11.
Spotted moray - Gymnothorax moringua
- Morays generally live in tropical and subtropical waters.
Most have large flattened bodies and often anchor their rear half in coral and rocks,
extending the head in the current, ready to grab prey that comes close. They are
dangerous when provoked, with ferocious teeth producing deep wounds that usually become
infected.
12.
Butterflyfish - Family Chaetodontidae
- Butterflyfish are most often found in reefs and in warm
waters. See also 5 and 17.
13.
Rock beauty - Holacanthus tricolor
- An angelfish of warm Atlantic and Caribbean waters,
reaching a length of 12 inches. Juveniles have a different color pattern from adults.
In most angelfish, the lips are a different color from the body, appearing to be painted on.
14.
Blue spotted ray - Taeniura lymma
- Sharks, skates, and rays are closely related; skates and
rays can be thought of as flattened sharks with very large pectoral fins. Stingrays are
noted for the long, sharp spines at the base of the tail. Each spine has a venom sac at
its base, and stings are extremely painful. Wounds are frequently the result of a
swimmer stepping on a ray.
15.
Spotted wobbegong - Orectolobus ornatus
- Carpet sharks are bottom dwellers with the lower lobe of
the tail absent. This Australian species blends into the sea bottom, where it ambushes
bottom-dwelling prey at night. It has a fringe of fleshy barbels around its broad
snout.
16.
Common octopus - Octopus vulgaris
- Distributed from the North Atlantic as far South as Guiana,
this species reaches a length of three feet and a weight of ten pounds. The Giant Pacific
Octopus span can extend 30 feet across and it can reach a maximum weight of nearly 600
pounds. Stories of octopus attacks on divers are false; octopus are generally shy and
avoid confrontations with humans if possible.
17.
Butterflyfish - Family Chaetodontidae
- These are "picker" feeders: they use their long snout
with the mouth at the end to pick small organisms and food particles from crevices and
holes. See also 5 and 12.
18.
Nassau grouper - Epinephelus striatus
- A member of the sea bass family, this species lives in
warm waters along rocky shores and coral reefs in the western North Atlantic. A
valuable commercial species, it is in such demand that populations have been seriously
damaged by overfishing.
19.
Marine iguana - Amblyrhynchus cristatus
- The only sea-going lizard in the world, the marine iguana
is found throughout the Galapagos Islands in densities of 4,500 per mile of coastline.
Marine iguanas eat marine algae, crustaceans, and grasshoppers. Most feed on exposed
reefs close to shore. Larger males are famous for their offshore swimming
and diving abilities. They can reach 40 feet underwater and usually dive five to ten
minutes, although the longest observed was about 60 minutes.
