Lava lizard (Microlophus spp,) on top of marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), Las Bachas, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, South America

Lava lizard (Microlophus spp,) on top of marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), Las Bachas, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, South America

A Black-finned snake eel (Ophichthus cephalozona) pokes its head out of a sandy seafloor in Indonesia. This tropical region, within the Coral Triangle, is home to an incredible variety of marine life.

Gentoo penguin lying down in sleet, Antarctica, Polar Regions

A snowflake moray eel (Echidna nebulosa) pokes its head out of a hole in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This beautiful area harbors extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi), at new haul out on Las Animas Island, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Blue Footed Booby (Sula nebouxii), a marine bird found in the Eastern Pacific whose unusual blue feet feature in courtship rituals, Galapagos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Adult California gray whale (Eschrictius robustus), spy-hopping in San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California, Mexico, North America

Nile tiger fish. Hydrocynus forskalii. Close-up of head. Okavango river, botswana

Seal (mirounga leonina) pup, close-up of face, south georgia.

Jackass penguin (spheniscus demersus) portrait, native of southern africa (captive bristol zoo).

Rockhopper penguin (eudyptes chrysocome) new island, falkland islands, portrait.

Macaroni penguin (eudyptes chrysolophus) hercules bay, south georgia, close-up showing crest feathers.

Macaroni penguin (eudyptes chrysolophus) cooper bay, south georgia, close-up of head, portrait.

Rockhopper penguin (eudyptes chrysocome) new island, falkland islands, portrait.

King penguin (aptenodytes patagonicus) right whale bay, south georgia, close-up of head and neck

Gentoo penguin (pygoscelis papua) ocean harbour, south georgia, portrait, in snow.

Gentoo penguin (pygoscelis papua) ocean harbour, south georgia, calling, head pointed skywards.

Rockhopper penguin (eudyptes chrysocome) bleaker island, falkland islands, close-up of head.

King penguin (aptenodytes patagonicus) south georgia, preening, close-up.

Striated caracara (phalcoboenus australis) new island, falkland islands, portrait.

The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic

The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic

The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic

Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) chick head detail at colony on Useful Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. There are an estimated 2 million breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic peninsula region alone, perhaps as many as 7.5 million breeding pairs in all of Antarctica. Their name derives from the narrow black band under their heads which makes it appear as if they are wearing black helmets, making them one of the most easily identified types of penguin. Other names for them are "Ringed Penguins", "Bearded Penguins", and "Stonecracker Penguins" due to their harsh call. They grow to 68 cm (27 in). The average adult weight of a Chinstrap Penguin is 4.5 kg (10 lbs). Weight can range from 3 to 6 kg (6.6-13.2 lbs), with males being slightly larger and weight varying based on where the penguin is in the breeding cycle. Their diet consists of krill, shrimp, and fish. On land they build circular nests from stones, and lay two eggs, which are incubated by both the male and the female for shifts of five to ten days. They can also breed on icebergs, though they prefer non-icy conditions. The chicks hatch after about 35 days, and have fluffy gray backs and white fronts. The chicks stay in the nest for 20?30 days before they go to join a creche. At around 50?60 days old, they moult, gaining their adult plumage and go to sea. The Chinstrap Penguin was first described by German naturalist Forster in 1781. Its specific epithet was often seen as antarctica, however a 2002 review determined the genus Pygoscelis was masculine, and hence the correct binomial name is Pygoscelis antarcticus.

Pollack eye, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Animal Abstract

Sperm whale (physeter macrocephalus) A sperm whale dives alongside its companion who has an odd scar at the fron right side of its head.. The Gulf of California.

Fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) The head of a fin whale and barnacles attached.Gulf of California.

Blue whale (balaenoptera musculus) A blue whale head on showing the mouth under the water.The Gulf of California.

Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra). Surfacing, lifting its head high out of the water. Indonsia.

Soft Coral & diver. Sipadan has some of the best dropoffs in the world. Subsequently, here grows some of the prettiest corals (hard & soft) in the Pacific. Sipadan, Malaysia

western king wrasse (coris auricularis), male, dark pink colour with reddish-brown band running around boby and blue-green colouration over the head, wild, day, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, reef edges, sand, seagrass, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: social structure where dominant male, usually the biggest in the area, will have a harem of females. When the male dies or is absent for any length of time the largest female will change sex and dominate the group.

King Penguins on the beach head to head, South Georgia

Gray whale (eschrictius robustus) A gray whale sticks the top of its head out of the water beside a boat. Pacific Mexico.

White-eyed moray eel, Siderea thyrsoidea. Often pokes its head out of holes and crevices on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean.

An adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) head-lunging off Point Adolphus in Icy Strait in Southeast Alaska, USA. Pacific Ocean

The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic

Soft Coral & diver. Siamil Island, Malaysia

Young Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) spy-hopping (note the sloughing skin) in the mid-riff region of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Mexico.

Adult California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) surfacing (note barnacles and whale lice) in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Long-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis) surfacing (note the blow behind head) in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Mexico.

Ballan Wrasse, Labrus bergylta, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Animal Abstract

Gray whale (eschrichtius robustus) A graywhale approaches a boat, the eye clealry visible. Pacific Ocean

Aerial view of adult humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) cooperatively "bubble-net" feeding in Southeast Alaska, USA

Humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) The heads of two humpback whales, one chasing the other. Gulf of California.

Black-blotched porcupinefish (Diodon liturosus), Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Asia

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) with a lava lizard on top of its head in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador

Adult male walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard Archipelago, Barents Sea, Norway

Close up of cuttlefish. UK

Leucistic Antarctic Fur Seal pup, Arctocephalus gazella, South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean. Leucism is a general term for the phenotype resulting from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from the neural crest to skin, hair or feathers . This results in either the entire body surface or patches of the body surface having a lack of cells capable of making pigment.

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Ocean

Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Pembrokeshire, Wales, Animal Abstract

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) with Sally lightfoot crab in the Galapagos Island Archipeligo, Ecuador

Adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) head-lunging in the fjord of Isfjardardjup, Iceland

South American Sea Lion (Otaria flavescens) hauled out on small rocky islet just outside Ushuaia, Beagle Channel, Argentina

Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) cooperatively bubble-net feeding in Chatham Strait (upper jaw and baleen detail) in Southeast Alaska, USA. Pacific Ocean.

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador

Leucistic Antarctic Fur Seal pup, Arctocephalus gazella, amongst normally coloured animals, South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean. Leucism is a general term for the phenotype resulting from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from the neural crest to skin, hair or feathers . This results in either the entire surface or patches of the body surface having a lack of cells capable of making pigment.

Sperm whale (physeter macrocephalus) A sperm whale head pushing up a wave. The Gulf of California.

Common dolphin (delphinus delphis) The head of a common dolphin.Gulf of California.

Adult male walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard Archipelago, Barents Sea, Norway

Gray whale (eschrichtius robustus) A gray whale head is clasped by whale watchers. Mexico.

Common dolphin (delphinus delphis) The head of an approaching dolphin. Gulf of California.

Adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) head-lunging in the fjord of Isfjardardjup, Iceland

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Ocean

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) with a lava lizard on top of its head in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador

Pollack eye, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Animal Abstract

Sperm whale (physeter macrocephalus) A sperm whale head and wave. The Gulf of California.

Adult male walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) at Torellneset, a point on Nordaustlandet Island in the Hinlopenstretet in the Svalbard Archipelago in the Barents Sea, Norway

Pacific Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) resting against coral head off Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.

Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra). Surfacing, lifting its head high out of the water. Indonsia.

Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis sp.), head detail, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Asia

Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador. Pacific Ocean.

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pup on the island of South Georgia, southern Atlantic Ocean

The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic

Short finned pilot whale (globicephala macrocephalus) A pilot whale head and eye in a calm sea. Canary Islands

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador

California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calf surfacing in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calf surfacing in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

The endemic Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Ocean

Blue whale (balaenoptera musculus) A submerging blue whale head.The Gulf of California.

Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) swimming along or hauled out on fast ice floe in Bourgeois Fjord near the Antarctic Peninsula

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Ocean

Adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) head-lunging in the fjord of Isfjardardjup, Iceland

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Ocean

California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calf surfacing (note eye and mouthline) in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pup on the island of South Georgia, southern Atlantic Ocean

Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) at cleaning station at Olowalu Reef, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Spotted dolphins (stenella frontalis) Close up of a spotted dolphin head and eye. Canary Islands.

Curious young South American Sea Lions (Otaria flavescens) approach the boat at sunset near New Island in the Falkland Islands

California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calf surfacing (note eye and mouthline) in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador. Pacific Ocean.

California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calf surfacing in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Adult humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) cooperatively "bubble-net" feeding in Southeast Alaska, USA. Pacific Ocean

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Ocean

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pup on the island of South Georgia, southern Atlantic Ocean

California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calf surfacing in the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Pembrokeshire, Wales, Animal Abstract