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| Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler |
pebble collector urchin Pseudoboletia indiana
Showing posts with label sea urchin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sea urchin. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Friday, March 15, 2013
Randomness
Aloha All,
Not much on my mind today so I thought I'd share some random photos that didn't require a lot of commentary or a separate post. Hope you like them!
Not much on my mind today so I thought I'd share some random photos that didn't require a lot of commentary or a separate post. Hope you like them!
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| All Photos Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler |
Monday, March 4, 2013
Echinoderm Love
So there I was swimming along and minding my own business when I noticed what appeared to be a sea urchin, perched high on a coral head, that appeared to be smoking. Billows of white smoke rose from among its many spines. But, alas, the only fire was in the little creature's libido as this was the awesome act of echinoderm lovemaking!
The lusty devil was a collector urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) and the "smoke " was a milky fluid containing either eggs or sperm that it was broadcasting into the water in hopes that it would meet up with the genetic material of another collector urchin and produce a new crop of prickly little invertebrates!
The yellowish thing atop the urchin is a piece of marine detritus that it "collected" during its travels. Anyway, interesting to note that, unlike humans, sea urchins smoke during sex and not after! Ha!
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| Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler |
The lusty devil was a collector urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) and the "smoke " was a milky fluid containing either eggs or sperm that it was broadcasting into the water in hopes that it would meet up with the genetic material of another collector urchin and produce a new crop of prickly little invertebrates!
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| Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler |
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Spotted Eagle Ray
Copyright 2009 by Barry Fackler
Last weekend, I posted on my recent dive in Keauhou Bay where I saw a Spotted Eagle Ray. Today I thought I'd post some more Eagle Ray photos I took a few months ago, also in Keauhou Bay. This ray was particularly at ease around me and allowed me to take dozens of photos. Above, she is ready to chow down on a sea urchin.
Copyright 2009 by Barry Fackler
In both the photos above you can appreciate the "duck-bill" appearance of the animal's head. It is not particularly beautiful, but very well adapted for rooting around in the sand for crustaceans and molluscs. Several times at Honaunau, Betty and I have seen Eagle Rays actually digging holes in the coral reef with their bills, shattering the coral in the process. On a couple occasions there was thick, viscous purple ink in the water from the ray's victim, a sea hare.
Copyright 2009 by Barry Fackler
Aside from the bill, an eagle ray is a beautiful and graceful creature. In this view, several of the venomous barbs are visible at the base of the tail. Although it is a shy and inoffensive fish, it must be accorded a fair amount of respect. A mature specimen can be six feet across and weigh up to 500 pounds. The Hawaiian name is hihimanu which means "magnificent" or "elegant"
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