Red Snapper- Facts and Photographs
The Red Snapper (Lutjanus bohar) is also known as the Twinspot Snapper, the Two-spot Red snapper, the Red Bass and the Bohar Snapper. They are common inhabitants of rubble areas and reef tops in Tanzania b...
Chromodoris geometrica-Nudibranch Facts and Photographs
Chromodoris geometrica is a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk that is also known by its common name of the Geometric Chromodoris. They were initially described in New Caledonia in 1928 by Risbec...
Snubnose Grouper – Facts and Photographs
The Snubnose Grouper (Epinephelus macrospilos) is also known as the Large-spotted Rockcod, Bigspot Rockcod and Longfin Grouper.. They are one of the eight species of reticulated groupers that live on coral ...
Honeycomb Grouper – Facts and Photographs
The Honeycomb grouper Epinephelus merra is also known as the Dwarf-spotted Grouper, the Honeycomb Rock Cod and the Wire-netted Rock Cod. They are one of the eight species of reticulated groupers that live o...
Regal Blue Tang-Facts and Photographs
The Regal Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) is also known as the Blue Tang, the Palette Surgeonfish, the Hepatus Tang and of course more famously as Dory from the Pixar movies "Finding Nemo" and "Finding ...
Bobtail Squid- Facts and Photographs
Bobtail squid are also known as Dumpling Squid. They are exceptionally cute looking little cephalopods and are fascinating to watch. They are in the order Sepiolida and are closely related to cuttlefish al...
Goniobranchus albopunctatus – Nudibranch Facts and Photographs
Goniobranchus albopunctatus is a colourful looking species of sea slug . They are dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks. They were first described by Andrew Garret in 1879 from a specimen found in th...
Olive Purse Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Olive Purse Crab, Leucosia pubescens does not seem to be common in Tanzanian waters and indeed does not seem to be recorded here. Hopefully the identification is correct.
They are decapod crustaceans...
Sundial Shell-Facts and Photographs
The Sundial shell (Architectonica perspectiva) is also known as the Perspective Sundial shell and the Clear Sundial shell. They are marine snails in the super family Architectonicoidea and were first desc...
Trapania naeva – Nudibranch Facts and Photographs
Trapania naeva is an attractive looking species of sea slug . They are dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks. They were first described by Terrence Gosliner and Shireen Fahey in 2008. They were nam...
Dragon Moray Eel-Facts and Photographs
The Dragon Moray Eel, Enchelycore pardalis is also known as the Dragon Eel and the Leopard Moray Eel. The reference to Leopard comes from their scientific name, with paradalis meaning leopard. They are ver...
Gelatinous cardinalfish-Facts and Photographs
The Gelatinous cardinalfish (Pseudamia gelatinosa) is rare in Tanzanian waters and is remarkably cryptic, hiding at the first sign of light. In several years of diving we have seen very few specimens and have m...
Blue-spotted Toby – Facts and Photographs
The Blue-spotted Toby (Canthigaster cyanospilota) is also known as the Blue-spotted Pufferfish. They were previously known as Canthigaster Coronata but in a study done by Randall, J. E.; Williams, J. T.; Rocha...
Bubble-tip Anemone – Facts and Photographs
The Bubble-tip anemone (entacmaea quadricolor) is also known as the BTA in the aquarium trade. They are one of the more attractive looking anemones although their colors can vary from drab to brightly color...
Swimming Anemone – Facts and Photographs
The Swimming Anemone, Boloceroides mcmurrichi is fairly common in the shallows in Tanzanian waters. As can be seen in the images they obtain their name from their ability to swim. The anemones swimming in ...
Taringa caudata – Nudibranch Facts and Photographs
Taringa caudata is a species of colorful sea slug that is fairly rare in Tanzania but is common in certain locations. They are dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks. They were first described by Kela...
Barred Cardinalfish-Facts and Photographs
The Barred Cardinalfish (Fowleria marmorata) is not common in Tanzanian waters and in several years of diving we have seen very few specimens.
APPEARANCE
The body shape is similar to other Cardinalfish, w...
The Squat Shrimp-Facts and Photographs
The Squat Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is also known as the Sexy Shrimp. They are small colorful shrimp that form a comensual relationship with various species of anemone. They have a habit of holding their ab...
Pemba Chromis – Facts and Photographs
The Pemba chromis (Chromis pembae) is not a common fish on the Tanzanian coast and we have only seen them in three areas. They were only described by Allen in 2010, perhaps because they are generally found ...
Janolus savinkini – Nudibranch Facts and Photographs
The Janolus savinkini is a species of colorful sea slug that is also known by its common name of the Purple-tipped janolus. They are dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks. First described by Martyno...
Unicorn Shrimp- Facts and Photographs
The Unicorn Shrimp (Genus Plesionika) are also known as the Narwhal Shrimp. They obtain their name from the proportionally very long rostrum spine extending out quite far from the carapace. The rostrum ha...
Anker’s Whip Coral Shrimp-Facts and Photographs
The Anker's Whip Coral Shrimp (Pontonides ankeri) is also known as the Barred Wire Coral Shrimp and sometimes simply as the Whip Coral Shrimp. They are small shrimp that form a comensual relationship with v...
Yellow Porcelain Anemone Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Yellow Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes alobatus is not common in Tanzanian waters. In several years of searching we have only found five specimens.
They are decapod crustaceans in the Porcell...
Silver Pearlfish- Facts and Photographs
The Silver Pearlfish (Encheliophis homei) is a very unusual fish with an out the ordinary lifestyle. They are not commonly seen, perhaps for several reasons. The specimens below were photographed on night d...
Bigeye Snapper- Facts and Photographs
The The Bigeye Snapper, Lutjanus lutjanus is also kmown as the Bigeye Seaperch, the Golden Striped Snapper, the Red Sea Lined Snapper,and the Yellow Snapper. They are not that common on the Tanzanian mainland c...
Sand Mason Worms-Facts and Photographs
Sand Mason Worms ( In the Genus Lanice) are not common inhabitants on the reefs in Tanzania, but if one keeps ones eyes open when diving, one can often pick them out in soft sand between corals and rocks. They...
Sleek Unicornfish -Facts and Photographs
The Sleek unicornfish (Naso hexacanthus) is also known as the Blacktongue unicornfish. In terms of numbers they are probably the most numerous Unicornfish in Tanzanian waters.
Fishes within the Acanthuri...