The last several years in Belize and Honduras, i’ve come to recognize and expect to see, what i’d come to name, 'the usual suspects’: Tangs, ParrotFish, and Sergant Majors, etc.. All though not ‘bored’ with them, i yearned for something new. ...and new i got. my first snorkel was complete overload ! i couldn’t decide where to look next. all around me were colorful beautifully decorated fishes that i’ve never seen before. i would start following one to try to get a photo; and another one would catch my eye; and a different one over there! i’ve never seen so many different kinds of fishes. There are categories that they all fall under: AngelFish, ButterflyFish, BoxFish, TriggerFish, Grouper, etc.; but it is going to take me awhile to identify them by name. To see so many different fishes all in one place is mind-boggling ! They are plentiful and beautiful ! i am truly in heaven !
Snorkeling through the shallows i found lots and lots of different Sea Stars ... the ones with the bumps are called Chocolate Chip Sea Stars :)
In the shallows you also see Sea Cucumbers, who are not usually very pretty, and they just lay there and do nothing. This one was quite pretty, and i could see it’s little black mouth parts moving.
There are a lot of soft corals in the water; and almost no hard corals. That is because this area suffered a typhoon 3 years ago, and it destroyed all the corals. The soft corals can grow back quickly; but the hard corals, only grow a centimeter in a year (or something ridiculous like that). so it will be another generation that will see them.
This is a Leather Coral, large, and so fluffy. It reminds me of a mushroom .. and i just found it in another book and they called it a MUSHROOM Leather Coral :)
You may possibly get tired of seeing the Anemone Fish aka ClownFish aka Nemo. But before you do, here are some facts:
Clown Fish live in the Sea Anemone, hence the name. The stinging tentacles of the Sea Anemone kills fish for it to eat. The Clown Fish, is the only fish that does not get stung by these tentacles, because a mucous covers their body and protects them. This relationship also provides the Clown Fish with some protection from predation by other fishes, and in return, the Clown Fish removes parasites and chases away species they may try to eat its host anemone.
There are lots of different Clown Fish ... i think this one is a Red and Black Anemone Fish ...
I did not know this: All Clown Fish are born Male, and can change to Female; but will only do so to become the dominant Female of a group. Sex change is not particularly rare, but most species change from female to male. When Clown Fish hatch as males they join groups of a few individuals living together in a Sea Anemone. The largest individual of each group is the only female; and she and the largest male are the only two that reproduce. The dominant female lays her eggs on the reef, and the male fertilizes them. Together, they guard the nest from egg predators. If anything happens to the female, the reproductive male changes sex, becoming the dominant female. The next largest male then becomes reproductively active, and the other males in the group continue to be subordinate. The change is irreversible.
There are PINK Clown Fish, who knew ... and so far this is my favorite photo...
i saw a couple of Groupers, but different from the Groupers i am used to seeing.
This a HoneyComb Grouper ...
and this is a Starry Grouper ...
This is a Regal AngelFish; and they seem to be plentiful here; or maybe it’s just because they are so bright and easy to see.
i’ve been lucky to spot 2 clams. The first one was very small, maybe 2", but very vibrantly colored;
the second one was larger and more subtle in color, but still fascinating. This one was 6” across ....
now open ...
and now closed ... way cool !
i was intrigued by the small ‘teeth’ on the inside of it’s mouth ...
Clam Fact: the clam gets only one chance to find a nice home. Once it fastens itself to a spot on a reef, there it sits for the rest of its life. i’ve heard there are Giant Clams north of Manila, 4 feet across and 500 pounds; but i don’t think i’ll make it up there this trip.
There are a lot of different and beautiful ButterFly Fish ... but i think this one is my favorite ... so far :)
It is an Eastern Triangular ButterFly Fish ... stunning !
...and those little Damsel fishes, usually they are sky blue, but these are more turquoise :)
another one ... a Copper Banded ButterFlyFish
and this Japanese SurgeonFish .... the colors and lines are incredible !
i was quite a way down the beach from where i started, the weather was not cooperating and i got so cold that i thought i’d just snorkel up to shore where i was, get out, and warm up, then get back in the water. it wasn’t until i got out that i realized that the sun was not shining…and it was raining. but the air temp was still warmer than the water, so i warmed up a bit, then got back in the water. the first thing i saw was this fish. i didn't know the names of these new fishes; but i knew this one was a TriggerFish, so i named him Pink Tailed TriggerFish. … ha … i looked him up, and i was right :)
... then he blew me a kiss :)
i was jumping (ok, maybe bobbing), for joy when i spotted this Fuchsia FlatWorm. You would think it would be impossible to miss; but with so much to see, it could have easily been overlooked. That would have been sad, because it was spectacular ! How big was it? … maybe 1 inch. .
i couldn’t find, or i should say understand, much about FlatWorms. They’re called flatworms, but the name does little to describe them apart from the fact that they are, … well, …. flat! They eat tiny worms, microscopic matter, and even any insects.
Interesting: Good quality scientist can train flatworms to perform small task, such as finding water within a maze.
but, finding a flatworm on the reef, is pretty exciting because of their colors and designs … and watching them slide about with elegant ruffles of their body edges. and i guess they can even swim by undulating their thin bodies.
This video shows those elegant ruffles.
If you click on the little box in the lower right corner of the video box, it will enlarge to full screen.
If the video doesn't load for you, it can be seen on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0cRnDs5pW4
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