Night Drifters

Recent studies have shown larval fishes to be strong swimmers with sophisticated instincts for remaining in local waters. But exactly where they go between spawning and settlement remains a mystery.

Larval moray eel

The Great Charade

Tiny shrimp camouflage themselves to avoid being eaten by predators. But some shrimp take this mimicry to a new level. Read more about mimic shrimp.

A very tiny rubble mimic shrimp lies in a bed of gravel

Front Row Seat

The broadclub cuttlefish is a common, football-sized cephalopod that can be spotted in many places. But, the cuttlefish is always up to different shenanigans!

Broadclub cuttlefish slinks across the seafloor

The Peculiar Fate of the Missing Mate

Signal gobies are cute fish and have unique courtship rituals. Read more about this peculiar affair.

Two gobies have stripes over their eyes and blue spots on their fins

Symbiosis on the Sand

Interactions between different species, whether above or below water, typically revolve around confrontations between predators and prey. At the opposite and more harmonious end of the spectrum, a scattering of unrelated species coevolved to form lifelong alliances for their mutual security. These relatively rare go-along-to-get-along partnerships provide a net benefit for both parties, improving each species’ reproductive success. The close living arrangement between weak-eyed alpheid snapping shrimp and sharp-eyed partner gobies is a classic example of symbiosis in the sea.

A mated pair of yellownose shrimpgobies breaks the mold by regularly hovering out of antenna reach of their partner shrimp.

It’s All in the Name

In 1995, when we first explored wunderpus territory, which overlies much of the Coral Triangle, the then-undescribed octopus’ fame had spread far and wide. The newly sensational creatures attained much of their acclaim for dancing like dandies across sandy seafloors on eight unimaginably limber arms — an eye-popping feat of acrobatic dexterity well worth traveling halfway around the world to see.

wunderpus dances across the sand

Blenny Watching 101

OF ALL THE FISHES IN THE SEA THAT ANNA ADORES, blennies perch high atop her favorites list. Her fascination with the tribe of typically small, hole-inhabiting bottom-dwellers …

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A Touch of Ripley

Underwater worms are fascinating creatures and not much is known about these species. Read more about worms.

Bobbit worm pokes its head out of sand

Cuba’s Golden Fish

IT HAD BEEN A BUSY WEEK for the fish surveyors aboard the Avalon ll, and things were just beginning to wind down. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) team of […]

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The Peculiar Life of Pearlfish

TO FIND THE FIRST DESCRIPTION OF A LARVAL PEARLFISH in the wild, I had to search back to the early 1980s annals of blackwater diving and Christopher Newbert’s account of […]

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