Beneath the Surface

Mapping Invertebrate Diversity in the Smithsonian Collection

Hover Image

This is where most marine life thrives due to abundant sunlight for photosynthesis.

Pictured: Spoon worm, bobtail squid, gastropoda
Image 01

Epipelagic Zone
(Sunlight Zone)

0 - 200 meters

Rectangle Image
Hover Image

Where light gradually diminishes. Many bioluminescent organisms inhabit this mysterious realm.

Pictured: Iridescent Antarctic snail, Solaster caribbaeus Verrill, Hyalocylis striata
Image 02

Mesopelagic Zone
(Twilight Zone)

200 - 1,000 meters

Rectangle Image
Hover Image

Zone of perpetual darkness. Strange and often translucent creatures adapted to extreme pressure live here.

Pictured: Primno macropa, Eulimidae, Atolla jellyfish
Image 03

Bathypelagic Zone
(Midnight Zone)

1,000 - 4,000 meters

Rectangle Image

Visualizing Depths Beyond the Bathypelagic Zone

While the Smithsonian Collections Invertebrates have been explored up to depths of 4,000 meters, you can discover more about other fascinating oceanic zones by hovering over them.

Overview of Image Count Across Different Depth Intervals

A logarithmic scale was used to account for fewer images as depth increases. Hover to see number of images at each interval.

Scroll and hover on a circle to see the number of images at each depth interval.

Click on a circle to explore images at each depth interval.