Giant Sea Creatures

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As if bathed in moonlight, a giant spider crab (Macrocheira kaemferi) is illuminated by a diver's lamp in Japan's Izu Oceanic Park. Protected from some predators by its hard exoskeleton, the creature�which can grow to ten feet (three meters) wide�can also blend in with the ocean floor. Under deeper cover, it can disappear beneath the sponges and other marine life it uses to adorn its shell.


Sailboat-sleek, a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) slices through the waters of California's Channel Islands. The largest blue whale was confirmed to be nearly 110 feet (33.5 meters) long and 418,000 pounds (190,000 kilograms), making members of this species the largest animals on Earth. As such, the blue whale has virtually no natural predators.


His own set of fins propels a diver swimming near a giant squid ( Architeuthis dux) in the Gulf of California in Mexico. Relatively small fins keep the squid moving and help it maintain balance in the water.


Divers in the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands spot a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) anchored to a coral reef. During the day, the animal's fleshy mantle�which contains green algae�spreads over its open shell to take in sunlight. The sun feeds the algae, which in turn, nourishes the mollusk.


Blending in with its ocean environment, a blue whale calf (Balaenoptera musculus) looms like a submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. At a mere 45 feet (14 meters) long, it's at risk of being killed by killer whales and large sharks.


Exposing its mantle and inhalant siphon, a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) is in the ideal position for a diver's examination in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia. While in their larval stage, giant clams must swim and feed in the water column. But once they grow to adulthood, these largest of bivalve mollusks permanently affix themselves to surfaces such as sand or coral reef rubble.


The silvery magnificence of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) swims past a diver in Japan's Tokyo Sea Life Park. The fish's belly meat is prized as the finest sushi in the world;one fish can easily sell for tens of thousands of dollars on the world market. Its meat is in such demand that overfishing�some illegal�leaves the giant bluefin population at risk of collapse.


After luring a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) with chum, diver Andre Hartman ends up perilously close to the premier predator off the coast of Gansbaai, South Africa. Although attacks on humans do occur�with some resulting in death�shark scientists believe that great whites approach people more out of curiosity than predation. Unfortunately, they're inclined to

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