Underwater Florida

 Is this a plant or an animal? Well, until 1753 this was considered a plant. J.A. de Peysonell, a French biologist, concluded this was actually a colony of animals called coral. Each 8 sided feathery looking star is called a polyp. Its central orifice functions as both mouth and anus (yuck!). There is a joke here somewhere, but I am a classy guy. Not quite as classy as a French biologist, but close. This is a close-up shot of a colony called a sea rod. It is a soft coral because it lacks hard, rigid skeletons. Coral reef colonies are part of a vast eco-system that is extremely vital to the health of the world’s oceans and the Earth overall.

 Hey who ordered the escargot? This is a snail called a Flamingo Tongue. I’ve never actually seen a Flamingo’s tongue so I don’t know if they look anything like this. This creature lacks a true skeleton but does have a shell created by calcium carbonate secreted from its tissue or mantle. This variety of sea snail wears its mantle over the shell and is covered with spots for camouflage. Do you see the tiny triangle on its lower left side? This is its foot and that’s how it moves about.

 This scene looks like an eerie vision from the movie "Titanic". Actually this is an old coastguard cutter that was purposely sunk to create an artificial reef. There are dozens of ships scattered up and down the coast of Florida placed in depths ranging from 30 to 120 feet of water. Over time these rusting hulks attract minute corals which attach themselves as they would to the natural hard substrate on the ocean bottom. As these corals grow and spread, larger life forms move in until there is an entire micro-environment similar to a natural reef. This is recycling at its best.

 An ominous looking creature, the Great Barracuda is a frequent inhabitant of the artificial reefs. It is very high up the food chain and enjoys the all you can eat 24 hour buffet residing in its neighborhood. Barracudas can grow to lengths of 6 feet and have a habit of swimming close to scuba divers and shadowing them as they move about, which can be quite unnerving. They are just curious as there have been no reports of an unprovoked attack. Let me define a provoked attack: Anytime while you, the scuba diver, while scuba diving, notice a barracuda swimming close to you or shadowing you and you make fun of its bad dental work or poke it in the eye with your finger.

 The Spotfin Butterflyfish is named for the small black spot on the outer edge of the rear dorsal fin (just above the tail fin). They also have a band that helps conceal their eyes. Butterflyfish usually ignore divers, but it is best to hover motionless and let them swim by you especially if you want good close-up photos. By the way these fish are not totally safe. They are carnivorous, so small crabs and invertebrates are not comforted by the word butterfly. Let's face it, pretty much everything in the ocean has to watch its back!

 The Foureye Butterflyfish can really confuse the hungry diner (the unevolved studid bigger predator fish) with its large eye-looking spot on its backside.

 Spotted Morays only grow to 4 feet. Eel’s diet consists of fish, crabs, shrimp, octopuses and squid. They are often mistaken for sea snakes, but there are no sea snakes in the Atlantic Ocean.

 Here is a face only a mother could love. This is another misunderstood creature often portrayed as a monster, the Green Moray Eel. It can grow to 6 feet and has a lot of sharp teeth that it shows off while opening and closing its mouth frequently. This is not to threaten you, but so it can breathe. Morays probably don’t see you because of their poor eyesight. They rely on their sense of smell to find food. Concealed in the crevices of the reef, they wait for their meal to come to them or swim around on overcast days or nighttime to forage for food. These eels are really brown, but are covered with yellow mucus giving the animal a greenish tint.

 Hey guy’s, move over and give me some room! I photographed this community of Spiny Lobsters one day before hunting season opened. I think it was a show of force or safety in numbers-not quite sure. If I spoke lobsterese I would have told them that gathering in a large group out in the open is not the best way to be inconspicuous. Lobsters are closely related to insects and spiders. They have their skeleton on the outside and to grow to full size shed or molt this exoskeleton several times and replace it with a larger version. These lobsters have no claws to defend themselves like their northern cousins, but swim backwards rapidly using their tails to escape danger.

 Here is a huge grouper that is making a comeback from almost being hunted to extinction – the Goliath Grouper (formerly the Jew Fish.) This is the largest fish besides sharks found on reefs. When full grown they can get as big as 8 feet. I first came upon one of these massive mini-vans while mapping out a shipwreck. I swam around a boiler and looked up to see one hovering over the top of the boiler tank. It nearly scared me to death! Goliath Groupers are usually shy, but have been known to charge scuba divers. It is probably a territorial challenge. Hey, you win!

 You wouldn’t think this maze was an animal, but it is a stony coral colony. This hard coral is the basic building block of typical reefs. Colonies increase by asexual budding of additional polyps overgrowing each other. Reefs are slow growing and take many years to build. The hard structure that protects their soft delicate bodies is formed from secreted calcium carbonate. I know this was a whole bunch of scientific stuff all at once, but if you memorize this info you will impress your friends. Unless they are biologists

 Speaking of good hiding places… This tiny Blenny uses this coral colony for cover only to dart out for a few seconds to grab a bite. Most blennies are one 1 ½-3 inches long. This is one of the most deadly things in the ocean. Not really. I was just checking in to see if you are really paying attention because there might be a quiz at the end of this page.

  Everyone loves babies. Well, baby fish are cute also, except they are slimy. Then again human babies are slimy as well. This is a juvenile Spotted Drum. As it grows, the body will become fatter and its dorsal fin will appear smaller. They live in secluded areas of the reef and feed at night.

 This is a macro close-up shot of a typical polyp that is open and feeding. They usually feed at night and are closed during the day.

 Another cute baby - except for the funky eyes and a big case of the slimes.  A juvenile octopus is a cool find! These animals are amazing because they can quickly change body colors to blend into its surroundings. This is done by the expansion or contraction of specialized pigment cells. I once followed one around on a dive and watched it blend in with a dull colored section of reef and then as it swam over a section of rusted shipwreck blend in with its deep reds and browns. It even seemed to mimic the rough texture. Nature never ceases to amaze me.

 Ok, here is the quiz:

What is the scariest thing in the the ocean?

A. Barracuda

B. Shark

C. The tiny harmless Blenny

D. All the Above

E. None of the Above

Here is a hint: It is not A, B, C or D

 Remember that the scariest creature in the ocean is about 6 feet long, has a rubberlike skin, steel-like bladder on its back and swims around erradically emitting large noisy bubbles.