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Sae's ocean reef
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- 2. ocean reef animals hammer coral Anemonefish Bicolor anthias Blacktip reef shark Brain coral Carpet anemone Convict tang Dwarf seahorse Epaulette shark Giant clam Longsnout seahorse Parrotfish Pharaoh cuttlefish Pyramid butterflyfish
- 3. This animal’s namecomes from the hammer- or anchor- shaped tips of its tentacles. An anchor coral colony may look peaceful, but it packs a powerful punch. Special “sweeper” tentacles—up to several inches long—reach out to inject poison into neighbor colonies that try to take over its turf—a good strategy in a crowded coral reef.
- 4. Anemone fish, alsocalled clownfish, live nestled among the tentacles of stinging anemones. Scientists have found that these fish have a special layer of mucus that keeps the anemones from stinging them.
- 5. Anthias make upa sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange and yellow fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The anthias are members of the family Serranidae (basses, basslets, groupers) and make up the subfamily Anthiinae.
- 6. Blacktip reef sharkspatrol their territories in coral lagoons and around the edges of reefs. They often swim in water shallow enough that their triangular, black-tipped top fin sticks out above the surface, presenting a classic image of sharks as portrayed in movies and cartoons.
- 7. These corals gettheir common name from the grooves and channels on their surfaces that look like the folds of the human brain. There's more than one kind of "brain coral"—several species from two different families of corals share the name—but all help build coral reefs.
- 8. Carpet Anemone These anemones may live 100 years or more. A single large anemone may host several kinds of anemonefishes.
- 9. This striking fishgets its name from its vertical black stripes, which resemble a prisoner’s uniform. The convict tang also belongs to the family of surgeonfishes, owing to dangerously sharp blades by its tailfi.
- 10. This is oneof the smallest seahorse species, at just under one inch long. They are commonly found in sea grass beds off the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico. Dwarf seahorse pairs take their time getting to know each other before they mate. As part of their mating ritual, a female will swim into the male’s territory, and the pair performs elaborate courtship dances each morning for several days until they eventually hook tails and swim up in the water column to mate.
- 11. Because plants intide pools don’t produce oxygen at night, creatures that live there use up all or most of the oxygen during the night. Epaulette sharks caught in tide pools by the receding tide can turn off enough body functions to survive several hours with little or no oxygen. Researchers are working to discover how the shark manages with so little oxygen—the answer might help in the treatment of stroke patients or during heart surgeries.
- 12. As their nameimplies, giant clams are the largest clams in the world. The largest grow more than four feet (1.2 m) long. Once a giant clam settles into a place and begins to grow, it stays permanently attached to that spot for life.
- 13. They are foundin coral reefs and sea grass beds and occasionally in the midwater of the Atlantic from North Carolina to Florida, and from the Caribbean down to Brazil. Males can carry broods of up to 1,000 young in their pouches, with larger males carrying even more young.
- 14. Generally brightly colored,about 60 species of parrotfishes swim in coral reefs around the world. They have fused teeth that form beaklike plates, giving them a parrotlike appearance. They have large thick scales that, in some species, are strong enough to stop a spear.
- 15. The Pharaoh Cuttlefishis a large cuttlefish species, growing to 42 cm in mantle length and 5 kg in weight. When raised in the laboratory, the maximum recorded size for males is 16.2 cm, and for females 15.5 cm.
- 16. The Butterflyfish cangrow up to 18cm in length. The Pyramid Butterflyfish is usually seen in depths between 3 m and 60 m in outer reef areas close to drop-offs. It often forms large shoals containing hundreds of individuals all swimming high in the water column feeding on plankton.
- 17. Long and sleek,zebra sharks can wriggle into reef crevices and caves to hunt for their favorite food. Barbels (fleshy feelers) on their snouts help them search for their prey. Zebra sharks hunt at night; in the daytime they usually rest quietly on the bottom, “standing” on their pectoral (side) fins.