British marine biologist and photographer Richard Smith focuses his work on the ocean’s tiniest and weirdest creatures.

Cichlid fish, particularly those found in the East African Great Lakes, are known for their remarkable diversity and evolutionary adaptations. This diversity extends to their parasites ...

More recently, the object of his fascination has turned to parasites. It’s the stuff of horror films: Smith recalls one that lives in the nostril of a crocodile fish. Another attacks the ...

photo provided by Darby Communications THE FISH THIEF recounts how the Great Lakes were brought to their knees by the sea lamprey, a parasitic invader that decimated the lake trout population.

There is the Banggai cardinal fish, found only in Indonesia, which keeps its eggs and newly hatched babies in its mouth for two weeks. Then, there are gruesome parasites, his latest obsession.