Archive

BLACK-SPOTTED PUFFER. Here is a small Black-spotted puffer, also called the “Dog face puffer,” resting. I have seen small ones do this before, at night. It is in the same genus, Arothron, as the White-spotted puffer and the Striped puffer. All of them, as members of the family Tetraodontidae, are characterized by a deadly neurotoxin. […]

FIRE URCHIN. This is a poisonous echinoderm, Asthenosoma varium, perhaps one of the most beautiful sea urchins on the planet. Little crustaceans make their home on its body.

The Tasseled Scorpionfish is one of a large group of camouflaged predators that blend in with their surroundings. They ambush their unsuspecting prey by opening their mouths quickly, which creates a powerful suction. Their spines are highly poisonous. Please notice the tassels, sort of like a beard, on the chin of this fish.

“HOUSEHOLD” OF FALSE CLOWN ANEMONEFISH. The anemonefish are among the most charismatic of all coral reef fish, and are almost always found near their home anemones, which protect them with their stinging cells. The fish live in what I would call “households.” The little family is a matriarchy, with the largest, dominant always a female. […]

Nudibranchs are a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms, and they have been given colorful nicknames to match, such as “clown”, “marigold”, “splendid”, “dancer”, and “dragon”. Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known. The […]

This was the first time I had seen a cuttlefish.  We were diving in Puerto Galera, in the Philippines -- about 3 hour drive, then a long boat ride, from Manila.  This is what is called "muck diving."  As opposed to colorful reefs, there are sandy or muddy bottoms where people attempt to see and [...]