Green Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered In Hawaii, green turtles are called “honu” As I glided my way over top the finger of a fringe reef off the coast of Oahu, I came across half a dozen green turtles. I knew that there are many green sea turtles in the water of Hawaii, but […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Their bodies have horizontal blue and yellow stripes This is the head of a snakefish, otherwise known as a blunt-nose lizardfish. This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean, and more specifically this photo was taken off of West Palm Beach, Florida. These fish live on the bottom (benthic) and tend to […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Data Deficient This little purple spotted sea goddess measures in at about an inch This wild creature is a species of nudibranch called a “purple spotted sea goddess”. These ornate sea slugs are rarely seen by divers. This little guy measures in at about an inch. This particular species of nudibranch is only known to […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern In my time exploring the kelp forests of the Channel Islands, I saw sharks, snails, seals, nudibranchs, and many fish species. This interesting fish is appropriately named the “crevice kelpfish”. I took this photograph in the Channel Islands, amongst the kelp forests it is named for. Where are the Channel Islands? The Channel […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Not only are the kelp forests protection for the garibaldi, they are also a source of food. This fish is named after a 19th century Italian leader, Giuseppe Garibaldi. Why? Garibaldi took up a fashion for wearing orange/red shirts. Later this orange/red shirt became his army’s uniform. This vibrant colored fish was photographed at […]
Redspotted Hawkfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These fish can be very shy This is the only species of hawkfish we have in the Atlantic basin! This 2”-3” reef dwelling fish was common to see where I used to live, in the Florida Keys. However, this fish was also a challenging one to get a photo […]
SOUTHERN STARGAZER – IUCN Conservation Status: LEAST CONCERN Stargazers cover themselves in the sand This eyeball belongs to a rarely seen creature called a stargazer. There is a northern stargazer and a southern stargazer. Both look about the same, and the only way you can really tell the difference is the tail of the stargazer, as well […]
MANTIS SHRIMP – IUCN Conservation Status: Varied The mantis shrimp has one of the most complex visual systems in the animal kingdom This creature is thought to have the most complex visual system in the animal kingdom. How can we break down such a complicated biological system? Let’s start by talking about photoreceptor cells. These cells are used […]
PYGMY FILEFISH – IUCN Conservation Status: LEAST CONCERN The pygmy filefish and the green feather algae are almost the exact same color! This is yet another photo from Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach, Florida. Diving here is like playing underwater Where’s Waldo. There are lots of cryptic creatures that camouflage with the seafloor. Some practice mimicry, […]
ATLANTIC LONGARM OCTOPUS – IUCN Conservation Status: LEAST CONCERN The longarm octopus can change their color and texture! Can you find the octopus? The eyeball is in the center of the photograph. Once you find the eye, the rest of the octopus appears. As the name suggests, the longarm octopus are known for their long arms. Their arms can […]