MARINES

Bluespotted Stingray

The body of Taeniura lymma is made completely out of cartilage and contains no bone whatsoever. The stinging barbs on its tail can be regenerated if broken off. One interesting fact about the venom that is contained within the stinging barbs is that it can be broken down by heat. Therefore, if you ever encounter one of these magnificent animals and happen to get stung, immediately soak the wound in hot water in order to break down the venom and reduce the pain. Another interesting fact about Taeniura lymma is that it is one of the few species of rays that can retain their urine.

GLASSfish - Pygmy sweeper

Also known as glass fish and golden sweepers, you find dense schools of these small fish throughout the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Australia. They like shady places during the day: wrecks, overhangs and caves. At night they venture out to feed on zooplankton.

Sweepers have large eyes and a single fin on their backs.. They are 10 cm long with yellow heads, peach-coloured bodies and a distinct lateral line running from head to forked-tail.

The pygmy sweepers have light-emitting compounds in their guts, presumably gained from food they have eaten.

Pygmy sweepers living in the Red Sea used to be known as Parapriacanthus guentheri, but it is now thought that there is just one species and Parapriacanthus guentheri is an obsolete name.

Striped Eel Catfish

When most people think of catfish, they think of a freshwater fish. But the striped eel catfish (Plotosus lineatus) is found in marine systems including coral reefs, estuaries, tide pools and other coastal areas of the Indo-Western Pacific. The juveniles of the fish school in groups of up to 100, while the adults tend to stick to themselves or in smaller groups. Watch out for their spines: they contain a dangerous venom that can even prove fatal to humans in rare cases!

Yellow-mouth Moray Eel

This moray eel was resting among some hard coral and was mesmerized by my dive lights, making it a very cooperative subject. The moray eel rhythmically opens and closes its mouth to move water through its gills and facilitate respiration, giving it the appearance of being aggressive and making for a dramatic portrait

Maxima clam

A sessile mollusc, the small giant clam attaches itself to rocks or dead coral and siphons water through its body, filtering it for phytoplankton, as well as extracting oxygen with its gills. However, it does not need to filter-feed as much as other clams since it obtains most of the nutrients it requires from tiny photosynthetic algae known as zooxanthellae.[4]

Beginning life as a tiny fertilised egg, the small giant clam hatches within 12 hours, becoming a free-swimming larva. This larva then develops into another, more developed, larva which is capable of filter-feeding. At the third larval stage, a foot develops, allowing the larva to alternately swim and rest on the substrate. After eight to ten days, the larva metamorphoses into a juvenile clam, at which point it can acquire zooxanthellae and function symbiotically.[4] The juvenile matures into a male clam after two or three years, becoming a hermaphrodite when larger (at around 15 centimetres in length). Reproduction is stimulated by the lunar cycle, the time of day, and the presence of other eggs and sperm in the water. Hermaphroditic clams release their sperm first followed later by their eggs, thereby avoiding self-fertilisation.

Parrotfish

The parrotfish belongs to the Scaridae family. Its characteristic is its peculiar dentition. They have numerous incisor teeth, forming a parrot-like beak, enabling them to effortlessly break, scrape, crush and rasp algae from madreprore coral and rocky formations.

It’s certainly not silent in the wonderful world of the parrotfish. You will hear creaking noises, sharp cracks, whistles and roar; common sounds where parrorfish reside.

The Scaridae have powerful bodies, flattened sidewise and are covered with large scales. The parrotfish is related to the Labridae, the family of wrasses, cleanerfishes and napoleonfishes. Like the Labridae, the female parrotfish changes sex during its aquatic existence. It has a single dorsal fin. Their wonderful coloration varies according to age and sex.

A parrotfish is active during the day, ‘diurnal’ as we speak. At night it rests in crevices of reefs, wrapping itself in a ‘cocoon’ of mucus it produces to protect itself from predators.

Species

Bicolour parrotfish
Bullethead parrotfish
Bumphead parrotfish
Red Sea steep-headed parrotfish
Rusty parrotfish

FEATHER WORM

Feather-duster worm, any large, segmented marine worm of the family Sabellidae (class Polychaeta, phylum Annelida). The name is also occasionally applied to members of the closely related polychaete family Serpulidae. Sabellids live in long tubes constructed of mud or sand cemented by mucus, whereas serpulids build tubes of calcareous materials. The epithet feather-duster refers to the multicoloured crown of finely divided tentacles that are attached in two groups, one on either side of the worm’s head. The worm extends the tentacles for feeding and breathing but quickly retracts them at the first sign of danger. The life cycle includes a free-living, microscopic larval stage that disperses from the parental site and metamorphoses into adult form

FROgfish

Frogfish, also known as anglerfish, are lie-in-wait predators. They are equipped with a specialized lure called an Esca. The Illicium is the fishing rod appendage and the Esca is the bait, also specialized. Using its fishing rod and lure the frogfish will dangle the bait in front of its head. An unsuspecting passerby will see the lure and become excited, swimming towards a seemingly easy meal, the predator becomes the prey. The frogfish is a carnivore - its diet is small fish.

Frogfish move very slowly but ironically, frogfish have the fastest strike speed of any other animal on earth. They ambulate by gulping water with its massive mouth. Then forcing the water through it’s gills the frogfish moves about the reef or bottom. The body move’s very little as the frogfish huffs and puffs its way through the water column.

GOAT FISH

Goatfish, also called surmullet, any of more than 60 species of elongated marine fishes of the family Mullidae (order Perciformes).

Goatfishes are characterized by two well-separated dorsal fins and by a pair of long, sensory chin barbels. The barbels are used to find the small, bottom-living invertebrates on which the fishes feed; when not in use, the barbels are held in a groove on the throat. Inhabitants of shallow water, goatfishes are found in warm and tropical regions, along reefs or over mud or sand. They are often brightly coloured, in shades of red and yellow; some are able to change their colours.

SEAHORSE

Due to their unique anatomical shape and lack of scales, many people may not consider seahorses ‘fish’ at first, but they are indeed! Possessing swim bladders to remain buoyant in the water and utilizing gills to breathe, these fish also thrive in a strong suit of sturdy armor-like plates. Their tough, bony makeup makes them pretty tough for other fish to digest, illustrating the reason for their lack of many natural predators. Other than crustaceans like crabs who can pluck them up with their sharp pincers, humans are likely one of the more significant threats to the species, historically harvesting the animals faster than they’re able to reproduce. Luckily, we’ve made some progress against such population depletion, but there’s still much work to be done to protect this species as we learn more about their still largely mysterious global distribution patterns.

Cuttlefish

The cuttlefish is a fascinating creature. This intelligent mollusc has almost incredible powers of mimicry. It can control the colour, patterning and texture of its skin to perfectly match its surroundings. And not just from above, the camouflage works from whichever angle it is observed. From birth, cuttlefish can display at least 13 type of body pattern, made up from over 30 different components. A recent study suggested that the military can learn from the cuttlefish and create "invisible suits". Cuttlefish could also help scientists create paper-thin flexible or wearable displays.
In addition to avoiding predators, pattern control is also used in courtship by male cuttlefish. This impresses females and warns off competitors. After mating the male will often defend the female while she lays clumps of eggs. These hatch in two to three months to reveal minature cuttlefish. Females only breed once and die soon after laying.

Crocodile fish

Also known as the Carpet Flathead, the Crocodilefish lives on sand and rubble near coral heads - although you might also find it in patches of seagrass. A widespread species, it ranges from the Red Sea to Durban, to the Seychelles and Madagascar. You may also come across it in the Mediterranean, where it is has entered via the Suez canal. Look out for it at quite shallow depths: between 1 and 15 m.

The flatheads are flattened fishes. They have two dorsal fins and bony ridges and spines on their heads. The body is mottled above, whitish below. The crocodilefish grows as large as 70 cm.

It is a very placid fish which, confident in its camouflage, lets you approach closely. Although related to scorpion fish it is harmless.

LIONFISH

Found naturally in the Red Sea and northern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere replaced by the very similar P. volitans. They often shelter under ledges during the day, becoming more active at dusk and during the night when they feed on fishes and crustaceans. Lionfish use their non-stinging pectoral fins to shepherd fish into their mouths. Their poisonous spines allow the fish to be conspicuously coloured, warning predators to keep their distance.
The Lionfish themselves tend to prey on almost anything they can find, small fish, invertebrates, molluscs… The larger specimens may even prey on juvenile lionfish. Some have been found with up to 6 different species of prey in their stomachs. Whilst hunting they are thought to shoot out jets of water to disorientate or stun their meals, as well as to herd fish towards them with their fins.

They have several adaptations, the most dangerous is the venom contained in the 11 dorsal fin rays on the back of the fish. A sting from a lionfish can be very painful, and possibly fatal, to divers. This venom can cause nausea, dizziness, breathing difficulties, and in some rare cases, limb paralysis and death. To treat a sting from a lionfish, immerse the wound in hot water then consult a doctor.

Juveniles show a unique adaptation, they possess a tentacle above their eye sockets which is possibly used to attract prey.

SOFT CORals

Both soft and hard corals are made up of tiny organisms called polyps. The polyps are soft-bodied, but in hard corals they secrete limestone skeletons for support. In soft corals, the polyps create small, pointy structures called sclerites that help them keep their shape.

Soft corals are also mostly colonial; what appears to be a single large organism is actually a colony of individual polyps combined to form a larger structure. Visually, soft coral colonies tend to resemble trees, bushes, fans, whips, and grasses.

Sea cucumber

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothurian species worldwide is about 1,717, with the greatest number being in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of these are gathered for human consumption and some species are cultivated in aquaculture systems. The harvested product is variously referred to as trepang, namako, bêche-de-mer, or balate. Sea cucumbers serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter, after which bacteria can continue the decomposition process.

Like all echinoderms, sea cucumbers have an endoskeleton just below the skin, calcified structures that are usually reduced to isolated microscopic ossicles (or sclerietes) joined by connective tissue. In some species these can sometimes be enlarged to flattened plates, forming an armour. In pelagic species such as Pelagothuria natatrix (order Elasipodida, family Pelagothuriidae), the skeleton is absent and there is no calcareous ring.

Geometric Moray Eel: Gymnothorax griseus

You can easily recognise the geometric moray by the dashed lines patterning its face. These mark its pores which are part of its lateral line system. This detects changes in pressure, letting the eel detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water.

Quite small for a moray, the Geometric moray reaches 65 cm long. It lives at depths down to 40 m on coral and rocky reefs. You may see groups of up to 10 young eels sheltering in rock crevices. .

You find this eel throughout the Western Indian Ocean including the Red Sea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Oman, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa.

The eel has four nostrils. Two elongated front nostrils and two a little further back, which give it an excellent sense of smell with which to hunt prey.

THE NETWORK PIPEFISH

The Network pipefish has a long thin angular body comprised of armored plates. The body colour is an off cream colour. On the upper body a series of yellow and purple markings form a network pattern across the body. The caudal fin is a very light pinkish colour with white dots on the spines. There is a light purple line across the ends of the spines. The lower body has rows of purple dots across it. In Tanzanian waters they seem to grow up to a maximum of 12-15 cm.
The Network Pipefish are usually seen on sandy areas and rubble between the reef. If one approaches them very slowly and carefully you can get close to them. Any sudden movement and they will dash off.
The Network Pipefish is found across the Indo West Pacific area from South Africa, north to the Red Sea and across to Southern Japan and South to Australia. They are found on sandy and rubble areas as well as coral reefs from a depth of 1 to 25 meters.