Coral Reef Fact: The Cushion Sea star (Oreaster reticulatus) can help to prevent itself from starvation during periods of low food availability by reabsorbing its body tissues thus decreasing its size and food needs. Fact source: http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Oreaster_reticulatus.htm Join Reef Relief today & help protect our marine environment. www.reefrelief.org/act/donate.
Coral Reef Fact: ‘The Heart Urchin Pea Crab’ from MORPHOLOGIC on Vimeo. Most individual Red Heart/ Cake Sea Urchins form relationship with a small crab, the Heart Urchin Pea Crab(Dissodactylus primitivus). The crab spends its life on the urchin within the protection of its spines. Join Reef Relief today and help protect our marine environment.
Coral Reef Fact: The Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) has one large claw called the “crusher claw” and a smaller claw called the “pincer claw”. “If the larger crusher claw is on the right side of the crab’s body, the crab is “right-handed”. If the crusher claw is on the left side of the crab’s […]
Coral Reef Fact: Two species of macroalga, sargassum (S. natans and S. fluitans) are holopelagic. This means that they reproduce only “vegetatively and never attaching to the seafloor during their lifecycle.” Fact source: Wikipedia Join Reef Relief today and help protect our amazing marine environment.
Coral Reef Fact: Gorgonians live in colonies whose skeletons are formed from a flexible substance called gorgonin. Measurements of gorgonin & calcite in several long-lived species is useful in studies of climate and ocean history due to the close link between their growth rates, composition and seasonal and climatic change. Fact source: Wikipedia Join Reef […]
Coral Reef Fact: The Cryptic Teardrop Crab (Pelia mutica) is a decorator crab. This tiny crab attaches/decorates its body with live sponges to better camouflage itself from predators. Join Reef Relief today and help protect our amazing marine environment. www.reefrelief.org/act/donate
Coral Reef Fact: The Peacock Flounder (Bothus lunatus) can change its color, markings and shade to blend in with ocean bottom. Video Join Reef Relief today and help us protect our marine environment. www.reef.org/act/donate
Coral Reef Fact: Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, closely related to seahorses. “Young Pipefish are born freeswimming with relatively little or no yolk sac, and begin feeding immediately. From the time they hatch they are independent of their parents, who at that time may choose to view them as food.” […]