15th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Larval Dusky Flounder

Ocean discovery underwater. A larval flounder adorned with a beautiful headdress - no bigger than a quarter, as thin as a piece of paper yet transparent and so very fragile begins its life in the planktonic soup of creatures from the deep that migrate to the surface each night. I am in love with Black water diving in the Gulf Stream current alongside the SE Florida coast. There are so many new creatures to be found and documented.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2016
Date Uploaded: 11.2017
Photo Location: Off West Palm Beach, Florida, United States of America
Camera: NIKON D7100
Copyright: © Susan Meldonian