Manta ray (Manta birostris) feeding on zooplankton by extending its cephalic lobes, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding at the surface on zooplankton, mouth open, known as ram feeding, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Male manta ray with almost pure white ventral surface, may be a new species, for now known as Manta alfredi, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Eagle rays (Mobula hypostoma) common in this area and often seen feeding on zooplankton in large groups, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Scientist and whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding at the surface on zooplankton, mouth open, known as ram feeding, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Biologist taking skin sample from a whale shark to determine what plankton types the animal has been feeding on, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Scientist free diving to make a photo identification of an individual manta ray (Manta birostris), Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Manta ray (Manta birostris) feeding on zooplankton by extending its cephalic lobes, Yum Balam Marine Protected Area, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Little village of Oqaatsut, Western Greenland, Denmark, Polar Regions

A Clark's anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) snuggles into the tentacles of its host anemone in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This beautiful area harbors extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

A colorful nudibranch, Hypselodoris tryoni, crawls across a sandy sea floor in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

Detail of anchor coral tentacles (Euphyllia sp.) growing on a reef in Indonesia. This area is known for its high marine biodiversity.

Aerial view of beautiful limestone islands scattered about the seascape in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This tropical area is known for its extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

A beautiful coral reef thrives in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, swims over a beautiful reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

An unidentified scorpionfish waits to ambush prey on a black sand slope in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

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.

A tube anemone grows on a sandy seafloor in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the western Pacific harbors an extraordinary array of marine organisms.

Beams of light descend through a wooden jetty in the Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This tropical area is known for its extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

Colorful chocolate chip starfish lie scattered on the floor of a seagrass meadow in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A beautiful coral reef thrives in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, lays on a beautiful reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A magnificent sea anemone, Heteractis magnifica, grows on a reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A bird's eye view of an idyllic island and healthy fringing reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for its marine biodiversity as well as its infamous Komodo dragons.

Vibrant soft coral colonies grow on a reef dropoff in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. This area is known for its spectacular marine biodiversity.

Coral polyps (Galaxea sp.) wait for plankton on a reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This beautiful area harbors extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

A pair of robust ghost pipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus) hover above the seafloor in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the western Pacific harbors an extraordinary array of marine organisms.

A rare roughsnout ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paegnius) hovers above the seafloor in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This beautiful area harbors extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

A lionfish (Pterois volitans) displays its venomous spines in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the western Pacific harbors an extraordinary array of marine organisms.

A blue starfish on a beautiful coral reef in the shallows of Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A banded sea krait, Laticauda colubrina, searches for prey on a coral reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This tropical area is known for its extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

Garden coral, sponges, and other invertebrates grow in a shallow seagrass meadow in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

Symbiotic anemones cover the shell of a hermit crab, Dardanus pedunculatus, in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A beautiful coral reef thrives in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A beautiful coral reef thrives in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A beautiful bouquet of tunicates and cnidarians grows on a reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A colorful nudibranch, Hypselodoris tryoni, crawls across a sandy sea floor in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

A bulbed anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) grows on a reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This beautiful area harbors extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers.

Sunlight filters into the shadows of a thick mangrove forest in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for both its amazing marine biodiversity as well its infamous dragons.

Aerial view of a healthy fringing reef along the edge of Komodo Island in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for its marine biodiversity as well as its infamous Komodo dragons.

Aerial view of the idyllic island of Gili Banta just outside of Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for its marine biodiversity as well as its infamous Komodo dragons.

A bird's eye view shows the rugged landscape of Komodo Island in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. This tropical area in the Lesser Sunda Islands is known for its marine biodiversity as well as its infamous Komodo dragons.

Panorama of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of a girl walking on a sandbank, Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of a girl walking on a sandbank, Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Panorama of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Panorama of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Panorama of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Aerial of the Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area, West Coast National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa, Africa

Marine fossils on rocks at the geological area Orti della Regina, Brenta Dolomites, Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino, Italy, Europe

Jourdan's turban (turbo jourdani) large gastropod shell, reddish-brown, Rottnest Island reef, wild, day, marine protected area, free-diving off, cool temperate waters of Western Australia. MORE INFO: Marine plant common kelp, a dominant feature of the underwater landscape. Protected areas are covered in lush growth of diverse algae, also red algea are here.

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.

tallfin batfish (platax teira), juvenile, wild, day, marine protected area, diving off Coral Bay, Ningaloo reef, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: with 3 dark bars, very long dorsal, anal and pelvic fins, feed on plankton from water column.

footballer sweep (neatypus obliquus) diagonal yellow bands are edged in black and stand out against the silvery-blue body, wild, day, marine protected area, reef, in small schools diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: other name stripey, eating green algae as they sweep over the reef.

cray pot, wild, day, Western Australian rock lobster (panulirus cygnus), marine protected area, free-diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: checking pots for crayfish, catch and release if to small or females with eggs.

Western buffalo bream (kyphosus cornelii) silvery brown colour, feeding on seaweed, schools, wild, day, silvery brown colour, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: other name buff bream, lacks the dark edging on the tail fin and dark line under the eye. Restricted to WA as name suggests.

Horseshoe leatherjacket (meuschenia hippocrepis), wild, day, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean.

Silver drummer (kyphosus sydneyanus) silvery grey colour, feeding on brown seaweed, wild, day, schools, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: other name common buffalo bream, dark tail and a distinctive dark line that looks a little like a moustache below the eye, occur in large schools. Distribution more widespread throughout Australia.

Western buffalo bream (kyphosus cornelii) silvery brown colour, feeding on seaweed, schools, wild, day, silvery brown colour, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: other name buff bream, lacks the dark edging on the tail fin and dark line under the eye. Restricted to WA as name suggests.

Silver drummer (kyphosus sydneyanus) silvery grey colour, feeding on brown seaweed, wild, day, schools, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: other name common buffalo bream, dark tail and a distinctive dark line that looks a little like a moustache below the eye, occur in large schools. Distribution more widespread throughout Australia.

Southern blue devil (paraplesiops meleagris), wild, day, solitary, bottom dwelling specie, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean.

bengal sergeant (abudefduf bengalensis) wild, day, marine protected area, diving off Coral Bay, Ningaloo reef, Western Australia, Indian Ocean. MORE INFO: has rounded, white-edged tail lobes.

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) surfacing in the mid-riff Island area of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Sonora, Mexico

Transient orca/ killer whales (Orcinus orca), travelling slowly past residential area, Hood Canal, Settle, USA, Northeastern Pacific.

Southern blue devil (paraplesiops meleagris), wild, day, solitary, bottom dwelling specie, marine protected area, diving off Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Indian Ocean.

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) surfacing in the mid-riff Island area of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Sonora, Mexico

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) surfacing in the mid-riff Island area of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Sonora, Mexico

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) surfacing in the mid-riff Island area of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Sonora, Mexico

Explorers riding a zodiac, in Seno Almirantazgo, PN Alberto de Agostini, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile

Southern Right Whale

French angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, Ilha rata, Fernando de Noronha national marine sanctuary, Pernambuco, Brazil (S. Atlantic)

Aerial view of Punta Allen Sian Ka'an Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Red lagoon near Boca Paila Bridge. In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means Origin of the Sky. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region's characteristic terrestrial vertebrates, which cohabit in the diverse environment formed by its complex hydrological system. Along its roughly 120 kilometres of coastline, the property covers over 400,000 hectares of land ranging from sea level to only ten m.a.s.l. The property boasts diverse tropical forests, palm savannah, one of the most pristine wetlands in the region, lagoons, extensive mangrove stands, as well as sandy beaches and dunes. The 120,000 hectares of marine area protect a valuable part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and seagrass beds in the shallow bays. The lush green of the forests and the many shades of blue of the lagoons and the Caribbean Sea under a wide sky offer fascinating visual impressions.

Pia Glacier, from Pia bay, in Beagle Channel (northwest branch), PN Alberto de Agostini, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile

Pia bay or Pia Fjord, in Beagle Channel (northwest branch), PN Alberto de Agostini, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile

Pia Glacier, from Pia bay, in Beagle Channel (northwest branch), PN Alberto de Agostini, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile

Leaping Southern Right Whale, (Eubalaena australis), Golfo Nuevo, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina

Aerial view of Punta Allen Sian Ka'an Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Red lagoon near Boca Paila Bridge. In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means Origin of the Sky. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region's characteristic terrestrial vertebrates, which cohabit in the diverse environment formed by its complex hydrological system. Along its roughly 120 kilometres of coastline, the property covers over 400,000 hectares of land ranging from sea level to only ten m.a.s.l. The property boasts diverse tropical forests, palm savannah, one of the most pristine wetlands in the region, lagoons, extensive mangrove stands, as well as sandy beaches and dunes. The 120,000 hectares of marine area protect a valuable part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and seagrass beds in the shallow bays. The lush green of the forests and the many shades of blue of the lagoons and the Caribbean Sea under a wide sky offer fascinating visual impressions.

Aerial view of Punta Allen Sian Ka'an Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Red lagoon near Boca Paila Bridge. In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means Origin of the Sky. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region's characteristic terrestrial vertebrates, which cohabit in the diverse environment formed by its complex hydrological system. Along its roughly 120 kilometres of coastline, the property covers over 400,000 hectares of land ranging from sea level to only ten m.a.s.l. The property boasts diverse tropical forests, palm savannah, one of the most pristine wetlands in the region, lagoons, extensive mangrove stands, as well as sandy beaches and dunes. The 120,000 hectares of marine area protect a valuable part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and seagrass beds in the shallow bays. The lush green of the forests and the many shades of blue of the lagoons and the Caribbean Sea under a wide sky offer fascinating visual impressions.

Detail of Cordillera Darwin, from Beagle Channel (northwest branch), PN Alberto de Agostini, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile

Officer calculating the course of the ship, ship's bridge, Ventus cruise ship, Nassau bay, near Cape Horn, Tierra de Fuego, Patagonia, Chile

Aerial view of Punta Allen Sian Ka'an Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means Origin of the Sky. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region's characteristic terrestrial vertebrates, which cohabit in the diverse environment formed by its complex hydrological system. Along its roughly 120 kilometres of coastline, the property covers over 400,000 hectares of land ranging from sea level to only ten m.a.s.l. The property boasts diverse tropical forests, palm savannah, one of the most pristine wetlands in the region, lagoons, extensive mangrove stands, as well as sandy beaches and dunes. The 120,000 hectares of marine area protect a valuable part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and seagrass beds in the shallow bays. The lush green of the forests and the many shades of blue of the lagoons and the Caribbean Sea under a wide sky offer fascinating visual impressions.

Aerial view of Punta Allen Sian Ka'an Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Red lagoon near Boca Paila Bridge. In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means Origin of the Sky. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region's characteristic terrestrial vertebrates, which cohabit in the diverse environment formed by its complex hydrological system. Along its roughly 120 kilometres of coastline, the property covers over 400,000 hectares of land ranging from sea level to only ten m.a.s.l. The property boasts diverse tropical forests, palm savannah, one of the most pristine wetlands in the region, lagoons, extensive mangrove stands, as well as sandy beaches and dunes. The 120,000 hectares of marine area protect a valuable part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and seagrass beds in the shallow bays. The lush green of the forests and the many shades of blue of the lagoons and the Caribbean Sea under a wide sky offer fascinating visual impressions.