Peacock Mantis Shrimp

The Mantis Shrimp, neither shrimp nor mantis, receive their name purely from the physical resemblance to both the terrestrial praying mantis and the shrimp. They may reach 30 centimeters (12 in) in length, although exceptional cases of up to 38 cm (15 in) have been recorded. Mantis shrimp appear in a variety of colors, from shades of browns to bright neon colors. Although they are common animals and among the most important predators in many shallow,... Read More

What is a Nudibranch?

Nudibranchs are Gastropods in the Phylum Mollusca Or, said another way, nudibranchs are mollusks in the Class Gastropoda, which includes snails, slugs, limpets and sea hairs. Many gastropods have a shell. Nudibranchs have a shell in their larval stage, but it disappears in the adult form. Gastropods also have a foot (more on that below) and all young gastropods undergo a process called torsion in their larval stage. In this process, the entire top... Read More

Seahorses

The seahorse is an interesting creature; while he looks very unlike our traditional image of one, he is indeed a fish. A fish that eats constantly, having no real stomach seahoreses are almost always consuming plankton, even when they look like they’re not. Perhaps one of the more interesting facts about seahorse is that while the female seahorse produces them, seahorse eggs are held inside the male’s body until they hatch; he is pregnant... Read More

Indian Ocean Walkman

The Indian Ocean Walkman (Inimicus didactylus) also sometimes referred to as a Demon Stinger or Devil Stinger is a strange little fish, similar to the scorpion and stone fishes. He is well camouflaged, typically lying partially buried on the sea floor or on a coral head, covering himself with sand and other debris to further hide himself. The Indian Ocean Walkman has a sharp venomous spine yet no known natural predators.   When disturbed by a... Read More

… Is your sunscreen killing corals?

According to a recent article in the National Geographic, four common sunscreen components can activate dormant viruses in coral’s symbiotic algae, known as zooxanthellae, which live within the reef’s tissues. These sunblock chemicals stimulate viral replication until coral’s zooxanthallae explode, releasing viruses into the surrounding seawater, where they can infect neighboring coral reef systems. It is thought that about 4,000 to 6,000 metric... Read More

World Oceans Day is Friday!

Often called “rainforests of the sea”, coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They occupy less than 0.1% of the world’s ocean surface, yet they provide a home for 25% of all marine species! You can help spread the word about one some of the biggest threats to coral reefs, check out World Oceans Day webpage www.worldoceansday.org World Oceans Day is this Friday, June 8th!  What are you planning to do?  Read More

Squid Vs. Cuttlefish

Many people ask me, what is the difference between squid and cuttlefish? Squid a member of the cephalopod family, have a hard inner-body shell called a pen whereas Cuttlefish (also belonging to the cephalopod family) have an internal structure called a cuttlebone, which is porous and composed of aragonite, to provide the cuttlefish with buoyancy. The cuttlebone is unique to cuttlefish, and is one distinct feature that makes them different from their... Read More

Our Resident Frogfish

Our resident frogfish has changed colors… Up until now this nifty little guy has been a purplish-white but just yesterday we discovered that he has turned yellow… one of the many color changes he will go though in his life… Frogfish are interesting and strange little creatures. Without any teeth, they have powerful suction to engulf their meal whole to be processed by their digestive system. Their diet consists of crustaceans and... Read More

Turtles

#gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */ Turtle Gliding over a reef. Turtle heading to surface A... Read More

A Great Organization to Support!

Founded in 1994, the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is the only international organization working exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet’s coral reefs. They focus on three fundamental catalysts for change; marine protected areas (MPAs), marine recreation tourism and local communities. By engaging stakeholders from all three groups—MPA managers, marine tourism operators, and local residents—They work to build partnerships that establish... Read More