Magazine Current Issue June 2013
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Special Issue
Special Issue
Ocean

Majestic, fragile, fearsome–captured by the world’s best photographers.

Explore the world's oceans, from their prehistoric beginnings to modern-day efforts to preserve their natural wonder.

Order this special issue now. »

Related Features
Elephant Seals
Elephant Seal Sojourn
A rough and randy mating season for the elephant seals of South Georgia Island.
Right Whales
Right Whale Watch
The North Atlantic species hangs in the balance.
Sailfish
Sailfish in the Whirl
Sails raised, colors gleaming, they round up prey.
White Tip Shark
Kingman Reef
Is this our last, best look at what a coral reef should be?
Green Striped Nudibranch
Living Color
Humble sea slugs turn self-defense into art.
Albatross
Wings of the Albatross
Carried by the longest wingspans of any bird, they soar for thousands of miles without ever setting webbed foot on land.
Blue Marine Creature
Marine Miniatures
A dipperful of seawater reveals an amazing hodgepodge of microfauna, from gelatinous shape-shifters to a baby octopus.
Woman In Tongas
Two Worlds of Tonga
The island nation embraces both age-old tradition and modern values; now democracy is astir in the South Pacific's last monarchy.
Coral Reef
Ultra Marine
Efforts are in high gear to safeguard the coral reefs of far eastern Indonesia.
Narwhale
Hunting Narwhals
Medieval royalty coveted the Arctic whale's long ivory tusk. So do modern hunters, and that's taking a toll on the population.
Ringed Seal
Vanishing Sea Ice
Polar bears could face extinction, whales go hungry, and seals have nowhere to rest—all because of the warming Arctic.
Big Thaw
The Big Thaw
From Greenland to Antarctica, the world is losing its ice faster than anyone thought possible. Can humans slow the melting?
Shark Net
Still Waters, The Global Fish Crisis
High-tech harvesting and wasteful management have brought world fish stocks to dangerous lows.
New Zealand Fish
Blue Haven
New Zealand marine reserves are a model for the world.
Newfoundland Fisherman
End of the Line
A village in Newfoundland faces a bleak reality.
Bahamas
Shark Eden
Sharks are in decline worldwide, yet they abound in the Bahamas. What makes this blue-water archipelago a sanctuary?
Worm
Hawaiian Worms
Lowly marine worms ply shallow shores, ocean deeps, and just about everywhere in between.
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whales
Humpback whales are slowly revealing the mysteries of their underwater behavior.
Penguins Candlemas Island
Icy Underworld
Fire meets ice on the South Sandwich Islands, a land of volcanic stream, blue icebergs, and penguins by the millions.
Seals Singing
Deadly Beauty
Big, fast, sleek, and lethal, leopard seals prowl for penguins along the edges of Antarctic ice.
Fish School
Where Currents Collide
In wild tides surging through the straits of Vancouver Island, marine life grows.
Clouds Surfers
Land on the Edge
America's coastlines are in danger of being loved to death.
Pirate Magnify
Blackbeard's Shipwreck
Archaeologists search a North Carolina wreck for clues to the ruthless man behind the heartless pirate.
Sea Monster
Beyond Nessie
These sea monsters are no myth. Meet the ancient reptilian creatures that have inspired terrifying tales in cultures the world over.
Anemone Crab
Undersea Oddballs
Predators erupt from volcanic sands, and delicate pygmy seahorses hide in plain sight in Indonesia's Lembeh Strait.
Eel Algae
Hawaii's Outer Kingdom
Wildlife as beautiful as art splashes across the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Bay At Sunset
Saving the Chesapeake
Conservationists know what's wrong with the bay and how to fix it.
Coral Color
Color: A Fish's-Eye View
Startling greens, blues, yellows, and red paint the creatures of the reefs. Scientists are learning to decipher the messages.
Moken In Boat
Sea Gypsies
The world is closing in on the Moken way of life.
Whale Fish
Orcas Unmasked
Killer whales aren't ruthless killers—or whales.
Selkie
Beneath Irish Isles
With warm currents supporting healthy habitats and a startling host of creatures, these Irish Isles are smiling.