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Scotland’s Newest Nature Trails Are Underwater

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is putting snorkelers up close with the country’s marine wildlife

Thanks to this evolutionary novelty, a flexible joint in the skull of dragonfishes, the creatures are able to swallow prey that is almost as big as they are.

This Hinged Skull Helps Dragonfish Eat Prey Bigger Than Its Head

Scientists have discovered the world’s only group of fish that has this unbelievable ability

The Hagfish Is the Slimy Sea Creature of Your Nightmares

The hagfish is a slime-emitting ocean-dweller that’s remained unchanged for 300 million years—and it shows. It has a skull (but no spine)

A new study on grey reef sharks turned up a few surprises.

New Research

Ocean Preserves Keep Fishing Boats Away from Grey Reef Sharks

Scientists tracked hundreds of reef sharks to find that massive marine refuges can work—with one caveat

A special fish tank designed for experiments aboard the International Space Station.

New Research

Fish Don’t Do So Well in Space

The International Space Station’s resident fish shed light on life in microgravity

This year we've seen swelling efforts to protect vast swaths of ocean. Are they scientifically sound?

Do Ocean Preserves Actually Work?

The U.S. now leads the world in protected marine areas. But are they a scientifically sound strategy?

Ask Smithsonian

Why Were Electric Cars Once Advertised as ‘Ladies’ Cars’?

Your questions answered by our experts

Want to See Installation Artist Doug Aitken’s Latest Work? Grab Your Scuba Gear

Trending Today

New Rule Will Crack Down on Fraudulent Fish

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program will require fish to be traced from the ocean to the U.S. in an attempt to stop illegal seafood

The three-spine stickleback usually forages and builds its nest near the lake bottom. But in Enos Lake, it appears to have merged with a related species that spends its time near the surface.

Extinction or Evolution? The Answer Isn’t Always Clear

The same factors that kill off some species cause others to evolve at lightning speed

Cool Finds

A Fish Prized Among King Henry’s III’s Court Could Soon Swim Back Into British Waters

Fish passes will allow shad to finally return to their historic spawning grounds

Ranching southern bluefin tuna has been a big-ticket industry in South Australia for years. One company hopes that inviting tourists to swim with the fish will prove successful, too.

A Bizarre “Swimming with Tuna” Attraction Puts Australia’s Controversial Aquaculture in the Spotlight

Is this an opportunity for conservation education, or another example of the government bending to Big Tuna?

Not all clothes are created equal.

Doing Laundry Can Be Deadly for Clams, Mollusks and Other Marine Animals

Pick your wardrobe carefully—the lives of sea animals may depend on it

DFB 45, Arès, Brandon Ballengée, 2008. Scanner photograph of cleared and stained multi-limbed Pacific Tree frog from Aptos, California in scientific collaboration with Dr. Stanley K. Sessions. Title in collaboration with the poet KuyDelair.

Art Meets Science

With Deformed Frogs and Fish, a Scientist-Artist Explores Ecological Disaster and Hope

A 20-year retrospective of Brandon Ballengée’s artwork explores humans’ connection to cold-blooded creatures

New Research

Cod May Have Regional “Accents” That Could Spawn Trouble When Breeding

Recording fish communication could help scientists learn more about the impact of underwater noise pollution

Kure Atoll, the northernmost reef in the Hawaiian archipelago, hosts mesophotic reefs with the most species unique to a specific location found in any marine ecosystem on Earth.

New Research

Here’s What Scientists Found in Hawaii’s Mysterious “Twilight Zone”

Deep coral reefs reveal their secrets in a study two decades in the making

A hammerhead caught on a longline.

Is It Too Late to Save Red Sea Sharks?

With anti-fishing laws virtually unenforced, sharks off the coast of Saudi Arabia are being fished to death

Reports found that critically endangered largetooth sawfish are sometimes passed off as shark in some fish markets.

Anthropocene

Fish Industry On the Hook for Rampant Mislabeling of Species

A new report identifies rampant fraud in the seafood industry

"Sturgeon Whisperer" Nick McCabe with his catch, the 650-pound "Pig Nose"

Trending Today

Canadian Fishermen Caught Fabled 650-Pound, Century-Old Sturgeon

Nicknamed “Pig Nose,” the fish was quickly released back into the wild

In the past few weeks, thousands of fish have gone belly-up.

The Massive Yellowstone Fish Die-Off: A Glimpse Into Our Climate Future?

This unprecedented kill reveals why we need to keep rivers resilient

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