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