This Photographer Captures The Most Amazing Sea Creatures

By
Izzie S
-

Brian Skerry is a photojournalist who works for National Geographic Magazine, specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments.

For the past 30 years, he has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater and has traveled around the world to find the most extreme underwater environments and creatures. He has encountered numerous sea creatures and captures their beauty in the most natural way.

From great white sharks and quicksilver tunas to dolphins and leatherback turtles, Skerry not only photographs these amazing creatures, but he also provides articles about them to educate people and raise awareness about conservation of the marine life as a whole.

Skerry also serves as a Marine Fellow with Conservation International, serves on the World Wildlife Fund’s National Council and the WWF’s Marine Leadership Council and on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

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Photo by @BrianSkerry Three sperm whales socialize in the waters off of Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean. The whale on the bottom in this photo a calf is named ‘Digit’ and she became tangled in fishing gear in 2015. It was looking like a death sentence for the young whale, but surprisingly, in 2018, Digit was completely free! These whales have been studied for 15 years by @shanegero , founder of the The Dominica Sperm Whale Project. In a story on the @natgeo website, writer @craigwelch tells of Shane’s work with these animals, their families and a this special story This population of whales is on a 3% annual decline due to anthropogenic stresses, such as entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes. If they die off, we would lose a whale culture that possess knowledge that is unique about their home waters. #whales #spermwhales #dominicaspermwhaleproject #whaleculture #dominica #caribbean #oceantrash #plastictrash

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Photo by @BrianSkerry A Southern Right Whale and diver swim together over a shady sea floor in New Zealand’s Auckland Islands (sub-antarctic) during wintertime. These enormous whales can reach sizes of 45-feet long and weights of 70-tons. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, Southern Right Whale populations have slowly recovered due to protection. Their cousins, the North Atlantic Right Whales however, remain the most endangered whale on Earth, with a populations of only about 450 remaining. This species is an ‘urban whale’ and lives along the Eastern Seaboard of North America traveling from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida each year. During their migrations, they frequently become entangled in fishing gear and die. Ship strikes also kill these whales each year. Despite these devastating problems, solutions exist to save them. Researchers are working with commercial fisherman (lobstermen) in New England to test new lines that will break easier should a whale become entangled. To learn more about Right Whale problems and solutions check out @newenglandaquarium and @andersoncabotcenter #rightwhales #endangeredspecies #nz #newengland

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Photo by @BrianSkerry November is #ManateeAwarnessMonth ! A portrait of a manatee in Florida’s Crystal River. Manatees are vulnerable to a variety of threats, from loss of sea grass which they eat, to cold water temperatures, red tide and boat strikes. Habitat loss due to development over the decades has created a major problem for them as well. The recent red tide devastation has been especially difficult for many marine animals, including manatees. Spending time with this charismatic animals remains one of my finest wildlife experiences. While photographing a story about these animals I found myself never wanting to leave the water. I reluctantly dragged myself away at the end of each day when the sun was setting. With the sense of urgency becoming greater due to these latest toxic water problems, I hope you will take some time to learn more about manatees and help where you can! #manatees #florida #redtide #conservation #vote

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