Sharks

A hawksbill sea turtle munches away on a sponge near Juno Beach.

Journey Under the Sea With 15 Amazing Photos of Marine Life

These Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest images feature the captivating creatures that live beneath the waves

An orca hunting sea lion pups on an Argentinian beach in 2006. Before the recent study, killer whales had only been observed hunting white sharks in groups.

Single Orca Spotted Killing a Great White Shark for the First Time Ever

In less than two minutes, the marine mammal attacked a juvenile white shark and ripped out its liver in an encounter off the coast of South Africa last year

Want to know what a sand tiger shark has been eating? Look to its teeth.

What Centuries-Old Shark Teeth Reveal About Brazil's Ocean

Researchers examined the remnants of a 13th-century fishing site to get a picture of how the marine ecosystem has changed

Northern gannets plunge into the water to hunt in Shetland. This image won the British Waters Wide Angle category.

See 15 Otherworldly Images From the Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards

A hunting monkey, 'kissing' scorpionfish and playful dolphins feature in just a few of the 130 striking photographs distinguished with honors in the competition

Charlotte, a round stingray, was determined to be pregnant, despite not having a male ray companion for at least eight years.

A Female Stingray That Hasn't Had a Mate in Eight Years Is Mysteriously Pregnant. Is a Shark the Father?

Though the round stingray, named Charlotte, shares her aquarium tank with two male sharks, experts say it is impossible for a shark to impregnate a ray

An artist’s illustration of Glikmanius careforum swimming beneath Troglocladodus trimblei in ancient waters.

Paleontologists Discover Two New Shark Species From Fossils in Mammoth Cave National Park

The "active predators" prowled the oceans more than 325 million years ago, before the time of Pangea

A great white shark cruises through Atlantic waters.

Fifty Years After ‘Jaws,’ We’ve Learned a Lot About Great Whites

Though sport fishing tournaments and other activities led to population declines in the 1970s and 1980s, more recent science and conservation efforts have helped the sharks rebound

The shark, which researchers suggest is a newborn great white, seen off California's coast in July 2023.

'Extremely Rare' Sighting of Newborn Great White Shark Reported Off California Coast

If confirmed, the discovery could shed light on where the sharks give birth and mate, which has remained mysterious to scientists

A museum curator gives a sense of scale to the reconstructed jaws of the fossil shark Otodus megalodon.

Was Megalodon Slimmer Than Previously Thought?

A new study has spurred scientists to debate the shape of prehistory’s biggest shark

A group of grey reef sharks and blacktip reef sharks at La Vallée Blanche in French Polynesia in 2018.

Sharks Are Being Killed at Rising Rates Despite Increased Regulations

Global bans on finning have inadvertently opened up shark meat markets, prompting demand for threatened species, a new study reveals

This year's list includes The Horses, Still Life, Believable: Traveling with My Ancestors, and more.

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2023

Our favorite titles this year will make readers feel the power of visual storytelling

Great white sharks were once abundant in South Africa’s False Bay and Gansbaai regions. But now, they appear to have ventured to safer waters elsewhere.

Where Did South Africa's Missing Sharks Go?

After a spate of orca attacks spooked the fish, they have now been found

Caribbean reef sharks are as comfortable cruising coastal coral reefs as diving 1,000 feet into the depths. 

Efforts to Bring Back the Caribbean Reef Shark May Become a Conservation Success Story

The endangered creature is a target for fishing off the coast of the Bahamas—and a magnet for ecotourists who just might save it

Scientists know very little about the social behaviors of great white sharks, but they're trying to learn more.

How Two Great White Shark 'Buddies' Could Change Perceptions of the Species

A pair of great white sharks named Simon and Jekyll have been swimming together for more than 4,000 miles in recent months

Antlers remain intact for hundreds to thousands of years.

How Conservation Paleobiology Serves as a Guide for Restoring Ecosystems

Researchers use historic remnants like antlers, shells, teeth and pollen to learn how natural communities once worked

The young swell shark glows under a blacklight. The swell shark's eyes have adapted to filter out other wavelengths of light so they can better see other sharks.

See the Baby Glow-in-the-Dark Shark Hatched at the Tennessee Aquarium

In coastal waters, swell sharks appear a glowing green color to other members of their species due to a special eye adaptation

Ian Shaw, Demetri Goritas and Liam Murray Scott perform in The Shark Is Broken during the show's 2021 run in London. Ian Shaw reprises his role on Broadway, playing his father, Robert Shaw, while co-stars Colin Donnell and Alex Brightman play Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, respectively.

'The Shark Is Broken' Brings the Making of 'Jaws' to Broadway

The play examines the tensions stirring between the film's three leads as they navigate a chaotic production process

Can a shark be aerodynamic? Like a rocket shooting up into the sky, aiming toward the sun, this blue shark near Pico Island in Portugal’s Azores archipelago rips through the water. Blue sharks’ average top speed is around 40 miles per hour.

15 Shark Photos That Will Terrify and Delight You This Summer

In a collection pulled from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, catch a wave with these predators of the sea

The massive sharks known as megalodons ruled the oceans for some 20 million years.

Megalodons Were Warm-Blooded—and It Was a Blessing and a Curse

The giant sharks likely warmed some of their body parts, helping them grow massive but leaving them vulnerable to environmental changes, a new study finds

Blacktip reef sharks are one of five common species of reef sharks that are disappearing.

Reef Sharks Are Disappearing Around the World

A massive new study found a staggering decline of these top predators, which help balance vulnerable coral reef ecosystems and their food chains

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