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Life in the Ocean

Close up of Polychaetes, black background

Our California coast is home to an amazing array of creatures, from whales, seals, and fish, to tiny critters like crabs, fan worms, and nudibranchs.

Our researchers are devoted to better understanding our coastal communities — both now and in the past — and the thousands of animals that live (or lived) there.

Explore our Marine Research

sea stars echinoderms marine biodiversity research and collections

Echinoderms

specimens from the Museum’s malacology collection

Malacology

yellow bellied sea snake herpetology collections

Herpetology

specimens from invertebrate paleontology research and collections

Invertebrate Paleontology

dinosaur skull speciment vertebrate paleontology research and collections

Vertebrate Paleontology

microscopic image of polychaete specimen collection

Polychaetes

ichthyology specimen research and collections department

Ichthyology

Marine Biodiversity Center

Crustacea

Mammalogy

Species collected during DISCO project LA bio blitz

Diversity Initiative for the Southern California Ocean

Discover Marine Biodiversity

Stories about Oceans