The Lionfish is native to the Pacific.... but not welcome in the waters of the Carribbean.
There they are thought to be an invasive species.... with a voracious appetite.
It is believed that they will eat their way to dominance.
And, that their presence without any natural predators....could destroy the ecosystem.
As a result, it is common for the dive guides.... to kill these fish every time they encounter them.
On this particular dive our guide was carrying a Hawaiian Sling.... a small spear that is launched using a large rubber band.
And this was the fate, of a couple of small Lionfish that we saw during our dive.
In my last post, I made a big deal about how plain the Southern Ray is.
But the Yellow Stingray.... is just the opposite.
Yellowish brown in color.... they are covered with numerous pale and dark spots and blotches.
And, can change colors too.... by dramatically lightening or darkening these these markings.
You can see in this pixture, just how graceful they are.
Why crash into or even touch that piece of coral.... when you can just flow around it.
The Southern Stingray just isn't much to look at.... until they move.
Then.... it's just amazing.
They float and fly.... with almost no effort.
A flat, diamond-shaped mud brown, olive or grey disc.... laying motionless on the bottom.
Becomes poetry in motion.... when they swim.
But give them the room they need.
They come equipped with a serrated barb on their tail.... that is covered in a venomous mucus.
Not something that is fatal to humans.... but it will hurt, a lot, if you get stung.
If we are telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
This is an Arrowcrab.... climbing around inside a vase sponge.
But if we were spinning a yarn.
It would be an alien being.... a Gangliopied
Running across the surface of our moon.
To board it's flying saucer.... and invade the Earth.
Long ago.... when I first got interested in photography.
I took a night school class.
Part of that class involved professional models.... posing for the pixtures we took.
We were able to ask them for an emotion, which would then appear on their face for our shot.
I don't speak Barracuda.... so I didn't ask for an emotion for this pixture.
But it sure looks like he is posing.... so I wonder what he thinks I said.
