Best of Mike #147

A Clam is a pretty simple animal.

There are a number of different species, that get referred to as "clams" in different parts of the world.

Some or rather plain looking (but tasty) while others are delicate and colorful.

Clams don't have heads and only Scallops have eyes.... but they all have a heart, kidneys, a mouth and an anus.

Their shells are made up of two halves that are connected by a hinge of ligament.

Some burrow into the sand, while others (like mussels and oysters) attach themselves to the surrounding substrate.

They open their shells to feed....  drawing water in thru a siphon filtering out the food, conveying it to their mouth via a layer of mucus and then expelling the water thru a different siphon.

They can snap their shells shut for protection.... and some even use the  "opening and closing" of their shell to swim.

Best of Mike #146

When we are in Bonaire.... we often make the last dive of the day a late afternoon, twilight dive.

You can fall off the dock right at the resort.... a short swim of 90 ft or so over a sandy bottom takes you out to the reef. Then over the wall and you are on a great dive.

On this particular day.... Linda and I were doing just that when we noticed a lot of commotion around a Tube Sponge up on the shoulder of the reef.

The first pixture in this post is what we found when we got over to that spot.

Except that the tail was wiggling.... and the sponge was flat out vibrating, as a result of  whatever was going on inside.

After just a few seconds, out popped the front end of that eel.... looking pretty happy.

At least, I'm thinking .... that's what happy looks like, on an eel.

If I had to guess.... I would think that a good meal was had, inside the sponge.

Best of Mike #145

Barracuda are kind of like that old man that lived down the block.... when you were a kid.

First off, they just seem to suddenly appear.... when you least expect it.

Once there, they aren't really doing much of anything .... except eyeballing you.

But they still manage to look all grumpy, scary, mean and creepy.

I still get goosebumps thinking about a big one.... just floating there watching me.

I was all by myself, on the safety stop, at the end of a night dive in Turks and Caicos.

I won't lie.... I only made it about 2 minutes and then I was so freaked, I got out of the water.

And that whole time.... he didn't do a thing.... except eyeball me.... and lurk..... and be all creepy.

Best of Mike #144

Octopus are nocturnal hunters.

So during the day, if you are lucky enough to find one ... it will be holed up in their spot something like this.

I can assure you, that while it looks like that eye is closed.... he knows exactly where I am and what I'm doing.

The best way to find an octopus' den is to look for a hole or crevice that has a lot of broken shells, littering the ground in front of it.

That's where he cracks open his prey to eat them.... before backing into the safety of his den.

And as a rule.... they are lousy housekeepers.

The octopus inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean.... coral reefs, pelagic waters and the ocean floor.

They have numerous strategies for defending themselves.... the expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage, the ability to jet quickly through water and their ability to hide.

There are around 300 species of octopus.

All octopi are venomous.... but only one the "Blue Ringed Octopus is know to be deadly to humans.

I see no blue rings here.... whew!

Best of Mike #143

The Red Lip Blenny is very common in the shallow waters of the Caribbean.... ranging as far north as Georgia and as far south as Brazil.

If you are diving the reefs off the west coast of Africa, you could run in to them there too.

They are named for their distinctive red lips.... but you may also see bright red markings on their fins and around the eyes.

They prefer flat coral heads and encrusting coral algae.... someplace where they can get up high to see what's going on around them.

Their place will also need at least one shelter hole where they can retreat, when necessary.

They are small with no real defenses.

So without quick movement and the ability to hide.... they are food for pretty much anything on the reef, with a mouth big enough to swallow them.

Blennys are a herbivore.... they feed, during the day, on the algae lawn where they live.

At night they retreat to their shelter hole to avoid the nocturnal predators.

But they are early risers.... up with the dawn for courtship and spawning as the sun rises.

Best of Mike #142

This colorful jasper is a Creole Wrasse.

We often see schools of them, particularly in the late afternoon.... swimming across the reef in long thin lines.

I think "conga line" every time I see them.

This guy is stopped a cleaning station.

The white piece at the front of their face is their jaw, which they will extend while eating.... and for cleaning.

If you look very closely below this one's jaw.... you will see the very tiny cleaner fish, a Neon Goby, at work.

Best of Mike #141

Here they come again Pirates.... arriving on the shores of Bonaire to once again to plunder and pillage.

Actually nowadays this is the "party boat" that cruises up and down the coast at sunset each day.

But there was a time when pirates came from the sea.

In fact, Rincon, the original settlement on Bonaire was built not on the coast but inland.... just so that it would be less accessible to unwanted visitors who came from the sea.

Best of Mike #140

We were on our way back to the boat on an afternoon dive.

I was thinking about folding up my camera, in preparation for the exit.... when I spotted this Conch all alone on the bottom.

I liked the colors of the shell against the plain sandy bottom.... so I moved in to frame the pixture.

That's when I noticed the eyes.... watching to see what I was up to.

Conch are the larger members of the underwater snail family.

Their meat is eaten.... both raw and cooked.

Their shells have many uses.... a musical instrument (blown much like a trumpet), decoration, planters, art, jewelry, gravestones, on the tops of walls for security and as building materials.... either in bricks or as bulk in landfill.

Like many things that pretty and that useful.... they are often over-fished.

Many Caribbean countries have closed their Conch fisheries and banned their export.

Other countries have banned their import.

In fact, Conch shells or fragments of those shells are the 9th most confiscated item.... from tourists returning home after vacation.

Best of Mike #139

Shells are interesting.... just about any time I find one.

Some have shapes and colors that make them stand out as pretty.

But when you find one with some legs, sticking out (Hermit Crabs).... they become  a whole new level of interesting and entertaining.

Best of Mike #138

Someday, I will get a crystal clear pixture of an Eagle Ray.... maybe.

I don't really carry the kind of camera set-up that will let me do that.... so I will have to get very lucky and have a close encounter.

In the meantime, I will be happy with the ghostly blue images you get from shooting thru a lot of water.

Eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans, crushing their shells with their flattened teeth.

They are excellent swimmers and are able to breach the water up to several metres above the surface. 

The ray has numerous white spots on its inky blue body. It has a span width of 2.5 m (8 ft) and a maximum reported weight of 230 kg (about 507 lbs). And a tail, that can reach up to 5 m (16 ft) in length.

The tail looks like a whip and may be as long as the body....  and it is armed with a stinger.

Eagle rays live close to the coast in depths of 1 to 30 m and in exceptional cases they are found as deep as 300 m.

The eagle ray is most commonly seen cruising along sandy beaches in very shallow waters, its two wings sometimes breaking the surface and giving the impression of two sharks traveling together.