View allAll Photos Tagged marineexplorer
Like a sprinkling of stripy confetti over the reef, these large (15 cm long) butterflyfish live in eastern Australian waters. Lord Howe Island
We were enjoying a shallow dive at Cape Peron when this sea puppy turned up to check us out - poked its head right into my camera lens, swam off, came back for another look, blew a few bubbles and decided there were better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon...
Ok I know they are rhinophores not eyes, but allow me this little anthropomorphication :) Bare Island
Seahorses are fish that don't use their tails to swim - instead, they use them to hang on to the substrate. They like well-attached algae, seagrass and human structures like nets. This seahorse is hanging on to some algae next to the holdfast of a kelp plant. Its relatively long filaments make it blend with its surroundings particularly well... it was a tough one to find on our survey. Hippocampus whitei is listed at threatened.
Not strictly owls, frogmouths differ in having regular feet (not talons), wide bills and eyes on the side, not the front of their heads. They feed on insects rather than larger animals like owls. We have a pair in our front yard which entertain us with their hoo-hoo-hoo call in the early evening, and acrobatics as they pounce on moths from above. Epping NSW.
The day started with rescuing two paddlers caught out by a strong weather front, then we completed two site surveys at Middle Head, finishing by communing with the seahorses at Clifton Gardens
Cephalopods are one of my favourite marine animals, and thought to be the most intelligent invertebrates on earth (well, in the oceans!). Here are a few of my locals; clockwise from top left; giant cuttlefish, southern squid, gloomy octopus and red cuttle (which is not always red).
Clockwise:
Blue spotted elysia
Flabellina rubrolineata
Thorunna daniellae
Aphelodoris varia
Ceratosoma amoenum
Plocamopherus imperialis
Nice to see a couple (1 male 1 female) of weedies on my early morning spin out north of Shelly Head, Manly this morning. I would normally see 4-5 weedies on this dive, but recent extreme events may have impacted populations
A few shrimps; CW fr TL Kuiter's hinge-back, serrated hinge-back, mantis shrimp x 2, banded cleaner shrimp and another serrated.
The two foreground fish in this shot are the same species. The rare yellow individual is called a "Queen bee" by locals. Note a second queen bee in the background; I've never seen 2 out of 5 before. Lord Howe Island
This little fish may look cute, but it is poisonous like other puffers and toadfish in this family. This particular species only grows to 11 cm long and this individual was only around 5 cm.
Super sea slugs; CW fr TL Dendrodoris krusensternii, Goniobranchus splendidus, Chromodoris elisabethina, Ardeadoris rubroannulata, Tambja verconis and Goniobranchus tasmaniensis
#Nudibranchs have a pair of #rhinophores at the front which can often be retracted into pockets. These delicate chemical sensors are like a human nose, and are ribbed to increase their surface area and hence efficiency. Bare Island
This ambush predator is endemic to eastern Australia. It launches out at passing fish and invertebrates, swallowing them whole. I vote we give it a new common name - luscious lips. Clifton Gardens
Blue devils normally retreat into the shadows when you approach, but this one was out exploring in daylight at Jervis Bay so I could get a good shot. Thanks for spotting it Nyrie!
Found between central eastern NSW and NZ, grey knifefish school in the shallows where they feed on plankton. They are an elongated type of sweep (Scorpididae). Lord Howe Island
In a sensational scene, this flurry of filter-feeding animals flaunt their magenta marine magnificence at Stradbroke Island :)
The diverse family of moray eels has around 200 species in 15 genera. Enchelychore is a small genus of 13 species, characterised by curved jaws that don't close properly but are good for seizing prey. Lord Howe Island
Zoom in to see eggs and even some baby eyes in the mouth of this proud dad. Endemic to eastern Australia (Vincentia novaehollandiae). Clifton Gardens.
Trying out my Christmas present snoot at Clifton Gardens this morning... I was happy to find this cute little anglerfish to pose for me!
One of my favourite fish - and we get to count them on both the fish and cryptic transects on Reef Life Survey. Norfolk Island
There are several species of barracuda, varying in their body patterns, tail shapes and fins. Small species grow to 50 cm; the largest grow to 2 m. Most are tropical, but snook and seapike (S. novaehollandiae and obtusata) extend into cooler waters. Stradbroke Island