Longnose Hawkfish-Facts-Photographs
The Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) is not a common fish in Tanzanian waters. They tend to be found quite deep and as a result are not often seen by recreational divers. The specimens in the post we...
Bluntheaded Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Bluntheaded Wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum) is also known as the Blueheaded wrasse. They tend to favor the tops of semi protected shallow coral rich reefs. They are extremely active fish and cruise ...
Dash-and-dot Goatfish- Facts and Photographs
The Dash-and-Dot goatfish (Parupeneus barberinus) is also known as the Dash dot Goatfish. They are one of the more common goatfish on the Tanzanian coast. They superficially resemble the Longbarbel Goatfis...
Blue Speckled Shrimp Goby – Facts and Photographs
The Blue Speckled Shrimp Goby (Cryptocentrus caeruleomaculatus) is a common inhabitant of the silty shallow areas of the Tanzanian coasts. They are also known as the Eight-barred Shrimp-goby. As their name im...
Tiger Damselfish – Facts and Photographs
The Tiger Damselfish (Chrysiptera annulata) is also known as the Footballer demoiselle. They are common fish in the shallows a on Tanzanian reefs particularly on the shallow reefs with closely associated b...
Yellowbreasted Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Yellowbreasted wrasse (Anampses twistii) is also known as the Twister Wrasse or Twist's Wrasse. They are fairly common inhabitants of the reef tops in Tanzania.
APPEARANCE
Unusually for the Anamps...
Blue-Lined Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Blue-Lined Wrasse ( Stethojulis albovittata ) is also known as the Rainbowfish. They are fairly common inhabitants of the reef tops in Tanzania and closely resemble the Red Shoulder Wrasse Stethojulis b...
Indo-Pacific Sergeant – Facts and Photographs
The Indo-Pacific Sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) is also known as the Five-banded Sergeant-major and in some areas simply as the Sergeant Major. They are a common fish on Tanzanian reefs particularly on th...
Striated Bristeltooth -Facts and Photographs
The Striated Bristletooth (Ctenochaetus striatus) is also known as the Lined Bristletooth or Striped Bristletooth. Being members of the Acanthuridae family, also known as Surgeonfishes they have a retractab...
Elegant Unicornfish -Facts and Photographs
The Elegant unicornfish (Naso elegans) also known as the Indian Orange-spine unicornfish and the Smoothead Unicornfish. They are not common on the Tanzanian mainland coast and are more common on Zanzibar an...
Zebra Lionfish-Facts and Photographs
The Zebra Lionfish Dendrochirus zebra or Dwarf Lionfish is also known as the Zebra Turkeyfish. They are not commonly seen on the East African coast and are fairly rare in the area.
APPEARANCE
The Zebr...
Nebulous Wrasse- Facts and Photographs
The Nebulous wrasse (Halichoeres nebulosus) is also known as the Clouded rainbow fish, Clouded wrasse and the Picture wrasse. They are small colourful fast moving wrasses that are common on the reefs and su...
Saddleback Hogfish- Facts and Photographs
The Saddleback Hogfish (Bodianus bilunulatus) is also known as the Blackspot wrasse, Crescent banded hogfish, Tarry hogfish and the Tuxedo hogfish. As with all the members of this family there is considerab...
Twospot Anthias – Facts and Photographs
The Twospot Anthias (Pseudanthias bimaculatus) is also known as the twinspot anthias and two-spot basslet. They are not common on the Tanzanian mainland and are only found in a few locations.
APPEARAN...
Compressed Spindle Cowrie -Facts and Photographs
The Compressed Spindle Cowrie (Hiatavolva coarctata) is also known as the Pink Allied Cowrie. They are not a true cowries , instead they are in the Ovulidae family also known as False Cowries or Cowry Allie...
Smith’s Swimming Crab- Facts and Photographs
Smith's Swimming Crab (Charybdis smithii) is a very interesting swimming crab that exhibits swarming behavior. They were first found in False Bay near Capetown in South Africa in 1838 when a large swarm wa...
Rusty Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Rusty Guard Crab (Trapezia bidentata) is also known as the Two Tooth Guard Crab. They spend their entire adult lives living between the branches of corals of the Pocillopora and Acropora families. The...
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp-Facts Photographs and Video
The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) is also known as the Ambon Cleaner Shrimp, the Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp, Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and as the Cleaner Shrimp. As their name implies they are...
Twospot Hawkfish-Facts-Photographs
The Twospot Hawkfish (Amblycirrhitus bimacula) is also known as the Twinspot Hawkfish . They are extremely shy compared to the other Hawkfish. They are usually very well hidden and it is not often that one ...
Powder Blue Surgeonfish-Facts and Photographs
The Powder Blue Surgeonfish (Acanthurus leucosternon) is also known as the Powder Blue Tang. The species gained international fame in the animated children's film by Pixar, "Finding Nemo" where one of the c...
Darkfin Hind – Facts and Photographs
TheDarkfin Hind (Cephalopholis nigripinnis) is also known as the Blackfin Rockcod and the Duskyfin Rockcod. They are fairly common off the coast of Tanzania. They are not that common in the Dar es Salaam a...
Convict Tang-Facts and Photographs
The Convict Tang (Acanthurus triostegusor) is also known as the Convict Surgeonfish, they are one of the smaller members of the surgeonfish family and are very common, mainly in shallower waters.
Members...
Scopas Tang-Facts and Photographs
The Scopas Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) is also known as the Twotone Tang, the Brown Tang and the Brushtail Tang. Members of the Acanthuridae family have a retractable razor sharp spine on either side of the ca...
Red-bar Anthias – Facts and Photographs
The Red-bar Anthias (Pseudanthias cooperi) is also known as the Coopers Anthias, Cooper's fairy basslet, the Red-bar fairy basslet, Red basslet, and the Silverstreak goldie. They are not common on the Tanza...
Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab (Aniculus maximus) is also known as the Large Hairy Hermit Crab. They are one of the larger more colourful hermit crabs that spend their lives in empty gastropod shells. They ar...
Whip Coral Goby – Facts and Photographs
The Whip Coral Goby (Bryaninops yongei) is also known as the wire-coral goby. They have a very specialized habitat and are found only on the Whip Coral (Cirripathes anguina) and as a consequence have a numb...
Orangelined Triggerfish – Facts and Photographs
The Orangelined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus), also known as the Undulate Triggerfish, Orange-lined Triggerfish, Orangetailed Triggerfish or Orange striped Triggerfish. Triggerfish obtain their name fr...