Collected pink jellyfish (Pelagia species). 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.
Juvenile banded mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilla maculata) reflecting off the surface on a blackwater dive in Palau.
Flabellina nudibranch. Philippines.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Mantis shrimp larva - 65.0 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Pyrosome at night. Pyrosomes are actually free-floating colonial tunicates made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. California.
A reef squid on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Juvenile octopus reflects off the surface (Octopus sp.) in Papua New Guinea.
Crown-of-thorns on a degraded reef.
Swimming pelagic marine copepod (5.7 mm). Hawaii.
Flabellina iodinea, a very common nudibranch in the Midriff Islands
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). California.
Nudibranch on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Head on shot of painted spiny lobster (P. versicolor). Fiji.
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.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris michaeli). Philippines.
Two fairy crabs (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
A Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Pinto Spiny Lobster (Panulirus inflatus).
Larval tube anenomone (Ceriantharia) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Saron shrimp (Saron sp.) in a crevice. Papua New Guinea.
A spotted cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) in a pink-tipped anemone. Bahamas
Starfish. Papua New Guinea.
Larval polychaete (Polychaeta) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Two-spot lizardfish (Synodus binotatus) with four stages of parasitic isopods. Tonga.
Pram bug (Phronima sedentaria) in the barrel of salp.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemenes sp.). Indonesia.
Hermissenda opalescens nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Lobster larva near settlement. Indonesia.
Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius). Papua New Guinea.
Reef squid (Cephalapod sp.). Palau.
Humpback shrimp (Saron sp.). Fiji.
Squid larva - 12.6 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha sp.) on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a sea star (Linkia sp.). Indonesia.
Collected unidentifed pelagic crustacean larva. Hawaii.
Spider crab (Hyastenus bispinosus) on gorgonian. Fiji.
Spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Bristle star and crabs on a soft coral. Papua New Guinea.
Crab on dendronephthya soft coral. Indonesia.
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.
Jewel anemone (Corynactis virids).
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.
Pelagic nudibranch (about 3/4") on a blackwater dive off Oahu, Hawaii
Bird's eye view of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus vesicolor). Indonesia.
Ctenophore gleaming in iridescence at night in the open ocean.
Blue boxer shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris). Indonesia.
Flabellina iodinea - a common nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
A bright orange bristle star on a soft coral. Tonga.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans). Philippines.
Larval mantis shrimp on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
A banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) in the Bahamas.
Bobtail squid postures to defend itself against the bright beam of my focus light.
Bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana). Philippines.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana). Papua New Guinea.
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.
Hyperiid amphipod frequently parasitize hydromedusa and other gelatinous animals.
Crab close up. Indonesia.
Flabellina nudibranch. Indonesia.
Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) juvenile on Halimeda algae. Papua New Guinea.
A bobtail squid near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Larval tube anenomone (Ceriantharia) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Colorful shrimp doing yoga on a blackwater dive in Truk Lagoon.
Brain coral (Leptoria phrygia) pattern. Bahamas.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris lochi). Philippines.
Sea slug (Elysia diomedea).
Coral pattern. Palau.
Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus). Indonesia.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) under rain drops. Palau.
Emperor shrimp or Imperial shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator). Philippines.
Squat lobster in a crinoid. Indonesia.
A cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) at dusk.
Head on shot of spiny tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalmus). Indonesia.
Collected pelagic copepod (Sapphirina sp.) - 4.5 mm TL. Hawaii.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
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.
Juvenile Hawaiian Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Barred wire coral shrimp (Pontonides sp.). Fiji.
Juvenile octopus (Octopoda) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
A mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) peers out of its den. Indonesia.
Portuguese man-of-war reeling in a damselfish larva at night in the open ocean.
Over-under scene of jellyfish under mangroves in Palau.
Blue starfish and soft coral reef scene. Indonesia.
Baseodiscus mexicanus, a species of proboscis worm in the family Valenciniidae.
Decorator crab. Indonesia.
Head shot of a pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Chromodoris kuniei nudibranch. Indonesia.
Squid larva feeding on a larval mantis shrimp. Solomon Islands.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemens sp.). Indonesia.
Fairy crab (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Two giant basket stars (Astrophyton muricatum) at night. Indonesia.
Larval squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
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.
Peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensiger). Papua New Guinea.
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.
Shrimp hitching a ride on a colonial radiolarian at night in the open ocean off Oahu, Hawaii.
Porcelain anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes maculosus) on a carpet anemone. Indonesia.
Giant marine hermit crab (Petrochirus diogenes ) on a wreck in the Bahamas.
A close-up of the of the red pencil urchin's (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) spines and skeleton (test). Hawaii.
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.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fight in the shallows off the Midriff Islands.
A sea elephant (Pterotrachea coronata) at night in the open ocean.
Nudibranch (Flabellina sp.). Indonesia.
Crab on a softcoral. Papua New Guinea.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata). Papua New Guinea.
Yellow crinoid shrimp. Indonesia.
Flabellina iodinea nudibranch. California.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris willani). Indonesia.
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.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) on a sea cucumber. Indonesia.
A spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Collected sea swallow (Glaucus atlanticus), a pelagic aeolid nudibranch. Hawaii.
Hyperiid amphipods riding a jellyfish (hydromedusa) at night in the open ocean.
Ctenophore (about 2") feeding on a bristle worm on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
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.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) at night. Palau.
A pair of harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a starfish (Linkia sp.) in Indonesia.
Juvenile saron shrimp near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Flying squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Saw blade shrimp (Tozeuma armatum) carrying eggs. Philippines.
Yellow spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Juvenile cuttlefish. Papua New Guinea.
An emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator ) on a serpentine sea cucumber. Indonesia.
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.
Nudibranchs (Chromodoris willani) at night. Philippines.
Soft coral crab (Hoplophrys oatesi). Indonesia.
Two soft corals attached to a giant giant clam (Tridachna gigas) in Palau.
Green-eye dancing shrimp (Cinetorhynchus sp.). Fiji.
Head on shot of peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis) carrying a large clutch of eggs. Philippines.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) out and about on a colorful reef. Indonesia.
Dozens of starfish cover a sand bed at Cocos Island. Costa Rica.
Truk's wrecks are covered in orange sun corals that feed at night.
A sea cucumber (Holothuroidea sp.) extends off the reef and releases gametes in the current.
Two bubble coral shrimp (Vir philippinensis) in an anemone. Papua New Guinea.
Crab megalopa collected in an egg tow. Hawaii.
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.
A crinoid (Crinoid sp) looking stylish at night. Indonesia.
Larval mollusk on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
A swimming bristle worm at night. Indonesia.
Collected blue pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
A salp (pelagic tunicate)(about 2") in the open ocean at night.
Nudibranch (Chromidoris sp.). Philippines.
Larval squid releasing ink. Papua New Guinea.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fight in the shallows off the Midriff Islands. One octopus is trying to engulf the other entirely.
A flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) lifts off from the muck in search of food. Indonesia.
An octopus larva hitches a ride on a leaf on a blackwater dive in the Solomon Islands.
Flying squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
A large reef squid (Teuthida) on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Mating nudibranchs (Nembrotha lineolata). Indonesia.
Crinoid squat lobster (Allogalathea elegans). Indonesia.
Head on shot of a shrimp's eyes. Philippines.
Odd looking donald duck shrimp (Leander plumosus) on a coral. Indonesia.
Reef squid in defense posture on a blackwater dive. Solomon Islands.
Juvenile squid schooling at night. Florida.
