Floral Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Floral Wrasse, Cheilinus chlorourus is also known as Floral Maori Wrasse. They are one of the larger wrasses and are usually very shy and because of this are very difficult to approach and photograph.
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Blacksaddle Filefish – Facts and Photographs
The Blacksaddle filefish, Paraluteres prionurus, is also known as the Mimic filefish or Blacksaddle leatherjacket. Their coloration and shape mimics the poisonous Blacksaddle toby Canthigaster valentini.
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Chocolate Dip Damselfish – Facts and Photographs
The Chocolate Dip Damselfish, Chromis fieldi is also known as the Chocolate Dip Chromis, Two-tone Chromis and Two-tone Damselfish. They obtain their common name from the fact that the anterior is a chocolat...
Porcelain Anemone Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus is also known as the Spotted porcelain crab. They are decapod crustaceans in the Porcellanidae family. Although they resemble true crabs they ...
Spotted Sandperch – Facts and Photographs
The Spotted sandperch, Parapercis punctulata is a common inhabitant of the rubble areas between the reef on the Tanzanian coast. As can be seen in the image above the males are quite attractive looking fish...
Cloudy Dascyllus – Facts and Photographs
The Cloudy dascyllus, Dascyllus carneus is also known as the Two bar Humbug or Indian dascyllus. They are commonly found in small shoals over branching corals.
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There is little variation in colo...
Four Saddle Grouper – Facts and Photographs
The Four saddle grouper, Epinephelus spilotoceps obtains its name from the four saddles on the dorsal and caudal area. They are not commonly seen in Tanzania and to date we have only seen three specimens.
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Adorned Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Adorned Wrasse (Halichoeres cosmetus) is also known as the Cosmetic wrasse. They are small colourful fast moving wrasses that are common on the reefs and surrounding areas in Tanzania. As with...
Striated Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Striated wrasse, Pseudocheilinus evanidus is also known as the Disappearing wrasse and the Secretive wrasse. They obtain the latter two names because of their extremely reclusive beh...
Six Line Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
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The Six line wrasse, Pseudocheilinus hexataenia also known as the Six Stripe Wrasse. With its vivid purple and orange colouration it is an exceptionally pretty wrasse that stands out against th...
Scrawled Filefish – Facts and Photographs
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The Scrawled File Fish (Aluterus scriptus) is also known as the broomtail filefish or scribbled leatherjacket. They are unusual looking fishes and are capable of rapid color changes to blend...
Stinging Sea Creatures-Flower Urchin
The Flower urchin, Toxopneustes pileolus may look pretty but it is not something to be touched. When scuba divers are given their dive briefing and warned to only leave bubbles and not to touch o...
Day Octopus – Facts Photographs and Video
The Day octopus, Octopus cyanea is also known as Cyane's octopus, the Big Red octopus, White-spotted octopus or the Grass octopus. As its name suggests is diurnal and unusually for an octopus hunts during t...
Domino Damselfish – Facts and Photographs
The Domino Damselfish, Dascyllus trimaculatus is also known as the Three Spot Dascyllus. Despite their small size and lack of bright coloration they have a lot of character.
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The base ...
Blackspotted Rubberlip – Facts and Photographs
The Blackspotted Rubberlip (Plectorhinchus gaterinus), also known as the Blackspotted sweetlip, is a species of grunt. Closely related to the snappers, grunts have smaller mouths and teeth and thi...
Moon Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
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The Moon Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) is also known as the Lunar wrasse or Crescent tail wrasse. They obtain their name from the crescent shaped tail that is present in the adults.
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Moon wrass...
Ornate Spiny Lobster – Facts and Photographs
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The Ornate spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus is also known as the Tropical rock lobster and the Ornate tropical rock lobster . They are among the largest of the Panuliris lobsters and are greatly favored ...
Divided Leopard Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Divided Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus) is also known as the Vermiculate Leopard Wrasse, African Leopard Wrasse or simply the Divided Wrasse.
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They say a Leopard doesn...
Variegated Lizardfish- Facts and Photographs
The Variegated Lizardfish (Synodus variegatus) is also known as the Reef Lizardfish or Red Banded Lizardfish. Lizardfish are so named because the long tapered body and head resemble a lizard.
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T...
Durban Dancing Shrimp- Facts and Photographs
The Durban Dancing Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) is also known as the camel shrimp, camelback shrimp, candy shrimp and the hingebeak prawn. They obtain their name from the sideways movement that they...
Bigfin Reef Squid- Facts Photographs and Video
The Bigfin reef squid, (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) is also known as the Oval squid. They obtain their name from the fin which almost completely circles their body. This gives them a superficial resemblance t...
Anemone Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Anemone hermit crab, Dardanus pedunculatus has a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with the anemone Calliactis polypus. The anemones are collected by the crab and placed on its shell. The Ane...
Giant Frogfish- Facts and Photographs
The Giant frogfish or Commerson's frogfish, Antennarius commerson is one of the more unusual fishes found on coral reefs. They are exceptionally well camouflaged and can resemble a sponge, coral or a rock.
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Giant Spotted Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Giant spotted hermit crab Dardanus megistos is also known as the White-spotted Hermit crab. They spend their lives in empty gastropod shells.
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Giant spotted hermit crabs are easily recognisa...
Painted Spiny Lobster – Facts and Photographs
The painted spiny lobster, Panulirus versicolor is also known as the blue spiny lobster. They are claw-less lobsters and are greatly favored as a delicacy.
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Painted spiny lobster grow to a maxim...
The Dive Sites of Mainland Tanzania
Tanzania has a fairly long undeveloped coastline 1424 km long, with many undiscovered diving spots that are undoubtedly going to develop in the future. The three main large islands of Pemba, Ungudja ( known...
Yellow Edged Moray Eel- Facts Photographs Video
The yellow edged moray eel (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus) is also known as the yellow margin moray eel. They are one of the larger moray eels. As they are nocturnal they are not commonly seen in the open.
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