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Eastern Dry Rocks
Eastern Dry Rocks is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies seven miles southeast of Key West and one mile east of Sand Key light within the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). Composition The Eastern Dry Rocks Reef includes rubble zones and long fingers of coral separated by deeper sand and coral canyons. Rock Key Eastern Dry Rocks Is Popular For Wreck Diving Florida-Keys-Vacation.com Diving and snorkeling The Eastern Dry Rocks reef is a popular spot for diving and/or snorkeling. It is also quite close to multiple other reefs including Sand Key and[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sand Key (reef)
Sand Key is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies to the southwest of Key West, within the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). The Sand Key Light was built on the key. The reef lies to the south of the light. See also * Rock Key * Eastern Dry Rocks External links Benthic Habitat Map References NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Maps, Florida Keys WestNOAA Navigational Chart 11446 {{Corals Coral reefs of the Florida Keys ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octopus
An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beaked mouth at the center point of the eight limbs. The soft body can radically alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates. Octopuses inhabit various regions of the ocean, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed; some live in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow quickly, mature ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, and olive ridley sea turtles. All six of the sea turtle species present in US waters (all of those listed above except the flatback) are listed as endangered and/or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The seventh sea turtle species is the flatback, which exists in the waters of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Sea turtles can be separated into the categories of hard-shelled (cheloniid) and leathery-shelled ( dermochelyid).Wyneken, J. 2001. The Anatomy of Sea Turtles. U.S Department of Commerce NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-470, 1-172 pp. There is only one dermochelyid species which is the leatherback sea turtle. Description For each of the seven types of sea turtles, females and males are the sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spotted Eagle Ray
The spotted eagle ray (''Aetobatus narinari'') is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Myliobatidae. As traditionally recognized, it is found globally in tropical regions, including the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Recent authorities have restricted it to the Atlantic (including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) with other populations recognized as the ocellated eagle ray (''A. ocellatus'') and Pacific white-spotted eagle ray (''A. laticeps''). Spotted eagle rays are most commonly seen alone, but occasionally swim in groups. They are ovoviviparous, the female retaining the eggs then releasing the young as miniature versions of the parent. This ray can be identified by its dark dorsal surface covered in white spots or rings. Near the base of the ray's relatively long tail, just behind the pelvic fins, are several venomous, barbed stingers. Spotted eagle rays commonly feed on small fish and crustaceans, and will sometimes dig with their snouts to look for foo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tarpon
Tarpons are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans. Species and habitats The two species of tarpons are ''M. atlanticus'' (Atlantic tarpon) and ''M. cyprinoides'' (Indo-Pacific tarpon). ''M. atlanticus'' is found on the western Atlantic coast from Virginia to Brazil, throughout the Caribbean and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Tarpons are also found along the eastern Atlantic coast from Senegal to South Angola." Megalops atlanticus", www.fishbase.org, 11 February 2010. ''M. cyprinoides'' is found along the eastern African coast, throughout Southeast Asia, Japan, Tahiti, and Australia. Both species are found in both marine and freshwater habitats, usually ascending rivers to access freshwater marshes." Megalops cyprinoides", www.fishbase.org, 11 February 2010. They are able to survive in brackis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Permit (fish)
The permit (''Trachinotus falcatus'') is a game fish of the western Atlantic Ocean belonging to the family Carangidae. Adults feed on crabs, shrimp, and smaller fish. Taxonomy The permit was first described by the "father of taxonomy", Carl Linnaeus in his 10th edition of the work ''Systema Naturae'', which was published in 1758. He originally classified it as ''Labrus falcatus'', though the fish has since been placed in the genus ''Trachinotus''. It is the type species of the genus ''Trachinotus''. Etymology The permit's genus name, ''Trachinotus'' comes from a fusion of the Greek words ' (), which means "rough", and ' (), meaning "back". The species name for the permit, ', is a Latin adjective, which roughly means "armed with scythes". This serves as a reference to the permit's dorsal fin that occasionally protrudes from the water when schools of permit feed near the surface. Anatomy and morphology Permit can be distinguished by their elongated dorsal fins and anal fin. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen Conch
''Aliger gigas,'' originally known as ''Strombus gigas'' or more recently as ''Lobatus gigas'', commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family of true conches, the Strombidae. This species is one of the largest molluscs native to the Caribbean Sea, and tropical northwestern Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, reaching up to in shell length. ''A. gigas'' is closely related to the goliath conch, '' Lobatus goliath'', a species endemic to Brazil, as well as the rooster conch, '' Aliger gallus''. The queen conch is herbivorous. It feeds by browsing for plant and algal material growing in the seagrass beds, and scavenging for decaying plant matter. These large sea snails typically reside in seagrass beds, which are sandy plains covered in swaying sea grass and associated with coral reefs, although the exact habitat of this species varies according to developmental age. The adult animal has a very large, solid and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triplofusus Papillosus
''Triplofusus giganteus'', previously known as ''Pleuroploca gigantea'', common name the Florida horse conch, is a species of extremely large predatory subtropical and tropical sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle snails, tulip snails and their allies.Rosenberg, G. (2018). ''Triplofusus giganteus'' (Kiener, 1840). In: MolluscaBase (2018). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=420051 on 2021-07-02 Although known as a horse conch, this is not a true conch, as it is not in the family Strombidae. With a shell length that can reach 60 cm, this species is the largest gastropod in United States waters,Leal, J.H. (2002). Gastropods. p. 99-147. In: Carpenter, K.E. (ed.). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 1: Introduction, molluscs, crustaceans, hagfishes, sharks, batoid fishes, and chimaeras. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purpos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barracuda
A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide ranging from the eastern border of the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, on its western border the Caribbean Sea, and in tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. Barracudas reside near the top of the water and near coral reefs and sea grasses. Barracudas are targeted by sport-fishing enthusiasts. Etymology The common name "barracuda" is derived from Spanish, with the original word being of possibly Cariban origin. Description Barracuda are snake-like in appearance, with prominent, sharp-edged, fang-like teeth, much like piranha, all of different sizes, set in sockets of their large jaws. They have large, pointed heads with an underbi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sergeant Major (fish)
The sergeant major or píntano (''Abudefduf saxatilis'') is a species of damselfish. It grows to a maximum length of about . Distribution and habitat ''Abudefduf saxatilis'' is found in the Atlantic Ocean. Populations in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean are found from the north eastern coast of the United States south to the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, islands around the Caribbean Sea, the eastern coast of Central and South America all the way to Uruguay. In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, they are found from Portugal, Azores, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and western Africa. Its distribution remains unclear in the Mediterranean Sea due to possible confusion with Abudefduf vaigiensis and Abudefduf troschelii.Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Abudefduf saxatilis). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Abudefduf_saxatilis.pdf Juveniles are common in tide pools while adults are found over coral reefs. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pomacanthidae
Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be confused with the freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the Amazon Basin. Description With their bright colours and deep, laterally compressed bodies, marine angelfishes are some of the more conspicuous residents of the reef. They most closely resemble the butterflyfishes, a related family of similarly showy reef fish. Marine angelfish are distinguished from butterflyfish by the presence of strong preopercle spines (part of the gill covers) in the former. This feature also explains the family name Pomacanthidae; from the Greek πομα, ''poma'' meaning "cover" and ακάνθα, ''akantha'' meaning "thorn". Many species of marine angelfishes have streamer-like extensions of the soft dorsal and anal fins. The fish have small mouths, relat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parrotfish
Parrotfishes are a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a Family (biology), family (Scaridae), or a subfamily (Scarinae) of the wrasses. With about 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds, and can play a significant role in bioerosion. Description Parrotfish are named for their dentition, which is distinct from other fish, including other labrids. Their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of their jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak with which they rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates (which contributes to the process of bioerosion). Maximum sizes vary within the family, with the majority of species reaching in length. However, a few species reach lengths in excess of , and the green humphead parrotfish can reach up to . The smallest species is the Cryptotomus roseus, bluelip parrotfish (''Cryptotomus roseus''), which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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