Barracuda

 

the barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width. Barracudas are elongated fish, pike-like in appearance, with prominent sharp-edged fang-like teeth, much like piranhas, that are all of different sizes which are set in sockets of their large jaws.

Pufferfish

Pufferfish are part of the family tetraodontidae which include blowfish, ballonfish, and many others as well. They are considered to be the second-most poisonous vertebrates in the world after the Golden Poison Frog. However, not all are poisonous. They tend to feed on crustaceans and mollusks.

Conch

 

Conch is a name applied to many different species of sea snails and their shells. Slow moving, they are an excellent source of food. Conch diving is a big sport in the Caribbean. After the snails are eaten, the conch shells are used for many different things. Musical instruments and decorations are the most common.

Cownose Rays

Like sharks, cownose rays are cartilaginous fish. Cownose rays are named after the indent in their face which resembles a cow's nose. A smaller species of ray, their wing span can grow up to 45 inches. Cownose rays have a certain type of camouflage where their underbellies are white and their backs are a dark tan. Thus, if a predator was looking from above, they would blend in with the sand and ocean, but if the predator was below them they would blend in with the sun.

Rays have the bad reputation of being related to the death of Steve Erwin. Although they do have a barb at the end of their tail, rays are rarely poisonous. Their venom is as weak as a bee sting. Steve Erwin just happened ot have been stung in the heart. 

Lobsters

 

Contrary to popular belief, lobsters are not only found in the colder waters but down in the Caribbean too. It takes ten years for a lobster to grow to a pound. Most lobsters in the Caribbean are over ten years old. They are not caught as much as in the norht, so they are able to live and grow much bigger. 

Moray Eel

Moray eels are nocturnal creatures so unless you are on a night dive, the times you will see them are sleeping in the coral reef. The biggest misconception with these animals is that they are electric. The coloring of a green moray eel is actually mucus that the eel secretes to coat its body. The real danger with these animals are their teeth. Divers should not stick their hands into places unknown because if a moray eel is sleeping there, it is likely to bite you.

Queen Angelfish

 

The Queen Angelfish is found on the coral reefs of the Western Atlantic Ocean. They are usually found alone or sometimes as a pair. They can get quite large, up to 18 inches. Unlike other angelfish, the Queen angelfish has a purple spot at the top of their head, which gives them their name. Angelfish live off of sponges on the coral reef and are very plentiful.

Dolphins

One of the friendliest and smartest animals in the ocean, it is rare to see dolphins while diving. They tend to follow motor boats, playing in their wake. However, once in a while you may run into one or two. Dolphins tend to travel together in families they call pods. The most common dolphin out of it's 40 species is the bottle nose dolphin. What most people do not know is that the orca, or killer whale, is a species of dolphin as well. Smart animals, they use echolocation to find their food in the dark depths of the ocean. Dolphin teeth are believed to function as antennae to receive incoming sound and to pinpoint the exact location of an object. It is always exciting to see a dolphin in the wild. Unlike other marine animals, these mammals are not afraid of humans and will approach divers.

Cobia

The cobia is a relatively unknown fish. When most people come across it they think it is a shark. That is because after they are born, cobias tend to leave their mothers to live with a pod of sharks. For a time they foloow their new family, copying their moves. When they are old enough, cobias leave the sharks to live on their own. They make other animals that would be their predators believe that they are actually sharks so they get left alone. The main difference between cobias and sharks are that cobias are bony fish. Unlike the shark they have an actual skeleton made from bones.

Kemp's Ridely Sea Turtles

While there are many different species of sea turtles in the Carribbean, I figured I talk about the Kemp's Ridley. Kemp's Ridely's are not only the smallest of all sea turtles but they are also the most endangered. The reason for this is because they only nest on specific beaches in Mexico. Those beaches are being populated by humans. When they are born, hatchlings need to get themselves into the water straight away or else they won't make it. To find the water, they use the moon light to guide them. However, human development has added street lights to the mix and the hatchlings can get confused.
Turtles are a cold blooded species. Like most reptiles they grow according to how much they eat. Their diets are primarly vegetarian so there is plenty of food for them. During the summers they migrate up North as far as New England. The main problem with that is when it gets cold and they start their trip South, some get caught in the arm of Cape Cod. If they don't get out before the water temperatures drop they come down with what is called cold stunning. Cold Stunning is when they can't move their limbs and they come down with hypotherma and frost bite. Since they can't swim they wash up on the shore where volunteers for local aquariums rescue them and tehy are rehabilitated. The New England Aquarium in Boston has a large turtle rescue recovery program during the winter.

SHARKS!!!!!

I figured I'd start with probably the most popular marine animal. Sharks are fish, but instead of bones inside of them, they are made out of cartilage. Humans have cartilage on the tips of our noses and the tops of our ears. Most people are afraid of sharks since movies (Jaws) portray them as viscous man-eating creatures. Most species however tend to avoid people. In the Caribbean there are a few different species of sharks that divers are more likely to see.

Nurse Shark

One of the most popular, and probably the coolest shark in my opinion is the nurse shark. Nurse sharks, unlike most other sharks, live on the bottom of the ocean. They don't need to swim in order for water to pass over their gills. Instead they can stay stationary and pump water through a device called a spiracle. Nurse sharks look a lot like catfish. But unlike catfish they can grow to over ten feet in length. Their bodies are a purple color and when they swim, which is not often, they have a yellow tint around them. Living on the bottom they tend to eat bottom dwellers. The barbels on the front of their face can detect creatures under the sand, which helps them find food. Unless they are bothered, they leave humans completely alone. However, if a human does something stupid like pull their tail, they'll bite the human and not let go. It's just better if you don't bug them.
  The Caribbean Reef Shark is another common shark found in the tropics. They look like what most humans classify as sharks. So long as they are in an open area  with plenty of ocean to swim in, they won't go near humans. They give birth to live young between November and December. Another shark like them are sand tiger sharks.  Since both species must keep swimming in order for water to pass over their gills, they have the ability to shut down half their brain at the time so that they can rest it.
Shark teeth are very common to find on a beach. Since their skeleton is made up of cartilage, there is no hard jaw for teeth to stick to. Instead teeth tend to fall out when a shark eats. To compensate for that, sharks have rows and rows of teeth in the back that move forward everything they loose one.
In short, if you see a shark while diving, that's really cool. Keep your distance and watch it swim, but don't try to get in the way.

Intro to the Tropical Ecosystem

The waters of the Caribbean hold some of the most interesting places to dive. Besides the warmth of the water, there are plenty of coral reefs and ship wreck to explore. What you'll find at those dive spots are hundreds of different species of marine life.
Coral Reefs are found in over 100 countries and cover about 109,800 sq miles. That is less than .01% of the ocean's floor. However, they are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. I could go into the science behind the reason for this great biodiversity, however this blog is about diving. 
 My posts will be about the kind of animals you will see and the background on them. Everything on a coral reef has its place. You have the best chance of finding bony fish, cartilaginous fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, reptiles, and mammals. There are plenty of other groups, but these tend to be the more interesting creatures. I could spend time talking about porifera (sponges) and echinoderms (sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers, sea biscuits) but for the amount of time I have, I'm going to focus on the other groups.
DBN