
Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus). Indonesia.
Pinto Spiny Lobster (Panulirus inflatus).
Larval tube anenomone (Ceriantharia) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
California mussel and purple sea urchins in the lower intertidal zone of Santa Cruz island, California. Purple urchins usually feed on plant matter, such as kelp, but, in tough times when algae is depleted, can also use their heavy-duty teeth to grind through barnacle and mussel shells. With their ability to withstand a wide range of ocean temperatures. purple sea urchins may well be among the ocean’s ultimate survivors. Areas dominated by purple urchins are increasing throughout the Channel Islands.
Porcelain anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes maculosus) on a carpet anemone. Indonesia.
Flying squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Mantis shrimp larva - 65.0 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Juvenile cuttlefish. Papua New Guinea.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemens sp.). Indonesia.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) under rain drops. Palau.
Nudibranch (Flabellina sp.). Indonesia.
Spiny brittle stars (Ophiothrix spiculata) became dominant on deeper California kelp beds after the 1998 El Nino and may cover nearly 100% of the bottom in some areas. They are filter feeders and require clean, oxygen-rich water, which makes them a good indicator species for a healthy ecosystem.
Two giant basket stars (Astrophyton muricatum) at night. Indonesia.
Larval tube anenomone (Ceriantharia) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Head on shot of spiny tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalmus). Indonesia.
Bristle worm epitoke in the open ocean at night. An epitoke is posterior sexual part of a bristle worm (and other polychaetes) that develops from the anterior asexual part. Epitokes swim to ocean surface and release sperm and eggs during their breeding season.
A bobtail squid near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Decorator crab. Indonesia.
Collected pelagic copepod (Sapphirina sp.) - 4.5 mm TL. Hawaii.
Crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea) on a night dive. Crown jellyfish have a deep groove running around the bell, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Hawaii.
Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sp.). Like all cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and eight arms. There are around 300 species of squid. Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata). Papua New Guinea.
Spider crab (Hyastenus bispinosus) on gorgonian. Fiji.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
The rare sight of a slipper lobster puerulus on a blackwater dive off Oahu. The puerulus stage is the transitional form from pelagic larva (phyllosoma) to benthic juvenile in lobsters.
Soft coral crab (Hoplophrys oatesi). Indonesia.
A Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Saron shrimp (Saron sp.) in a crevice. Papua New Guinea.
Bird's eye view of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus vesicolor). Indonesia.
Barred wire coral shrimp (Pontonides sp.). Fiji.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator). Philippines.
Hyperiid amphipods riding a jellyfish (hydromedusa) at night in the open ocean.
Flabellina iodinea, a very common nudibranch in the Midriff Islands
Two fairy crabs (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Nudibranch on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Crab megalopa collected in an egg tow. Hawaii.
Crown-of-thorns on a degraded reef.
Squid larva - 12.6 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
Flabellina nudibranch. Philippines.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris lochi). Philippines.
Flabellina iodinea - a common nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Emperor shrimp or Imperial shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Shrimp hitching a ride on a colonial radiolarian at night in the open ocean off Oahu, Hawaii.
Giant marine hermit crab (Petrochirus diogenes ) on a wreck in the Bahamas.
A crinoid (Crinoid sp) looking stylish at night. Indonesia.
A sea cucumber (Holothuroidea sp.) extends off the reef and releases gametes in the current.
Two juvenile jacks swim above a barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) at night in Truk Lagoon. Barrel jellyfish are very common in Truk Lagoon during the late summer months.
Flabellina nudibranch. Indonesia.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fight in the shallows off the Midriff Islands. One octopus is trying to engulf the other entirely.
Jewel anemone (Corynactis virids).
I found a large aggregation of several hundred moon jellyfish in the lee of a small island in open ocean. Moon jellyfish aggregate under favorable (slack current) conditions to reproduce sexually. Solomon Islands.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris willani). Indonesia.
Collected blue pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Sea slug (Elysia diomedea).
Reef squid in defense posture on a blackwater dive. Solomon Islands.
Juvenile octopus (Octopoda) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Head on shot of peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis) carrying a large clutch of eggs. Philippines.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius). Papua New Guinea.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fight in the shallows off the Midriff Islands.
An octopus larva hitches a ride on a leaf on a blackwater dive in the Solomon Islands.
Starfish. Papua New Guinea.
Spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Pelagic nudibranch (about 3/4") on a blackwater dive off Oahu, Hawaii
Crab on dendronephthya soft coral. Indonesia.
Crinoid squat lobster (Allogalathea elegans). Indonesia.
Coral pattern. Palau.
Chromodoris kuniei nudibranch. Indonesia.
A spotted cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) in a pink-tipped anemone. Bahamas
Flying squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Brain coral (Leptoria phrygia) pattern. Bahamas.
Atlantic triton's trumpet (Charonia variegata) feeding on a cushion sea star (Oreaster reticulatus). Sea stars are the triton’s primary prey item. A trumpet snail paralizes its prey with an injection of toxic saliva, and then bores through the body with its strong teeth. Adult trumpets are heavily collected for their beautiful shells, which has allowed sea star populations to proliferate in recent years. Bahamas.
A spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Head shot of a pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Humpback shrimp (Saron sp.). Fiji.
A pair of harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a starfish (Linkia sp.) in Indonesia.
Ctenophore gleaming in iridescence at night in the open ocean.
A salp (pelagic tunicate)(about 2") in the open ocean at night.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
Squid larva feeding on a larval mantis shrimp. Solomon Islands.
