Queen Conch – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Queen conch move very slowly This is the flagship creature of the Florida Keys, otherwise known as the “Conch Republic”. Conch are a popular food. Unfortunately, years of overharvesting has led to a crash in their population. These days, the Conch Republic must import their conch. Spotted Eagle Ray This […]
Caribbean Reef Octopus – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data I’ve encountered Caribbean reef octopus on night dives You are looking into the eye of a Caribbean reef octopus. Although they look mysterious, they are one of the more commonly seen octopus and we know quite a lot about them. Caribbean reef octopus are generally seen at night. I […]
Nurse Shark – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable Nurse sharks are not considered a dangerous shark species to humans This is a photograph of a nurse shark, taken in Key Largo, Florida. To get a close up photograph of a shark can be tricky, but the nurse shark gives you a better chance than most shark species. Nurse […]
Permit – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Permit are extremely efficient swimmers due to their body design The three large fish on the left are called, “permit”. These large silvery fish are not a frequent sighting on the Florida Keys reefs. Some people think the bubbles from scuba divers attracts their attention. They rarely hang around for […]
Coquina – iNaturalist Looking out across the water you could watch as brown pelicans soared looking for their next meal Watching the waves come crashing down on the long, slowly-rising beach of the Atlantic coast of Florida is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I took this photo at 6:45am one morning in June. The waves […]
Red-Tipped Sea Goddess – iNaturalist The impact of the red-tipped sea goddess within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is unknown Although this is a beautiful nudibranch, it is probably not from the area it was photographed (Florida Keys). The majority of the red-tipped sea goddess sightings are from the Pacific Ocean. However, it is believed they […]
Purple-Crowned Sea Goddess – iNaturalist Without the blue/purple rhinophores, it would be hard to know which end is the front and which is the back Nudibranchs are known for their wild colors and patterns, and this nudibranch is no exception. The purple-crowned sea goddess is the smallest nudibranchs I am writing about this month. This tiny nudibranch […]
Gold-Line Sea Goddess – iNaturalist In order to find nudibranchs, you must slowly search the bottom This ornate cryptic crawler is called a gold-line sea goddess. A gold-line sea goddess is a type of nudibranch. A nudibranch is a tiny sea slug. Just how tiny? Here is a photo of the gold-line sea goddess next to my finger. Being […]
Smooth Trunkfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These odd shaped swimmers will grow to about a foot long This interesting tropical fish is called a smooth trunkfish. This photograph was taken in Key Largo, on a shallow inshore reef. Smooth trunkfish are commonly seen in these waters as well as throughout Florida and the Caribbean. They are […]
Atlantic Spadefish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern You can find Atlantic spadefish in the shallow waters of the east coast These silvery zebra striped fish are called Atlantic spadefish. They grow to a couple feet long and can be found on their own or schooling with others. They tend to be unafraid of scuba divers. In fact, […]