Leaf Scorpionfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern I saw three different species of nudibranchs between the two dives! This photo was taken while out on a dive off the coast of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Despite having been to the Pacific dozens of times, this was surprisingly my first ever dive in the […]
California Aglaja – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Although it looks like a nudibranch, it is actually a headshield slug We are looking at a marine sea slug called a California aglaja. Its scientific name is Navanax inermis. I took this photograph in about fifty feet of water in the Channel Islands National Park. This particular sea […]
Florida Box Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable As the name suggests, the California two-spot octopus has two false eye spots This month we are showcasing photographs with the theme of “Light”. This California two-spot octopus was hiding in the dark canopy of the kelp forest. This photograph is from Catalina Island, off the coast of California. We […]
Green Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered In Hawaii, green turtles are called “honu” As I glided my way over top the finger of a fringe reef off the coast of Oahu, I came across half a dozen green turtles. I knew that there are many green sea turtles in the water of Hawaii, but […]
Herring Gull – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern There are over twenty gull species in North America, but the herring gull is the most familiar to people We’ve heard about how ravens and crows are intelligent and can even fashion tools. However, most people are not aware that herring gulls have also displayed tool use. There is […]
Rock Pigeon – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Pigeons have a compact sturdy build Pigeons are a common sight in urban environments around the world. This particular bird is a rock dove, or rock pigeon. Despite their prevalence, few people understand the importance of this species to the ecosystem. Ruddy Turnstone Pigeons have a compact, […]
Ruddy Turnstone – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This ruddy turnstone is missing its right foot This small shorebird is called a ruddy turnstone. They are found on beaches across the world. In the United States, we can find them on both coasts, typically in the spring and fall. Despite sounding like a beach bum bird, these birds […]
Royal Tern – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern As the scientific name implies, royal terns are almost always found near the ocean and often on sandbars completely surrounded by water The scientific name for this bird is “Thalasseus maximus”. “Thalasseus” in ancient Greek means “sea”, and “maximus” translates to “greatest” in Latin. As the scientific name implies, […]
National Weather Service Clouds are described in three categories: cumuloform, stratoform, or cirroform. This month our gallery theme is “Clouds”. We will be exploring the different types of clouds that blanket earth. A man named Luke Howard was the first to publish a classification system for cloud types. He published this cloud classification system back in 1802! We still […]
National Weather Service Composing a photo can be tricky when you are contending with current, wind, and an environment that doesn’t allow you to use a tripod. For context, the foreground is the Atlantic Ocean and three seals. The land in the midground of this photo is Salisbury Beach State Park in Massachusetts. The clouds in the […]