What took me so long to do a another sea post?  I think I forgot the breath-taking variety and beauty in our seas.  Feast your eyes and luxuriate in the wonder of these creatures.  And please let me know your favorites.

First, do you think of jelly fish as gorgeous?

Spanish Dancer Jellyfish

Spanish Dancer Jellyfish

Starburst jellies

Starburst jellies

By Joaquin Gutierrez Fernandez on flickr

By Joaquin Gutierrez Fernandez on flickr

White spotted Jelly

White spotted Jelly

sea, jelly (2)

By J-Ri  on flickr

By J-Ri on flickr

 

sea, jelly 2 (2)sea, jelly via pint

 

 

sea, jelly

By Joshua Lambus

By Joshua Lambus

Egg jellyfish.  Some of these names are a little obvious.

Egg jellyfish. Some of these names are a little obvious.

sea, by Joyce Pedersen (addict2pics) on Flickr jelly

By Joyce Pedersen (addict2pics) on Flickr

By randapex on flickr

By randapex on flickr

sea, jelly 2Check out these Nudibranches, or Sea Slugs

Black and Gold Sapsucking Slug, Cyerce nigricans

Black and Gold Sapsucking Slug, Cyerce nigricans

By Nick Hobgood

By Nick Hobgood

 

by acqua e luce on flickr

by acqua e luce on flickr

By Greg Piper

By Greg Piper

By Allen Lee(houpc) on flickr

By Allen Lee(houpc) on flickr

By Digidiverdave on flickr

By Digidiverdave on flickr

By Stan Bysshe

By Stan Bysshe

By  Jfherve

By Jfherve

Can you believe these were all different versions of the seaslug?

I think it's an octopus.  Or squid?

I think it’s an octopus. Or squid?

sea, 2

By DaisyHillCuttleFarm

 

Feather star by Daryl Glass

Feather star by Daryl Glass

By murphy.laurence  on flickr, blue ringed octopus with a deadly bite

By murphy.laurence on flickr, blue ringed octopus with a deadly bite.

heart feather duster,  by courtneyplatt on flickr

heart feather duster, by courtneyplatt on flickr

A juvenile pinnate spadefish

A juvenile pinnate spadefish

Blenny

Blenny

Blue lipstick

Blue lipstick

Sailfin Tang by Melissa Fiene

Sailfin Tang by Melissa Fiene

Mandarin fish

Mandarin fish

by Christian Skauge The free-swimming hydromedusae Gonionemus murbachii. location,  Norwegian Sea Norway

by Christian Skauge The free-swimming hydromedusae Gonionemus murbachii. location, Norwegian Sea Norway

By tredhead on flickr, seahorse

By tredhead on flickr, seahorse

Leafy Sea dragon

Leafy Sea dragon

Leafy Sea Dragon via National Geographic

Leafy Sea Dragon via National Geographic

 Soft coral

Soft coral

Soft coral

Soft coral

387d87b9cc66592aa0669d240737a51c

zoanthid

zoanthid

Bouquet of sea squirts,  by Nick Hobgood on flickr

Bouquet of sea squirts, by Nick Hobgood on flickr

From Daily Telegraph, UK

From Daily Telegraph, UK

 

By Ari Lynn Day on Flickr, starfish

By Ari Lynn Day on Flickr, starfish

 

Icon starfish  by Mark Atwell flickr

Icon starfish by Mark Atwell flickr

Red Feather Starfish by Mark Laita

Red Feather Starfish by Mark Laita

By lndr on flickr

By lndr on flickr, Leander Wiseman

Firefly squid on a Japanese beach

Firefly squid on a Japanese beach

The Firefly Squid is a bioluminescent squid growing to a length of only three inches. It is equipped with special light-producing organs called photophores that emit a deep blue light. Large photophores can be found on the tips of the tentacles as well as around the eyes. Thousands of tiny photophores can be found throughout the squid’s body, giving it the ability to emit light along its entire form.

One firefly squid.

One firefly squid.by Dante Fenollo

The-Glowing-Firefly-Squid-of-Toyama-Japan

In the Toyama Bay, in the central Japan Sea, the squid are found in fantastic abundance. Normally living at 1200 feet underwater, waves in the Toyama bay push the squid to the surface in massive numbers where they are fished from March to June.

Cymbol bubble snail  by Okinawa Nature Photography

Cymbol bubble snail by Okinawa Nature Photography

Zebra striped anenome  by Nick Hobgood on flickr

Zebra striped anenome by Nick Hobgood on flickr

Salp chain by  by Davichin

Salp chain by by Davichin

Salps are tunicates that swim by jet propulsion, taking in water through a siphon at one end of their bodies and expelling it at the other. Four-inch (10.2-centimeter) salps link together to make luminous chains up to fifteen feet (4.6 meters) long!

sea, Salp Chain. Salps are any of various transparent barrel-shaped or fusiform free-swimming tunicates (class Thaliacea) abundant in warm seas.

Another salp chain.

Another salp chain.

The bristle-like appendage of an amphipod—a type of marine crustacean. The bristles serve as a sort of fishing net for plankton.

The bristle-like appendage of an amphipod—a type of marine crustacean. The bristles serve as a sort of fishing net for plankton.

White tentacle Japanese Aeolis.

White tentacle Japanese Aeolis.

Ping pong tree sponge from Mariana's trench

Ping pong tree sponge from Mariana’s trench

Fish swim in schools to appear larger to their predators.

Fish swim in schools to appear larger to their predators.

article-2196238-14C3C532000005DC-634_964x639

By R. Dirscherl/Photoshot/Solent

fish-diver

School of fish makes way for sharks. Maldives Islands

School of fish makes way for sharks. Maldives Islands

School-of-FishCouldn't find the photographer but was13704960014d030dd340d9bf00eed8f8a68239For more sea images and information, go to:  Seaslugs, or Sea Dragons, or Sea Horses, or Sea Stars or the weird frogfish.  Info about the sea horses is especially fascinating, if you haven’t read it.

Thanks to:  Sam Pryor on Pinterest,  an article by Kaushik on amusing planet, and to all the diving photographers who took these amazing pictures and whose identity I could not find.

 

 

33 thoughts on “Sealife

  1. I have always loved octapi (?), and this outdoes anything I could have imagined! Nature is brilliant in so many ways, and if we humans don’t screw it up, may it continue forever.

    The other wonder are seahorses—have you done these, Dusky? The moment of birth from the male “stomach” is miraculous!

    thanks again for opening our eyes, Dusky! Lorie

  2. Mother Nature’s palette is more awesome than anything artists could imagine! Loved all of these!
    Rose

  3. Again you have compiled beauty for all of us to admire…thank you so much for the pure joy and “wonderland” you create. You are the BEST!

  4. Dusky–these are spectacular–I almost couldn’t believe the colors are real and untouched. Just amazing and open my heart to all the mysteries of things and colors…thank you so much…

  5. Beautiful I am not able to describe my joy and happiness. I thank those guys who made such a big effort to show us the world under the water.

  6. Beautiful photos. Those creatures are magnificent . I have had several aquariums , most of them were salt water. you never get tired of looking into them. Great work, thanks.

  7. To me, if I never got another e_mail, this would be the one I would really miss. You capture all the beauty on our planet

  8. As a transplant from the midwest, I’m so pleased to live so close to the ocean. When I sit on ocean bluffs, I’ve always been in awe thinking of the life forms below the surface.
    Thanks once more, Dusky.

  9. Fabulous,riot of colors,and and the forms are amazing. One wonders How HE has time devoted to each of them to shape, color and imbued them with the strength to with stand the huge water pressure under sea.It is mind boggling and thanks to you for sharing and the credit goes to underwater photographers to have done an exceptional photography.

  10. Again Dusky you find some of the most beautiful stuff. Im currently working on a bathroom that the walls are a photo mural of under the see or perhaps on a reef some where. So these pictures are so perfect as to what Im working on as well. Thanks again for this wonder. Tim

  11. i signed up to receive new wonders by e-mail a couple of weeks ago…as of yet i’ve received nothing, should i be worried?

  12. I just love ,love,love everything I have watched. all of them are just so wonderful ..Hope to see many more ..Birds are my very favorite mjc.

  13. What can I add to all the thanks and expressions of wonder at the beauty of nature?
    Please continue to give us the joy of admiring it.

  14. Hi! First off, beautiful post! I am in awe of the variety and color found in sea creatures, and what lovely photos you chose to represent this. I just wanted to mention that the photo of the “leafy sea dragon” is really an artwork, and not a real leafy sea dragon. Notice the two diver silhouettes in her belly? Really leafy sea dragon are only bout 18 inches long and do not eat people. Probably confusing coming from National Geographic.

  15. Karen,
    I must say, I don’t know what to make of that image of the leafy sea dragon. I see the divers which certainly aren’t in the belly of the animal. I can only imagine that I was mistaken that I got that image from National Geographic. I totally trust them with presenting real images–and being able to identify anything photoshopped or painted. Maybe the image above was the one from Nat’l Geo. and I got mixed up. Anyway, good spotting–thanks. I’m stumped.

  16. Pingback: Fabric Fun Friday Week 3! – Kittens & Threads

  17. The most beautiful creations that God made for us, I could never pick a favorite among them..they are all breathtaking…if I had a favorite it would be the seahorse on the white coral.

  18. Pingback: What Caught My Eye This Week – Hopewell's Public Library of Life

  19. WOW !!!!!! I really can’t get much more out….. What a wonderful creator we have !!!!! WOW. !!!!!!!!!

  20. Hi! I am painting a 60 foot very detailed mural of a coral reef for a children’s library, and I cannot tell you the wonder and inspiration I received from these. I look at photos of coral, fish, and reef creatures all day long, for months and these are just outstanding. Thank you so much.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *