The different coral species and the creatures that live with them are fascinating. Brian Cometa saunters beaches all around the world to discover the beauty of the sea.

1. By: Callie Bednarek

2. Cleaning Wrasses
Hi there! I’m George, and I’m a
Cleaning Wrasse. I’ve been living
here in the coral reefs for some
time now and I want to tell you a
few things about my job.
Actually, it’s in my name. What I
do is I pull parasites off other
fish. I don’t feel very threatened
here, because everyone needs
me and my family.

3. starfish Hey! I’m over here!
My name is Coral and
I’m one of the many
species that lives here
in the Coral Reef. I
live/hide in
abandoned fish homes
because some of the
species here scare me
and one time I even
lost one of my five
legs in a battle with a
King crab, but It grew

4. Hermit
Crabs
Hello! I kind of overheard
you talking to Coral over
there about my distant
relative John the King
crab. Pretty cool huh?
Any way, I’m Frank. I
feel safe here hiding in
the rocks, because I stick
pieces of sponge and
anemone on myself to
hide. But even if a
predator sees past that, I
have stingers, so it’s not
my problem.

5. sCorpion FisH Hey. I’m Fiji. I’m a Scorpion
Fish. I “sting” my food and
eat it for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. At night I sleep
in the ridges along the ocean
floor near the coral reef
where I go during the day.
I’m also venomous and other
fish are doomed once they
hit my poisonous spines full
of mucus. As you can see
from the two different
photos of me, I can change
colors to hide from sharks
and rays. I’m not taking my
chances with those guys.

6. Clown FisH
Hola! Me llamo Nilo!
Yeah, that’s right, I know Spanish!
A lot of fish here get me confused with this
kid down the reef, Nemo. But my name is NILO!!
Anyway, the way I live around here is pretty
simple. My home is my main food source. (We
have a “special” relationship.) She stings her food
and I clean her by eating all of her leftovers. I’m a
special fish and I’m the only kind who’s immune to
her stings. How awesome is that?!

7. Blue Tang
Hello! My name is Domi. I heard you talking to a good
friend of mine, Nilo, and I feel the same way. There’s this crazy
girl who lives somewhere around here whose name is just like
mine! Dori! It gets SO annoying!
Sorry. I get off topic sometimes. What I do during the day
is; I find a group of friends to go feast with, We go eat algae of the
sea floor, (While watching out for snappers and groupers) and
then find a small safe place to spend the night. It’s a little scary
knowing that my predators are right around the corner sometimes,
but I made do.

8. Red
gRoupeRs
Hi! My name is Indigo. I can
flash different colors to
attract a cleaning wrasse so I
can get rid of those pesky
parasites. Every once in a
while I will take debris from
the bottom of the coral reef,
and build a home out of it.
Sometimes I outgrow them
and sometimes I just need to
move on. Luckily other fish
benefit from that and use my
abandoned home.

9. seahoRses
Hi! I’m Georgia! I heard that up on
land there’s a state named after
me. That’s right, be jealous.
Anyway, I’m a seahorse. I heard
there’s an animal up on land
named after me too. I guess I’m
just that popular. Anyway, guess
what I can do! I can change colors
to blend in with the coral here to
avoid the evil crabs, tuna, sting
rays, etc… It’s kind of scary living
here in the coral reef because I
know I can become a snack at any
time. Thank goodness for the coral,
otherwise I’d have nowhere to hide!

10. Purple-Blotched
Basslets
Hey! What’s up?! I’m Leo. Well, a couple of weeks ago I
was Lea, but I changed genders once our lead male,
Oscar, died. As you can see if still in the process of
changing. I used to be all yellow. Anyway, there is an
advantage to being one of the smaller creatures on the
reef. There’s so many more hiding opportunities when
you’re my size. The coral really helps my family and I
survive. I’m very grateful for it because it gives me shelter
and food.

11. Credits
 http://www.art.com/products/p357093778-sa-i4008111/reinhard-dirscherl-red-starfish-and-coral-reef-asteroidea-mexico-sea-of-cortez-baja-california-la-
 http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-exclusives/fama/cleaner-wrasse.aspx
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_reef
 http://www.robots4farms.com/ogdenpoint.html
 http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=551
 http://a-z-animals.com/animals/scorpion-fish/
 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/7295/California-scorpion-fish
 http://worldsbestfishnames.com/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpaenidae
 http://a-z-animals.com/animals/clown-fish/
 http://www.petpig.com/fish/Glass_Fish.aspx
 http://www.123rf.com
 http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=3390
 http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/mysticconnection/aa/starfish.html
 http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I2/hippocampus_color2/Color_In_Hippocampus2.htm
"Surgeonfish: Tang Fish, Hippo Tangs, Yellow Tangs, other Surgeons - Aquatic Connection ." Saltwater Reef Fish, Marine Fish, Reef Aquarium
Coral, Saltwater Supplies & more - Aquatic Connection Live. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.aquacon.com/Surgeonfish_saltwaterfish.html>.
 "Aqua Marine Discovery: Sea Turtles." Aqua Marine Discovery. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
<http://aquamarinediscovery.blogspot.com/2008/09/sea-turtles.html>.
 "Color in Hippocampus pt. 2." Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine and Freshwater Fish, reef tanks, and Aquatics Information. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
 " Scorpionfishes (Scorpaenidae): lionfish, stonefish, Rhinopias, devilfish, leaffish - characteristics, ecology and range, behavior." Starfish:
Photos of fishes, invertebrates (molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, worms, corals, sponges, jellyfish and more), reptiles, rays and sharks. Start
your dive into the coral reef!. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://www.starfish.ch/reef/scorpionfish.html>.
 catch:. "FishWatch - Red Grouper." Home :: NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/red_grouper.htm>.
 "Seahorse Predators." Seahorse Facts and Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. <http://seahorseworlds.com/seahorse-predators.html>.
 "Sunset House Caribbean Fish ID - REEF.org." Cayman Islands Scuba Diving Resort. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.sunsethouse.com/fishid3.php?pf=true>.
