Beneath the Surface

X-rays of Arctic Fish

By Canadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

Ocean Pout (2013-12/2013-12) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

Fish are the oldest and most diverse group of vertebrates.

Boa Dragonfish (2013-12-17/2013-12-17) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

Found in all shapes and sizes, they inhabit every aquatic environment on the planet.

Acadian Redfish (2013-12/2013-12) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

Even the icy waters of Canada’s Arctic are home to over 200 fish species.

LtoR: Polar Sculpin; Longhorn Sculpin; Fourhorn Sculpin (2013-12/2013-12) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

These images are X-rays of specimens from the Canadian Museum of Nature’s world-class collection of Arctic fishes.

Atlantic Herring (2013-12-18/2013-12-18) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

X-rays provide a look into the hard inner structures of an organism.

Greenland Halibut; Glacier Lanternfish (2013-12-16/2013-12-16) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

Fish have many more bones than other vertebrates and can often be distinguished from one another by examining...

their fin rays,

vertebrae,

and teeth.

Arctic Char (2013-12/2013-12) by Noel Alfonso, Roger Bull, Susan SwanCanadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

These spectacular and haunting images invite us to explore what’s lurking beneath the surface.

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Canadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la nature

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