Marine Life in the Red Sea

For an enlargement click the photo.

	Soft coral, Dendronephyta species The body of this soft coral, Alcyonacea order, is stiffened with yellow spicules. Here the individual polyps are open, showing their 8 tentacles (the 8 tentacles help to confirm identification). It is partly down to these that much of the diving in the Red Sea is so beautiful.
	Polyclad Flatworm, Pseudoceros sp Flatworms look very similar to nudibranchs: they are beautifully coloured, the same shape and may move similarly by muscular propulsion. However, they have thinner bodies than nudibranchs and also move by beating hair-like cilia on their undersides - rippling through the water. See the flatworm page for more details.
	Lionfish (Turkeyfish), Pterois miles Found in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to the Andaman Sea. Elsewhere replaced by the very similar P. volitans. Usually 11 dorsal rays (those on the top of the fish). A sting from this fish can be very painful, and possibly fatal. They often shelter under ledges during the day, being more active at dusk and during the night when feed on fishes and crustaceans using their non-stinging pectoral fins to shepherd prey into their mouths. The Lionfish's poisonous spines allow it to be conspicuously coloured, warning predators to keep their distance.
	Two-Banded Clownfish, Amphiprion bicinctus The most common clownfish in the Red Sea. It is found at depths of 1-30 m, generally living in pairs in association with an anemone. This is a classic example of symbiosis. The tentacles of the anemone protect the clownfish from predators. The clownfish is immune to the anemones stinging nematocysts because of a mucus coating on its body. The benefit to the anemone is probably down to the fish's swimming within its tentacles and wafting them around, thus increasing the water flow and hence the amount of oxygen available to the anemone. See our clownfish page for more details.
	Blue Spotted Stingray, Taeniura lymma. The Dasyatidae family contains about 100 species, one of which is the Blue Spotted Stingray. Like all stingrays they have venomous spines at the base of the tail. They breathe by drawing water through a small hole behind the eye and expelling it through gill slits on their undersides. They often lie on sandy bottoms, flicking sand over themselves as camouflage. They feed on molluscs and crabs. Common and easy-to-spot throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the Red Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. Simple to identify with their oval shape and blue spots. Not aggressive, but if you accidentally step on one the spine may be driven into your leg. This causes intense pain, increasing for around 90 minutes and lasting, if untreated, for 1 to 2 days.
	Giant Moray Eel, Gymnothorax javanicus The largest of the moray eels, growing up to 3 m. Quite common and always interesting to observe. Feeds primarily on fish, occasionally on crustaceans and octopus. Morays live in holes and generally hunt by night. You may see them rhythmically opening and closing their mouths. They do this to maintain a respiratory current past the gills. Morays undergo a sex change during growth, changing from male to female.
	Coral Grouper (Coral Rock-Cod), Cephalopholis miniata Found around coral in areas with clear water. Easy to spot and fairly common. Range from 2 to 150 m and feed mostly on fish. Juveniles have yellow bodies with blue spots and as adults grow to around 41 cm. Like all groupers, Cephalopholis miniata has a large mouth and sharp teeth. They use grinding plates within their throats to break up prey. Groupers are the most important family of reef based predators. Territorial and solitary apart from in the mating season in June. Also common in other parts of the world, including Australia.
	Sabre or Long-Jawed Squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum This species is the largest of the squirrelfish. It's common in the Red Sea at all depths likely to be dived, and feeds primarily on crabs. A member of the Holocentridae family, squirrelfish have large eyes and are nocturnal. During the day you'll find them under ledges and in caves, away from the light. Growing up to 45 cm, they live alone or in small groups. You can distinguish Sargocentron spiniferum from other squirrel fish by the red blotch behind its eye. Like many nocturnal fish, Sargocentron spiniferum is red. To us it is easy to spot during the day, but to other fish it blends into its dark crevice or cave. Long red light wavelengths don't penetrate water well, so fish colour vision tends to be tuned to the shorter, blue and ultra-violet, end of the spectrum. This means that red and pink fish are inconspicuous.
	Hawkfish, Paracirrhites forsteri Seen from 1 to 33 m resting motionless on coral. It is carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans and small fish. A member of the Cirrhitidae family, it can change sex. Young fish are all female. One male has a harem of females - if the male dies one of the females changes sex to take its place. Males are very territorial. See the hawkfish page for more details.
	Picasso Trigger Fish, Rhinecanthus assasi Trigger fishes are so called because of the shark-fin shaped trigger they are able to raise in defence. They use this to jam themselves into a crevice in the coral. The trigger is actually the first spine of its dorsal (top) fin. They bend the second spine forward to fix the first firmly in position. When the fish is swimming the fin is flattened into a groove. See the picasso fish page for more details.
	Blackspotted Sweetlips or Grunts, Plectorhinchus gaterinus Sweetlips have thick lips, continuous dorsal fins and truncate or emarginate tails. Adults are often inactive during the day and shelter near or under ledges. They feed at night on bottom-dwelling invertebrates. The juveniles of Blackspotted sweetlips have 6 black lines on their heads and bodies, these become spots with age.
	Masked Butterfly Fish, Chaetodon semilarvatus Live around coral, from 3 to 20 m. Very common throughout the Red Sea. Around 23 cm long, the Masked butterfly fish is large for its family. You generally see them in pairs or large groups. See our butterfly fish page for more details.
	Crown Butterfly Fish, Chaetodon paucifasciatus Can be seen between 4 and 30 m in pairs or groups. Not shown in the photo is its distinctive red rear. It's key identification feature, though, is the yellow stripe through the eye. The Crown Butterfly fish feeds on coral polyps, algae and crustaceans. It is only found in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. See our Crown Butterfly fish page for more details.
	Cuttlefish, Sepia species The cuttlefish has almost incredible powers of mimicry. It can control the colour, patterning and texture of its skin to perfectly match its surroundings. And not just from aboveL the camouflage works from whichever angle it is observed. From birth, cuttlefish can display at least 13 type of body pattern, made up from over 30 different components. See our Cuttlefish page for more details.
	Hermit crab, Dardanus species Hermit crabs scuttle about the sea-floor using someone else's shell for a home. They always use empty shells and never kill the original occupant. Some of the Dardanas species of Hermit crab stick sea anemones on their shells. This camoflauges the crab and the stinging cells of the anemone may protect the crab from predators such as octopus.See our Hermit crab page for more details.

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Marine Life in the Red Sea

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