See the Amazing Variety of Life That Lives in One Foot of Space

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A selection of midwater creatures revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California.
A selection of midwater creatures revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California.David Liittschwager
By Daniel White

A new exhibit shows the massive amount of wildlife that lives in just one cubic foot of space.

“Life in One Cubic Foot,” which opens Friday at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, features a collection of images and videos taken from biocubes, or 1-foot by 1-foot by 1-foot spaces that wildlife can enter and pass through in their natural habitats.

To create the photos, the exhibit’s producers placed biocubes in both exotic and every day locales, including the coral reefs of French Polynesia, an area of ocean off of the coast of California, and in New York’s Central Park.

“Biocubes offer us a standardized lens to bring into focus the mosaic of richness and beauty that is found in nature, highlighting both the known and unknown in spectacular fashion,” Chris Meyer, Smithsonian scientist said in a statement. “In ‘Life in One Cubic Foot,’ we framed the biocube approach against the backdrop of efforts to survey all life on a single island in the Pacific. In doing so, we recognize the challenge and opportunity ahead for documenting the remaining life globally.”

View a gallery of images from the exhibit above.

A selection of midwater creatures revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California.
A selection of midwater creatures revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California. David Liittschwager
Temae Reef off the Pacific island of Moorea where Liittschwager photographed more than 600 individuals, not counting the plankton swarm that sent tens of thousands of shrimplike hatchlings drifting through the cube one moonless night.
Temae Reef off the Pacific island of Mo'orea where Liittschwager photographed more than 600 individuals, not counting the plankton swarm that sent tens of thousands of shrimplike hatchlings drifting through the cube one moonless night.David Liittschwager
A jellyfish, Pantachagon haeckeli from Davidson Seamount West, off the coast of California.
A jellyfish, Pantachagon haeckeli from Davidson Seamount West, off the coast of California.David Liittschwager
A selection of reef creatures from Mo’orea, French Polynesia revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from a reef off the coast of the Pacific island.
A selection of reef creatures from Mo’orea, French Polynesia revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from a reef off the coast of the Pacific island. David Liittschwager
A World in One Cubic Foot
Sacoglossan sea slug, Cyerce nigricans, found at Lighthouse Reef, Moorea, French Polynesia.David Liittschwager
A biocube in place at the Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park, New York City.
A biocube in place at the Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park, New York City. David Liittschwager
A selection of creatures revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park, New York City.
A selection of creatures revealed through inventorying one cubic foot from Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park, New York City. David Liittschwager

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