The Big Picture 2025
From the beautiful to the bizarre, this annual photographic showcase shines a light on some of our planet’s most breathtaking species and places.
Coast
Latest in Coast
The Potential and Perils of AI for Conservation
AI can help experts sift through datasets that are otherwise unmanageable, but the technology threatens to undermine other ways of knowing.
Slow-Speed Chase
Off the coast of Hawai‘i, two well-armored invertebrates face off.
How Santa Catalina Island Got Its Ground Squirrels
The ecosystem we see today was molded by human hands.
Destruction for Thee, Habitat for Me
For Schaus’ swallowtail butterflies, hurricanes mean clear skies and bright futures.
Plastic Meals Leave Seabirds with Brain Damage
Sable shearwater chicks are developing Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and other hidden health impacts.
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Mexican hogfish change colors—and sex—as they grow, perplexing scientists and attracting admirers.
Coastal Peregrine Falcons’ Mysterious Decline
In North America, coastal populations of the once-embattled bird are missing, and no one is quite sure why.
Where the Savior Fish Still Swims
In an era of collapse, a fabled fish keeps coming back to the Nisg̱a’a nation.
Are There Plenty of Fish in the Sea? Ask an Elephant Seal
Counting deep-sea fish is difficult, but elephant seals can make it easier.
The Potential and Perils of AI for Conservation
AI can help experts sift through datasets that are otherwise unmanageable, but the technology threatens to undermine other ways of knowing.
Slow-Speed Chase
Off the coast of Hawai‘i, two well-armored invertebrates face off.
How Santa Catalina Island Got Its Ground Squirrels
The ecosystem we see today was molded by human hands.
Destruction for Thee, Habitat for Me
For Schaus’ swallowtail butterflies, hurricanes mean clear skies and bright futures.
Plastic Meals Leave Seabirds with Brain Damage
Sable shearwater chicks are developing Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and other hidden health impacts.
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Mexican hogfish change colors—and sex—as they grow, perplexing scientists and attracting admirers.
Coastal Peregrine Falcons’ Mysterious Decline
In North America, coastal populations of the once-embattled bird are missing, and no one is quite sure why.
Where the Savior Fish Still Swims
In an era of collapse, a fabled fish keeps coming back to the Nisg̱a’a nation.
Are There Plenty of Fish in the Sea? Ask an Elephant Seal
Counting deep-sea fish is difficult, but elephant seals can make it easier.
