In a world of clouds and crystalline(似水晶的) blue, a pair of stingrays(黄貂鱼) glides(滑行) just below the surface in the waters of French Polynesia's Tuamotu archipelago(群岛). The creatures find safe haven(安全港) here under the protection of one of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere reserves.
A Cape fur seal undulates(起伏) in rhythm with fronds of kelp(褐藻群) in the waters off Gansbaai, South Africa. Although the animals are clubbed during hunts and die when entangled in fishing nets, they are top predators in the region and among the most abundant fur seals in the world.
Leviathan(传说中的海中巨兽) among sharks, a whale shark gains on(赶上) its small prey in the Indian Ocean off the coast of western Australia. About the length of a large bus, whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. But with 300 rows of tiny—and useless—teeth, this filter-feeder(滤食者) is a gentle giant.
Rays of yellow brighten an overcast day as Pacific double-saddle butterfly fish swim near water's surface in French Polynesia's Tuamotu archipelago. This coral reef(珊瑚礁) species feeds on a number of organisms, allowing it to thrive even when reefs are unhealthy.
In an apparent moment of solitude and safety, a Galápagos penguin forages(寻找食物) in the waters off the South American islands. But danger abounds(大量存在) for this small creature, whose population has been reduced to less than a thousand breeding pairs throughout the archipelago. Predators such as sharks and hawks kill the penguins. Temperature-driven food shortages starve adults. And human hazards—habitat disturbance and destruction, discarded waste from tourists and fishermen, and dangerous fishing nets—are pushing the creatures closer to extinction(灭绝).
Delicate as a flower petal(花瓣), a marine flatworm(扁形虫) glides along in the Pacific Ocean near Micronesia's Yap Islands. Its ruby color may be a protective measure, signaling potential predators that it is toxic(有毒的).