Biology, Coral Reef Species & Ecology

Goatfish

elauervose

This next installation of my fish coloring book is about Goatfishes. I think we are pretty likely to see some Yellow Goatfish on our snorkeling trip, but it might be hard to see a spotted goatfish while snorkeling. This is mainly because yellow goatfish will swim around in groups while Spotted Goatfish tend to just hang out on the bottom. I've included these fish mainly because I think the way these fish find food is really remarkable. I have included a short recording of a Spotted Goatfish using its barbels to search for food over the sand to give you an idea of what I mean.

Biology, Coral Reef Species & Ecology

Smooth Trunkfish

elauervose

Boxfish have a very special place in my heart - physiologically, they are some of the most fascinating fish I've seen. No matter how many times I see a Boxfish, I always get excited and stop to watch them noodle by. If you've ever seen one head-on, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Coral Reef Species & Ecology

Staghorn Coral

elauervose

I'm so excited that I was able to schedule a morning classroom session with the Coral Restoration Foundation for all of us. Since we're going to be learning a whole lot about coral from the perspective of coral restoration, I though a page about Staghorn coral - one of the most common coral species to be outplanted in coral restoration programs - would be appropriate.

Coral Reef Species & Ecology

Stony Coral

elauervose

I recently heard from my sister that my niece is able to identify brain coral when she sees it in pictures. I know we spend a lot of time talking about things in the ocean, but it always impresses me when she can name specific animal species like that. This conversation also made me realize how few coral species I can identify by sight. Since coral can be tricky to identify - especially from a distance, this section focuses on broader categories or groupings of coral. Learning to identify which group a coral belongs to should make it easier to remember it's specific features so we can look it up later on.