This Week's Most Frequently Viewed Images

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Double-crested cormorant in breeding plumage showing crest feathers on head. La Jolla, California, USA, Phalacrocorax auritus
Double-crested cormorant in breeding plumage showing crest feathers on head. La Jolla, California, USA.
Species: Double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 36769  
Pacific harbor seal swims in the protected waters of Childrens Pool in La Jolla, California. This group of harbor seals, which has formed a breeding colony at a small but popular beach near San Diego, is at the center of considerable controversy. While harbor seals are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other legislation, local interests would like to see the seals leave so that people can resume using the beach, Phoca vitulina richardsi
Pacific harbor seal swims in the protected waters of Childrens Pool in La Jolla, California. This group of harbor seals, which has formed a breeding colony at a small but popular beach near San Diego, is at the center of considerable controversy. While harbor seals are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other legislation, local interests would like to see the seals leave so that people can resume using the beach.
Species: Pacific harbor seal, Phoca vitulina richardsi
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 03018  
The Mandelbrot Fractal. Fractals are complex geometric shapes that exhibit repeating patterns typified by self-similarity, or the tendency for the details of a shape to appear similar to the shape itself. Often these shapes resemble patterns occurring naturally in the physical world, such as spiraling leaves, seemingly random coastlines, erosion and liquid waves. Fractals are generated through surprisingly simple underlying mathematical expressions, producing subtle and surprising patterns. The basic iterative expression for the Mandelbrot set is z = z-squared + c, operating in the complex (real, imaginary) number set, Mandelbrot set
The Mandelbrot Fractal. Fractals are complex geometric shapes that exhibit repeating patterns typified by self-similarity, or the tendency for the details of a shape to appear similar to the shape itself. Often these shapes resemble patterns occurring naturally in the physical world, such as spiraling leaves, seemingly random coastlines, erosion and liquid waves. Fractals are generated through surprisingly simple underlying mathematical expressions, producing subtle and surprising patterns. The basic iterative expression for the Mandelbrot set is z = z-squared + c, operating in the complex (real, imaginary) number set.
Species: Mandelbrot fractal, Mandelbrot set
Image ID: 10370  
Coast Highway 101, looking south from Del Mar, with Los Penasquitos Marsh on the left and the cliffs of Torrey Pines State Reserve and La Jolla in the distance, San Diego, California
Coast Highway 101, looking south from Del Mar, with Los Penasquitos Marsh on the left and the cliffs of Torrey Pines State Reserve and La Jolla in the distance.
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 22434  
Kelp fronds reach the surface and spread out to form a canopy, Santa Barbara Island, Macrocystis pyrifera
Kelp fronds reach the surface and spread out to form a canopy, Santa Barbara Island.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Santa Barbara Island, California
Image ID: 06107  
Oakum boys, juvenile king penguins at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island. Named 'oakum boys' by sailors for the resemblance of their brown fluffy plumage to the color of oakum used to caulk timbers on sailing ships, these year-old penguins will soon shed their fluffy brown plumage and adopt the colors of an adult, Aptenodytes patagonicus
Oakum boys, juvenile king penguins at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island. Named 'oakum boys' by sailors for the resemblance of their brown fluffy plumage to the color of oakum used to caulk timbers on sailing ships, these year-old penguins will soon shed their fluffy brown plumage and adopt the colors of an adult.
Species: King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus
Location: Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island
Image ID: 24406  
Humpback whale blowhole, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Humpback whale blowhole.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 04284  
Ocean sunfish and photographer, open ocean, Mola mola, San Diego, California
Ocean sunfish and photographer, open ocean.
Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola mola
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 03323  
Blue whale, exhaling in a huge blow as it swims at the surface between deep dives. The blue whale's blow is a combination of water spray from around its blowhole and condensation from its warm breath, Balaenoptera musculus, San Diego, California
Blue whale, exhaling in a huge blow as it swims at the surface between deep dives. The blue whale's blow is a combination of water spray from around its blowhole and condensation from its warm breath.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 34560  
Ocean sunfish, open ocean, Baja California, Mola mola
Ocean sunfish, open ocean, Baja California.
Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola mola
Image ID: 06413  
San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is to the left, and downtown San Diego is to the right in this view looking north
San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is to the left, and downtown San Diego is to the right in this view looking north.
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 22288  
Tail and hind end of an American black bear, Ursus americanus, Orr, Minnesota
Tail and hind end of an American black bear.
Species: American black bear, Ursus americanus
Location: Orr, Minnesota
Image ID: 18798  
Cardon cactus, near La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. Known as the elephant cactus or Mexican giant cactus, cardon is largest cactus in the world and is endemic to the deserts of the Baja California peninsula. Some specimens of cardon have been measured over 21m (70) high. These slow-growing plants live up to 300 years and can weigh 25 tons. Cardon is often mistaken for the superficially similar saguaro of Arizona and Sonora, but the saguaro does not occupy Baja California, Pachycereus pringlei
Cardon cactus, near La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. Known as the elephant cactus or Mexican giant cactus, cardon is largest cactus in the world and is endemic to the deserts of the Baja California peninsula. Some specimens of cardon have been measured over 21m (70) high. These slow-growing plants live up to 300 years and can weigh 25 tons. Cardon is often mistaken for the superficially similar saguaro of Arizona and Sonora, but the saguaro does not occupy Baja California.
Species: Cardon cactus, Elephant cactus, Pachycereus pringlei
Location: La Paz, Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 05498  
Four-eyed fish, found in the Amazon River delta of South America. The name four-eyed fish is actually a misnomer. It has only two eyes, but both are divided into aerial and aquatic parts. The two retinal regions of each eye, working in concert with two different curvatures of the eyeball above and below water to account for the difference in light refractivity for air and water, allow this amazing fish to see clearly above and below the water surface simultaneously, Anableps anableps
Four-eyed fish, found in the Amazon River delta of South America. The name four-eyed fish is actually a misnomer. It has only two eyes, but both are divided into aerial and aquatic parts. The two retinal regions of each eye, working in concert with two different curvatures of the eyeball above and below water to account for the difference in light refractivity for air and water, allow this amazing fish to see clearly above and below the water surface simultaneously.
Species: Four-eyed fish, Anableps anableps
Image ID: 09380  
Juvenile red abalone, Haliotis rufescens
Juvenile red abalone.
Species: Red abalone, Haliotis rufescens
Image ID: 08635  
Walter Pyramid, Cal State Long Beach. The home of Long Beach State basketball and volleyball for over 15 years, the Walter Pyramid has become a nationally recognized icon for the university and the city of Long Beach. Designed by Long Beach architect Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction Company of San Diego, The Walter Pyramid cost approximately $22 million
Walter Pyramid, Cal State Long Beach. The home of Long Beach State basketball and volleyball for over 15 years, the Walter Pyramid has become a nationally recognized icon for the university and the city of Long Beach. Designed by Long Beach architect Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction Company of San Diego, The Walter Pyramid cost approximately $22 million.
Location: Long Beach, California
Image ID: 26786  
Panorama dimensions: 9657 x 13092
San Diego City Skyline at Sunset, viewed from Point Loma, Shelter Island Yacht Club in the foreground, San Diego Bay, Mount San Miguel (right) and Lyons Peak (left) in distance
San Diego City Skyline at Sunset, viewed from Point Loma, Shelter Island Yacht Club in the foreground, San Diego Bay, Mount San Miguel (right) and Lyons Peak (left) in distance.
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 36749  
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 this blue 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 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 this blue 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.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: California
Image ID: 27299  
Seen at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Seen at the American Museum of Natural History.
Location: American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Image ID: 11254  
Striations in sandstone tell of eons of sedimentary deposits, a visible geologic record of the time when this region was under the sea, North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
Striations in sandstone tell of eons of sedimentary deposits, a visible geologic record of the time when this region was under the sea.
Location: North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
Image ID: 20612  
Ocean sunfish recruiting fish near drift kelp to clean parasites, open ocean, Baja California, Mola mola
Ocean sunfish recruiting fish near drift kelp to clean parasites, open ocean, Baja California.
Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola mola
Image ID: 03267  
Blade Runner, the injured North Pacific humpback whale, is seen with her calf swimming alongside. This humpback whale showing extensive scarring, almost certainly from a boat propeller, on dorsal ridge. This female North Pacific humpback whale was first seen with the depicted lacerations near the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands in the mid-90s, and is the original humpback to bear the name 'Blade Runner'. This female has apparently recovered, as evidenced by her calf in the background. A South Pacific humpback whale endured a similar injury in Sydney Australia in 2001, and bears a remarkably similar scar pattern to the above-pictured whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Blade Runner, the injured North Pacific humpback whale, is seen with her calf swimming alongside. This humpback whale showing extensive scarring, almost certainly from a boat propeller, on dorsal ridge. This female North Pacific humpback whale was first seen with the depicted lacerations near the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands in the mid-90s, and is the original humpback to bear the name 'Blade Runner'. This female has apparently recovered, as evidenced by her calf in the background. A South Pacific humpback whale endured a similar injury in Sydney Australia in 2001, and bears a remarkably similar scar pattern to the above-pictured whale.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 05907  
Rocky shallows in Jackson Lake with Mount Moran in the background, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Rocky shallows in Jackson Lake with Mount Moran in the background.
Location: Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 07410  
Aerial View of Namena Marine Reserve and Coral Reefs, Namena Island, Fiji
Aerial View of Namena Marine Reserve and Coral Reefs, Namena Island, Fiji.
Location: Namena Marine Reserve, Namena Island, Fiji
Image ID: 34686  
Panorama dimensions: 5617 x 11605
Florida Manatee at Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida, Trichechus manatus
Florida Manatee at Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida.
Species: West indian manatee, Trichechus manatus
Location: Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida
Image ID: 36329  
Trocadero. The Trocadero, site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower
Trocadero. The Trocadero, site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
Location: Trocadero, Paris, France
Image ID: 28259  
Hammerhead sharks, schooling over sand, Darwin Island, Galapagos, Sphyrna lewini
Hammerhead sharks, schooling over sand, Darwin Island, Galapagos.
Species: Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini
Location: Darwin Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Image ID: 16255  
Horn shark, Heterodontus francisci, San Clemente Island
Horn shark.
Species: Horn shark, Heterodontus francisci
Location: San Clemente Island, California
Image ID: 01071  
An enormous blue whale rounds out (hunches up its back) before diving. Note the distinctive mottled skin pattern and small, falcate dorsal fin. Open ocean offshore of San Diego, Balaenoptera musculus
An enormous blue whale rounds out (hunches up its back) before diving. Note the distinctive mottled skin pattern and small, falcate dorsal fin. Open ocean offshore of San Diego.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 07577  
Ceiling art detail, Chateau de Versailles, Paris, France
Ceiling art detail.
Location: Chateau de Versailles, Paris, France
Image ID: 28069  
Panorama dimensions: 5392 x 6250
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All photographs copyright © Phillip Colla / Oceanlight.com, all rights reserved worldwide.