Images

Researchers with IGBST measure the bear's girth as part of body fitness data collection.

A flock of wintering northern pintail ducks takes flight in Northern Honshu, Japan.

Whitish areas on this diseased sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) are lesions that result in detachment of arms from the central disc.

The Agassiz's desert tortoise, a native of the Mojave Desert.

A pocketbook mussel (Lampsilis cardium). Native freshwater mussels are among the most fascinating, widespread, and endangered animals in fresh waters. They play important ecological roles in our lakes and rivers and their shells are used to produce cultured pearls.

This image of a live silver carp egg specimen was taken with a microscope camera at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center. Asian carp are invasive species that could pose substantial environmental risks and economic impacts if they become established.

This image of a live silver carp larva was taken with a microscope camera at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center. Asian carp are invasive species that could pose substantial environmental risks and economic impacts if they become established.

A photomicrograph depicting the siliceous frustules of fifty species of diatoms arranged within a circular shape. The image has been inverted to white on black to bring out details. Diatoms form the base of many marine and aquatic foodchains and upon death, their glassy frustules form sediments known as diatomaceous earth.

An invasive species, the spiny water flea, is likely a primary driver of changes in Lake Huron's food web over the past decade.

Photo of fossil algae (dinocyst). Specimen is about 90 micrometers across.The largest known impact crater in the U.S. lies buried beneath the Virginia Coastal Plain.

Culex species mosquito biting a human hand.

Blackside dace are a type of minnow with a red underbelly and a black stripe down their sides. They are found only in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and western Virginia. The image shows a school of Blackside dace.

IGBST researchers begin gathering biological data from the bear.  The kerchief over the bear's eyes protects it from dust and debris and reduces visual stimulation. The small tubing in its nose, known as a nasal cannula, delivers oxygen to the animal while it is tranquilized.

An adult female polar bear and her two cubs travel across the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean north of the Alaska coast.

These live Asian swamp eels were imported from southeast Asia and sold in an urban food market in the U.S. Raw or undercooked Asian swamp eels could transmit a parasitic infection called gnathostomiasis to consumers, and wild eels could become widespread in some U.S. waters.

A photomicrograph depicting the calcium carbonate tests of ten species of marine foraminiferans. Upon death, their tests can form calcareous marine sediments known as foraminiferan ooze.

A photomicrograph depicting the calcium carbonate tests of ten species of marine foraminiferans. The image has been inverted to bring out details. Upon death, their tests can form calcareous marine sediments known as foraminiferan ooze.

A photomicrograph depicting the siliceous tests of ten species of marine radiolarians. This image has been inverted to bring out details. Upon death, their tests can form siliceous marine sediments known as radiolarian ooze.

The U.S.

Palila (Loxioides bailleui). Photo by USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center.

Wetlands Reserve Program site in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.  Ten years ago, this landowner worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Wetlands Reserve Program to design and construct this slough as part of a plan to restore this field’s natural wetland hydrology.