PAINTED TUNICATE : Clavelina picta 3 in long. Larval tunicate has primitive notochord making these animals very advanced invertebrates.
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BROWN TUBE SPONGE : Agelas sp. 2.5 feet long. Their built-in filtering mechanism is sophisticated enough to filter bacteria out of seawater, a factor witch contributes to some degree to the excellent water visibility in the Caribbean. Brown tube sponges are home to varius animals including cleaner gobies.
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BRITTLE STAR : Phylum Echinodermata 8 in long. Brittle stars are extremely sensitive to light. Most hide during the day and emerge at night to feed. They are quick to flee and may readily sacrifice an arm to save the rest of the body when threatened by predators. Can regenerate lost arms.
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BRITTLE STAR
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CARIBBEAN REEF SQUID : Sepioteuthis spioidea 8 in long. Very important food source for many fishes. Specialized cells in skin allow for near instantaneous color changes thought to be used in communication with others members of their species.
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RED FAN WORM : Pomastegus stellatus 2 in long. The tube of the red fan worm lengthens as animal grows in order to keep pace with growing coral preventing tentacular crown, which plays vital role in respiration, from being overgrown.
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| The photos on this page by Fabio Ehrengruber |
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