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Box Jellyfish
Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic
The tentacles of a box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) trail behind it and can reach 15 feet (4.6 meters) in length. Found in northern Australia and adjacent waters, a sting from this species can be deadly. This species of box jellyfish, the largest, can have as many as 60 tentacles.
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Crab on a Sea Fan
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic
A crab crawls on the red tentacles of a sea fan in Fiji waters. Sea fans, also known as gorgonians, catch plankton in their polyps, which microscopic zooxanthellae then turn into gorgonian food. Sea fans also provide shelter and camouflage for reef life.
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Teardrop Crab Inside a Sponge
Photograph by Paul Sutherland, National Geographic
A cryptic teardrop crab (Pelia mutica) seeks refuge inside a sponge near Bonaire Island in the Caribbean. Relying on camouflage, the crab's bright red carapace averages only 0.5 inches (1.3 centimeters) in length and can be covered by tunicates or sponges.
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Nudibranch Eggs
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic
Ribbons of red nudibranch eggs curl near Malaysia's Mabul Island. Nudibranchs, also called sea slugs, lay their eggs on the seafloor, attached to coral or rocks. Although a nudibranch is a simultaneous hermaphrodite (possessing both male and female reproductive organs), it reproduces by finding a partner. Millions of eggs can be found in one egg spiral.
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Shrimp and Anchor Coral
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic
A shrimp looks out from an anchor coral in Maumere Bay in Indonesia. Anchor coral, also called hammer coral, have anchor-shaped ends to their tentacles. Their sweeping tentacles are adapted to attack nearby corals and to protect the colony.
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White-Spotted Sea Squirts
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic
This close-up of a colony of white-spotted ascidians (Pycnoclavella diminuta) in Indonesian waters resembles aliens ready to feed. Instead, these ascidians, or sea squirts, are filter-feeding animals with one siphon to pull in water and another to discharge it. Adults remain rooted to the same spot their entire lives.
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Spotted Cleaner Shrimp
Photograph by Paul Sutherland, National Geographic
Majestic in purple, a spotted cleaner shrimp in the waters off Bonaire Island in the Caribbean works hard for its customers. This cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) associates with a sea anemone and attracts fish from which it cleans and eats detritus such as parasites and algae. Such a symbiotic relationship benefits both the shrimp and the fish.
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Antarctic Transparent Jellyfis
Photograph by Bill Curtsinger, National Geographic
Glowing in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, this transparent jellyfish seems to inhabit another world. From the Arctapodema genus, the transparent jellyfish's grandeur is more remarkable given its inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) size.
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Pacific Octopus Eye
Photograph by George Grall, National Geographic
What appear to be hills and valleys surround the eye of a giant Pacific octopus from the Pacific Northwest. Enteroctopus dofleini can reach lengths of almost 30 feet (9 meters) with arms averaging 16 feet (5 meters) in length. Also known as the North Pacific octopus, the octopus exhibits both short- and long-term memory, just as all octopuses do.
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