Underwater

On the left, white foam rushes through a rocky coral reef channel; on the right, turquoise ocean meets an exposed coral flat from above.

Watch A Hidden Reef Rise From the Sea As Wildlife Scrambles for Safety

For most of the day, Australia’s Montgomery Reef hides beneath the Indian Ocean. Then the tide retreats, waterfalls erupt and a vast living platform appears from the sea.

Watch A Hidden Reef Rise From the Sea As Wildlife Scrambles for Safety

For most of the day, Australia’s Montgomery Reef hides beneath the Indian Ocean. Then the tide retreats, waterfalls erupt and a vast living platform appears from the sea.

On the left, two sea lions touch noses on a rocky beach near a transport crate; on the right, a single sea lion pup looks toward the camera.

San Francisco’s Wandering Sea Lion Finally Sees the Pacific Again

Uplifting rescue: a malnourished sea lion pup named Irving was rehabilitated and released back into the wild in Monterey.

San Francisco’s Wandering Sea Lion Finally Sees the Pacific Again

Uplifting rescue: a malnourished sea lion pup named Irving was rehabilitated and released back into the wild in Monterey.

On the left, tourists on an orange boat watch humpback whales breach nearby; on the right, a humpback whale surfaces beside a large dark ship in snowfall.

Fewer Than 370 Right Whales Remain and Ships Keep Killing Them

Fewer than 370 North Atlantic right whales survive today, and ship strikes remain one of the most preventable threats they face. A real-time warning system already exists — but it...

Fewer Than 370 Right Whales Remain and Ships Keep Killing Them

Fewer than 370 North Atlantic right whales survive today, and ship strikes remain one of the most preventable threats they face. A real-time warning system already exists — but it...

On the left, two gloved workers examine a small otter on a metal grate; on the right, a person releases an animal from a crate into a rocky stream.

Driver Finds an Otter Injured Beside the Road and Refuses to Leave Him There

Uplifting river otter rescue in Vacaville shows how local wildlife rescue and careful release restored an injured otter.

Driver Finds an Otter Injured Beside the Road and Refuses to Leave Him There

Uplifting river otter rescue in Vacaville shows how local wildlife rescue and careful release restored an injured otter.

On the left, two beluga whales swim together underwater in blue depths; on the right, two beluga whales surface with open mouths in turquoise water.

Two Young Male Belugas Named Gimli and Yukon Are Finally Safe After a Years-Long Fight to Save Their Lives

Thirty beluga whales lived under the threat of euthanasia inside a shuttered Canadian park — until a last-minute international rescue pulled them back from the brink. Two young males named...

Two Young Male Belugas Named Gimli and Yukon Are Finally Safe After a Years-Long Fight to Save Their Lives

Thirty beluga whales lived under the threat of euthanasia inside a shuttered Canadian park — until a last-minute international rescue pulled them back from the brink. Two young males named...

On the left, a sleek shark glides through clear blue ocean water amid smaller fish; on the right, a great white shark lunges from dark water with jaws open, biting.

Scientists Keep Finding the Wildest Things Ever Stuffed Inside Shark Stomachs

A suit of medieval armor. A whole reindeer — antlers and all. A tattooed human arm that cracked open a murder investigation. Sharks have been swallowing the most jaw-dropping objects...

Scientists Keep Finding the Wildest Things Ever Stuffed Inside Shark Stomachs

A suit of medieval armor. A whole reindeer — antlers and all. A tattooed human arm that cracked open a murder investigation. Sharks have been swallowing the most jaw-dropping objects...