Underwater Animals

These are just a few of the underwater creatures we saw on our trip.

Flathead Scorpion Fish (Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus)

scorpion fish portrait

This fish is poisonous. Do not step on him!

Leaf Scorpion Fish (Taenianotus triacanthus)

white leaf scorpion fish

Squid (Sepioteuthis sp.)

squid

Clown Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis)

transparent anemone shrimp

There are many kinds of small shrimp. This one lives on a sand anemone.

Hermit Crab

hermit crab

Panther Cowrie (Cypraea pantherina)

cowrie

Squat Lobster (Galathea sp.)

red squat lobster on fan

The squat lobster is the same color as the sea fan he lives on. Look carefully!

Decorator Crab

decorator crab on feather hydroid

Spawning Sponges

spawning brown volcano sponges spawning sponge closeup

The visibility had been unexpectedly poor for several days. On the day after the full moon in November we could see maybe one meter. The reason was because the sponges were spawning! They were pumping gametes into the water at a great rate.

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Last modified 5 November 2019