Ridged swimming crab (Charybdis natator) is also known as the wrinkled swimming crab or rock crab

Ridged Swimming Crab – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
4
The Ridged swimming crab (Charybdis natator) is also known as the wrinkled swimming crab or rock crab. Because of the ridges on their back they are relatively easy to identify. There are two subspecies, the...
The Convex crab (Carpilius convexus)

Convex Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
22
The Convex reef crab (Carpilius convexus) is also known as the Round-back Coral Crab. They are fairly common at night in the waters off Dar es Salaam but are seldom seen out during the day. Large specimens ...
Hairy Coral Crab (Cymo andreossyi) is also known as the Furry Coral Crab

Hairy Coral Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
45
The Hairy Coral Crab (Cymo andreossyi) is also known as the Furry Coral Crab . Being small and well camouflaged they are difficult to spot and are probably best found at night when their eyes reflect light ...
Bobtail squid also known as Pigmy Squid

Bobtail Squid- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
74
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...
Olive Purse Crab, Leucosia pubescens

Olive Purse Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
18
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...
Dragon Moray Eel, Enchelycore pardalis is also known as the Dragon Moray Eel

Dragon Moray Eel-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
344
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 in Greek. The...
Unicorn Shrimp in the genus Plesionika

Unicorn Shrimp- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1
254
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...

Decorator Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2208
Decorator crabs belong to the superfamily Majoidea and are also commonly known as Spider Crabs.  They obtain their name from their habit of decorating their bodies with various plants and animals. This can ...
Marine Flatworms in the Turbellaria sub division of Platyhelminthes

Marine Flatworms-Facts-Photographs and Video

Alan Sutton
3488
Marine Platyhelminthes or Marine Flatworms as they are commonly known are often extremely colorful creatures. The brightly colored species are easy to spot while diving and if one is lucky, one can see them...
Textile cone Conus textile is also known as the cloth of gold cone

Stinging Sea Creatures-Textile Cone Shell

Alan Sutton
351
, The Textile cone shell Conus textile is also known as the cloth of gold cone shell. As with all the cone shells, they are carnivorous and predatory, preying on other mollusks.  In order to quickly disable ...
Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculosus

Porcelain Anemone Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2906
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 are actual...
Flower urchin,Toxopneustes pileolus

Stinging Sea Creatures-Flower Urchin

Alan Sutton
1618
  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...
Durban Dancing Shrimp - Rhynchocinetes durbanensis

Durban Dancing Shrimp- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
591
The Durban Dancing Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) is also known as the camel shrimp, camelback shrimp, candy shrimp and the hingebeak prawn.  They obtain the dancing part of their  name from the sidewa...
bigfin reef squid or oval squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana

Bigfin Reef Squid- Facts Photographs and Video

Alan Sutton
1526
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...
laced moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) also known as the leopard moray,

Honeycomb Moray Eel-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
4990
The Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) also known as the leopard or laced moray is one of the larger more attractive morays. APPEARANCE The Honeycomb moray eel is a light whitish brown to yellow...
zebra moray, Gymnomuraena zebra, a species of moray eel in the family Muraenidae

Zebra Moray Eel- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2437
The zebra moray, Gymnomuraena zebra as its name implies is a dark colored moray with white stripes. They are one of the more reclusive moray eels. As they are nocturnal they are not commonly seen. APPEARAN...
tiger angelfish Aploemichthys kingi

Tiger Angelfish – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
471
The tiger angelfish Aploemichthys kingi is one of the lesser known angelfish. As their name implies they are quite striking fish and are highly sought after by specialist marine aquarists. APPEARANCE On t...
giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)

Giant Moray Eel-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
3789
The Giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) is the largest moray eel in terms of mass. An adult has a formidable set of rear facing teeth to go with its proportionally large mouth. As can be seen in the images,...
tiger cowrie (Cypraea tigris) 

The Tiger Cowrie – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1
3102
The tiger cowrie (Cypraea tigris) is one of the larger species of cowrie. They are marine snails in the family Cypraeidae. They are an extremely attractive sight as they move across the reef. They are noctu...