Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Images

See our science through the images below.

Filter Total Items: 3543
Two people installing equipment through the door of a small airplane.
Scientists install a camera for aerial photographic surveys
Scientists install a camera for aerial photographic surveys
Scientists install a camera for aerial photographic surveys

Biological Technician Laura (Laney) White and Research Biologist, Josh Adams install a newly modified camera mount for in flight testing. This mount tilts forward and back to minimize glare and improve image quality.

Biological Technician Laura (Laney) White and Research Biologist, Josh Adams install a newly modified camera mount for in flight testing. This mount tilts forward and back to minimize glare and improve image quality.

Two eagles fighting in the snow
Golden eagle fight
Golden eagle fight
Golden eagle fight

Two young golden eagles fight in the snow. In the winter, eagles tend to scavenge for food as prey become scarce.

Two young golden eagles fight in the snow. In the winter, eagles tend to scavenge for food as prey become scarce.

Three eagles fighting in the snow
Bald and golden eagle fight
Bald and golden eagle fight
Bald and golden eagle fight

A Basic II bald eagle on the left fights with a golden eagle. A Basic IV bald eagle flies away.

view of a golden eagle in the air from behind. Its wings are spread and there is snow on the ground.
Sub-adult golden eagle flies away
Sub-adult golden eagle flies away
Sub-adult golden eagle flies away

This is a young golden eagle in its third winter. Golden eagles generally don't reach adulthood until about their fifth year.

Two eagles fight in the snow
Two golden eagles fighting
Two golden eagles fighting
Two golden eagles fighting

There are two juvenile golden eagles. Golden eagles are one of the largest birds in North America. They have a wingspan from 72.8 to 86.6 inches.

There are two juvenile golden eagles. Golden eagles are one of the largest birds in North America. They have a wingspan from 72.8 to 86.6 inches.

Who's who?  Front and back print casts of grizzly (top) and black bear (bottom).
Who's who? Print casts of grizzly (top) and black bear (bottom).
Who's who? Print casts of grizzly (top) and black bear (bottom).
Who's who? Print casts of grizzly (top) and black bear (bottom).

Who's who?  These are print casts of front and back paw prints of a grizzly bear (top) and black bear (bottom). The casts on the right are the front paws of each species; the casts on the left are the back.  How do you tell? 

Who's who?  These are print casts of front and back paw prints of a grizzly bear (top) and black bear (bottom). The casts on the right are the front paws of each species; the casts on the left are the back.  How do you tell? 

A turtle mosaic made from broken tiles
A sea turtle mosaic made from the field station's broken floor tiles
A sea turtle mosaic made from the field station's broken floor tiles
A sea turtle mosaic made from the field station's broken floor tiles

After Hurricane Michael obliterated Fish Inn, the sea turtle research team's field station, team members salvaged some of the building's floor tiles and made this sea turtle mosaic, which they plan to eventually install in a new field station.

After Hurricane Michael obliterated Fish Inn, the sea turtle research team's field station, team members salvaged some of the building's floor tiles and made this sea turtle mosaic, which they plan to eventually install in a new field station.

root nodules
Alder root nodules
Alder root nodules
Alder root nodules

Root nodules are a symbiotic relationship between a plant and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. A symbiotic relationship is one where both organisms benefit. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria change inorganic nitrogen from the air into ammonia, a form of nitrogen most organisms can use.

Root nodules are a symbiotic relationship between a plant and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. A symbiotic relationship is one where both organisms benefit. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria change inorganic nitrogen from the air into ammonia, a form of nitrogen most organisms can use.

scientist Miriam Jones holds a peat core in a bog
Miriam Jones holds a peat core in Alaska
Miriam Jones holds a peat core in Alaska
Miriam Jones holds a peat core in Alaska

Miriam Jones holding a peat core that was extracted from a thawed permafrost bog at the Alaska Permafrost Experiment (APEX) site at Bonanza Creek LTER, Alaska. The boundary between the formerly frozen permafrost plateau and thawed bog is visible in the peat stratigraphy, with the light-colored peat indicated thawed bog.

Miriam Jones holding a peat core that was extracted from a thawed permafrost bog at the Alaska Permafrost Experiment (APEX) site at Bonanza Creek LTER, Alaska. The boundary between the formerly frozen permafrost plateau and thawed bog is visible in the peat stratigraphy, with the light-colored peat indicated thawed bog.

Illustration of plane, observer and survey area
GoMMAPPS Aerial Seabird Survey Design
GoMMAPPS Aerial Seabird Survey Design
GoMMAPPS Aerial Seabird Survey Design

Hexagon-based aerial survey design with transects overlaid. The EPA 40 km2 hexagons (White et al. 2018) were overlaid across the entirety of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Sampled hexagons were then selected using a Generalized Random Tesselation Stratified (GRTS) sampling scheme.

Hexagon-based aerial survey design with transects overlaid. The EPA 40 km2 hexagons (White et al. 2018) were overlaid across the entirety of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Sampled hexagons were then selected using a Generalized Random Tesselation Stratified (GRTS) sampling scheme.

Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence
Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence
Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence
Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence

Map of Alaska showing probability (%) of change occurrence. Insets show fire boundaries from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Large Fire Database and Landsat 8 imagery (bottom right; 2016) north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Photo Dakota buckwheat
Dakota buckwheat flowers
Dakota buckwheat flowers
Dakota buckwheat flowers

Photograph of the flowers of Dakota wild buckwheat (Eriogonum visheri).

It is native to the Great Plains in the United States, where it is known from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

Photograph of the flowers of Dakota wild buckwheat (Eriogonum visheri).

It is native to the Great Plains in the United States, where it is known from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

Juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse
Juvenile Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)
Juvenile Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)
Juvenile Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)

USGS wildlife biologists holding a juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris). The species is listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Photo of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’

The USGS along with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) funded a pilot study to use a long-range AUV to study limnology of Lake Michigan. The AUV is pictured here being deployed in Lake Michigan to document variation in algae productivity at a whole-lake scale and compare 3-D spatial patterns in chlorophyll a to satellite estimates.

The USGS along with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) funded a pilot study to use a long-range AUV to study limnology of Lake Michigan. The AUV is pictured here being deployed in Lake Michigan to document variation in algae productivity at a whole-lake scale and compare 3-D spatial patterns in chlorophyll a to satellite estimates.

two otters - a baby and mom - relax on their backs in Glacier Bay, AK
Otter mom feed pup in Glacier Bay, AK
Otter mom feed pup in Glacier Bay, AK
Otter mom feed pup in Glacier Bay, AK

A sea otter mother feeds her pup in Glacier Bay, Alaska. USGS researchers study sea otter distribution and abundance in Alaska and other parts of the country.

A sea otter mother feeds her pup in Glacier Bay, Alaska. USGS researchers study sea otter distribution and abundance in Alaska and other parts of the country.

Aquatic insect eggs laid on a rock at the water line in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Aquatic insect eggs just above the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Aquatic insect eggs just above the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Aquatic insect eggs just above the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

Aquatic insect eggs are laid on rocks just at the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and here they are exposed as the water levels fluctuate. Aquatic insects are an important part of the food base in the Colorado River, providing food for fish, bats, and birds. Aquatic insects need to stay damp to survive and hatch.

Aquatic insect eggs are laid on rocks just at the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and here they are exposed as the water levels fluctuate. Aquatic insects are an important part of the food base in the Colorado River, providing food for fish, bats, and birds. Aquatic insects need to stay damp to survive and hatch.

Satellite photos of Cape San Blas, Florida before and after Hurricane Michael
Cape San Blas Road, before and after a Category 5 hurricane
Cape San Blas Road, before and after a Category 5 hurricane
Cape San Blas Road, before and after a Category 5 hurricane

These two NOAA satellite images show Cape San Blas Road in the Florida Panhandle town of Cape San Blas before Hurricane Michael, and after the Category 5 storm. The red circle shows where the USGS sea turtle researchers' field station and seasonal home once stood. The building was demolished down to the concrete slab.

These two NOAA satellite images show Cape San Blas Road in the Florida Panhandle town of Cape San Blas before Hurricane Michael, and after the Category 5 storm. The red circle shows where the USGS sea turtle researchers' field station and seasonal home once stood. The building was demolished down to the concrete slab.

A spotted lizard shaped animal with red, frilly gills at the base of its head is in shallow water
Gulf Coast Waterdog - Necturus beyeri
Gulf Coast Waterdog - Necturus beyeri
Gulf Coast Waterdog - Necturus beyeri

Source: USGS National Wetlands Research Center. Photographer: Brad M. Glorioso. St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

Necturus beyeri - Gulf Coast Waterdog

Source: USGS National Wetlands Research Center. Photographer: Brad M. Glorioso. St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

Necturus beyeri - Gulf Coast Waterdog

A dark salamander with bright blue spots rest on a moss-covered log
Blue spotted salamander
Blue spotted salamander
Blue spotted salamander

Eastern Iowa Ambystoma laterale - Blue-spotted Salamander. USGS ARMI photo by Evan S. Grimes

Eastern Iowa Ambystoma laterale - Blue-spotted Salamander. USGS ARMI photo by Evan S. Grimes

bee approaching a flower
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum

The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is an introduced species common to Southwest Idaho. They originate from the old world, most likely from northeastern Africa or the Middle East. These bees are successful pollinators of various crops and have been imported to North America for use in agriculture and beekeeping.

The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is an introduced species common to Southwest Idaho. They originate from the old world, most likely from northeastern Africa or the Middle East. These bees are successful pollinators of various crops and have been imported to North America for use in agriculture and beekeeping.

Was this page helpful?