Blue whale underwater closeup photo. This picture of a blue whale, the largest animal ever to inhabit earth, shows it swimming through the open ocean, a rare underwater view. Since the whale was approximately 80-90' long and just a few feet from the camera, an extremely wide lens was used to photograph the entire enormous whale, Balaenoptera musculus

Blue whale close-up underwater portrait, taken breath-hold diving just a few feet away from the enormous blue whale with a fisheye lens.

 North Pacific humpback whales, a mother and calf pair swim closely together just under the surface of the ocean. The calf with remain with its mother for about a year, migrating from Hawaii to Alaska to feed on herring, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui

North Pacific humpback whales, a mother and calf pair swim closely together just under the surface of the ocean. The calf with remain with its mother for about a year, migrating from Hawaii to Alaska to feed on herring. Megaptera novaeangliae, Molokai, Hawaii.

 North Pacific humpback whale, breach, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui

Humpback whale breaching, near Molokai, Hawaii. Megaptera novaeangliae. It is suspected the breaching often has a communicative purpose which depends on the behavioral context of the moment.
Guadalupe fur seal, floating upside down under the ocean's surface at Guadalupe Island, watching the photographer and looking for passing predators, Arctocephalus townsendi, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe)

Adult male, Guadalupe fur seal, floating upside down under the ocean's surface at Guadalupe Island, watching the photographer and looking for passing predators, Arctocephalus townsendi, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Mexico.

 Brown pelican in flight. The wingspan of the brown pelican is over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status. In winter months, breeding adults assume a dramatic plumage, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, La Jolla

Brown pelican in flight at sunrise, La Jolla, Pelecanus occidentalis

 Male elk bugling during the fall rut. Large male elk are known as bulls. Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Male elk engage in competitive mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling and bugling, a loud series of screams which is intended to establish dominance over other males and attract females, Cervus canadensis, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Male elk bugling during the fall rut, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Cervus canadensis.
Full grown, mature male coastal brown bear boar (grizzly bear) in sedge grass meadows, Ursus arctos, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

Mature male coastal brown bear boar (grizzly bear) in sedge grass meadows. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Ursus arctos.

 A Florida manatee, or West Indian Manatee, swims slowly through the clear waters of Crystal River, Trichechus manatus, Three Sisters Springs

West Indian Manatee, swims slowly through the clear waters of Crystal River, Florida. Trichechus manatus.

 Portrait of a young brown bear, pausing while grazing in tall sedge grass. Brown bears can consume 30 lbs of sedge grass daily, waiting weeks until spawning salmon fill the rivers, Ursus arctos, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

Young coastal brown bear, pausing while grazing in tall sedge grass, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Ursus arctos.
Galapagos shark swims over a reef in the Galapagos Islands, with schooling fish in the distance, Carcharhinus galapagensis, Wolf Island

Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis) at Wolf Island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

 A great white shark swims through the clear waters of Isla Guadalupe, far offshore of the Pacific Coast of Mexico's Baja California. Guadalupe Island is host to a concentration of large great white sharks, which visit the island to feed on pinnipeds and use it as a staging area before journeying farther into the Pacific ocean, Carcharodon carcharias, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe)

Great White Shark, Guadalupe Island

 Brown booby flying over Rose Atoll at sunset, with dark colorful storm clouds and other birds in the background, Sula leucogaster, Rose Atoll National Wildlife Sanctuary

Brown Booby, Rose Atoll National Wildlife Sanctuary
A white tern, or fairy tern, alights on a branch at Rose Atoll in American Samoa, Gygis alba, Rose Atoll National Wildlife Sanctuary

Fairy Tern, Rose Atoll National Wildlife Sanctuary

 A blue shark swims through the open ocean in search of prey, backlit by the sunset, Prionace glauca, San Diego, California

A blue shark swims through the open ocean in search of prey, backlit by the sunset. Prionace glauca.

 Caribbean reef shark, ampullae of Lorenzini visible on snout, Carcharhinus perezi

Caribbean Reef Shark, Bahamas
Fin whale underwater. The fin whale is the second longest and sixth most massive animal ever, reaching lengths of 88 feet, Balaenoptera physalus

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) underwater photo, full body shot, note distinctive white coloration on the right side of the whales rostrum.

 Blue whale underwater photo showing entire whale head (rostrum) to tail (fluke). This picture of a blue whale shows it swimming through the open ocean, a rare underwater view. Specialized underwater camera gear, including an extremely wide lens, was used to capture the entire enormous whale in a single photograph, Balaenoptera musculus

Portrait of a huge adult blue whale in the open ocean, head to tail (rostrum to fluke), only a few feet away, showing detail in its eye, lips and throat pleats and skin pattern.

 Brown pelican in flight. The wingspan of the brown pelican is over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status. In winter months, breeding adults assume a dramatic plumage, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, La Jolla

Brown Pelican In Flight, La Jolla
Black bear walking in a grassy meadow. Black bears can live 25 years or more, and range in color from deepest black to chocolate and cinnamon brown. Adult males typically weigh up to 600 pounds. Adult females weight up to 400 pounds and reach sexual maturity at 3 or 4 years of age. Adults stand about 3' tall at the shoulder, Ursus americanus, Orr, Minnesota

Black bear, Minnesota. Ursus americanus.

 A huge blue whale swims through the open ocean in this aerial photograph. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on Earth, Balaenoptera musculus

A huge blue whale swims through the open ocean in this aerial photograph. Balaenoptera musculus.

 Guadalupe fur seal pup sits on brown rocks along the coastline of Guadalupe Island, Arctocephalus townsendi, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe)

Guadalupe fur seal pup sits on brown rocks along the coastline of Guadalupe Island, Arctocephalus townsendi, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Mexico.
Bull elephant seal exits the water to retake his position on the beach. He shows considerable scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon

Male elephant seal with considerable scarring from fighting other males for territory and mates. Central California. Mirounga angustirostris.

 Brown pelican head throw. During a bill throw, the pelican arches its neck back, lifting its large bill upward and stretching its throat pouch, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, La Jolla, California

Pelican Head Throw, La Jolla

 Western gull, early morning pink sky, Larus occidentalis, La Jolla, California

Western Gull, La Jolla
Northern fur seal swims through the cold waters and kelp forest of San Miguel Island, in California's northern Channel Islands, Callorhinus ursinus

Northern fur seal swims through the cold waters and kelp forest of San Miguel Island, in California's northern Channel Islands, Callorhinus ursinus.

 A neonate gray whale calf, born just hours before, still exhbiting embryonic folds in the skin along its side. This baby gray whale was born in the cold waters of Big Sur, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place, Eschrichtius robustus, Monterey

A neonate gray whale calf, born just hours before, still exhbiting embryonic folds in the skin along its side. This baby gray whale was born in the cold waters of Big Sur, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place. Monterey, California, Eschrichtius robustus.

 California sea lions, Coronado Islands, Zalophus californianus, Coronado Islands (Islas Coronado)

California Sea Lion, Coronado Islands
The bright orange garibaldi fish, California's state marine fish, is also clownlike in appearance, Hypsypops rubicundus

Garibaldi, California

 Ocean sunfish schooling, open ocean near San Diego, Mola mola

Ocean sunfish schooling, open ocean near San Diego, Mola mola.

 North Pacific humpback whale, escort in competitive group makes fast close pass, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui

Humpback Whale, Maui
California sea lion hauled out on rocks beside the ocean, Zalophus californianus, La Jolla

California Sea Lion, La Jolla

 A sea otter, resting on its back, holding its paw out of the water for warmth. While the sea otter has extremely dense fur on its body, the fur is less dense on its head, arms and paws so it will hold these out of the cold water to conserve body heat, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California

Sea Otter, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

 Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males. Central California, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon

Elephant Seal Bellowing, Piedras Blancas
Bison, Bison bison, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

American Bison, Yellowstone National Park

 Galapagos fur seal, Darwin Island, Arctocephalus galapagoensis

Galapagos Fur Seal, Darwin Island

 Atlantic spotted dolphin, juvenile, Stenella frontalis

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Bahamas
Pacific white sided dolphin, carrying drift kelp, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens, San Diego, California

Pacific White-sided Dolphin, San Diego

 Pelagic red tuna crab, open ocean, Pleuroncodes planipes, San Diego, California

What does a huge blue whale eat? Some years, they feed on aggregations of pelagic red crabs, Pleuroncodes planipes.

 Coral hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus, Wolf Island

Coral Hawkfish, Wolf Island
Coyote, Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa, California, Canis latrans

Coyote

 Brown pelican head throw. During a bill throw, the pelican arches its neck back, lifting its large bill upward and stretching its throat pouch, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, La Jolla, California

Brown Pelican Head Throw, La Jolla

 Bottlenose dolphin, breaching the surface of the ocean, offshore of San Diego, Tursiops truncatus

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skims the ocean surface.
Roosevelt elk, adult bull male with large antlers. Roosevelt elk grow to 10' and 1300 lb, eating grasses, sedges and various berries, inhabiting the coastal rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, Cervus canadensis roosevelti, Redwood National Park, California

Roosevelt Elk, Redwood National Park

 Roosevelt elk, adult bull male with large antlers. This bull elk has recently shed the velvet that covers its antlers. While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone; once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler, which is itself shed after each mating season. Roosevelt elk grow to 10' and 1300 lb, eating grasses, sedges and various berries, inhabiting the coastal rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, Cervus canadensis roosevelti, Redwood National Park, California

Roosevelt Elk, Redwood National Park

 Western gull portrait, Larus occidentalis, La Jolla, California

Western Gull, La Jolla
California brown pelican on Oceanside Pier, sitting on the pier railing, sunset, winter, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus

California Brown Pelican On Oceanside Pier

 Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Wolf Island

 Turtle, Wolf Island

Turtle, Wolf Island
Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, Wolf Island

Bottlenose Dolphin, Wolf Island

 Manta ray, Manta birostris, San Benedicto Island (Islas Revillagigedos)

Giant Manta Ray, San Benedicto Island