The colubrine sea krait – a pretty sea killer.

The colubrine sea krait or Banded sea snake is a species of sea snake found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceanic waters. It is a member of the Laticauda genus of sea snakes.

It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is common around East India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Borneo, Vietnam, Philippines, Nicobar Islands, Coastal Taiwan, Bay of Bengal, New Guinea, Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Adult females are about 56 inches in length with males being only about 35 inches in length. It has a short head, thick trunk, and no easily discernible neck. The tail is simply extended skin, spread wide like a fin, and unsupported by any projection. They are light or dark bluish gray above, yellowish below, with uniformed width black bands throughout, sometimes narrowing on the belly.  Massing together near the shore, they breed between narrow cracks in the reef and in caves. It is a nocturnal snake, rarely seen during the day but it requires oxygen to breathe.

Though the snake is too slow to catch fish in a straight chase but these snakes are also very dangerous and can kill people if someone gets bitten. Their venom is ten times stronger than that of a cobra, making them extremely dangerous. They are known to cause a rash on the attacked area, which consists of small little bumps.

Clingfish – a small saltwater aquarium fish.

Clingfish, any of more than 150 species of small sea fishes of the family Gobiesocidae (order Perciformes), having a flattened elongated body with a sucking disc beneath the head for clinging to rocks, seaweed etc.

Beautiful Clingfish

Clingfishes are typically small fish, with most species less than 6 centimeters (2.4 in) in length. They are scale less fishes and have wide, flattened heads and they have tapering bodies with a single dorsal fin. The skin of clingfishes is smooth and scale-less, with a thick layer of protective mucus. Most species are about 7.5 cm (3 inches) or less in length, though the South African Chorisochismus dentex is up to 30 cm (12 inches) long. Some of the tropical American clingfishes of the genus Gobiesox live in rapid streams, but most clingfishes inhabit the sea.

They have a cryptic coloration, and in some cases can rapidly change color to match their background. Most species are marine, being found in shallow waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are bottom-dwelling fishes; some species shelter in sea urchins or crinoids.

Flying Fish – a fish that have the power of sustaining themselves for a time in the air.

Flying Fish is a name common to various fishes which have the power of sustaining themselves for a time in the air by means of their large pectoral fins. There are about sixty-four species of Flying Fish of the world which is grouped in seven to nine genera but the most common belonging to the genera Exocaetus, Cypsilurus, and Parexocaetus.

Oistin’s Flying Fish, a “Delicacy of Barbados”

Flying fish can make powerful, self-propelled leaps out of water into air, the pectoral fins, which are very large, are the principal instruments in their flight, serving to sustain the fish temporarily in the air after it has acquired an initial velocity in its rush through the water. This uncommon ability is a natural defense mechanism to evade predators.

It can pass through the air to a considerable distance, sometimes as much as 150 to 200 yards, which it does to escape from the attacks of their enemies, or when disturbed by passing vessels. Flying fish live in all of the oceans, particularly in tropical and warm subtropical waters but the best-known species

are Exocaetus volilans, abundant in the warmer parts of the Atlantic, Cypsilurus californicus, on the coast of California, and Parexoaetus mesogaster.

Some species of flying fish are used for delicious sea food. They are commercially fished in Japan, Vietnam and China by the method of gillnetting, and in Indonesia and India by dipnetting.

The Flamingo tongue snail – a beautiful and colorful sea creature.

The flamingo tongue snail is a species of small but brightly colored sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Ovulidae, and the cowry allies. The scientific name of this colorful sea creature is Cyphoma gibbosum. It is from the family of Ovulidae and from the Class of Gastropoda. Although the live animal is brightly colored, which color is only in the soft parts but the shell itself is plain white.

The Flamingo Tongue Snail, order of Neotaenioglossa and member of the phylum Mollusca, is a marine gastropod, lives sub-tidally and is common on many Caribbean and southern Atlantic coral reefs. It is about once inch long and depth is 30 feet. Flamingo tongue snails are recognized world wide as having beautiful and colorful shells. It is very popular and sold worldwide for jewelry products.

Many scuba divers make the mistake of thinking that the brightly colored spots are on the shell permanently but the color of the shell is due to the mantle of the animal inside the shell. When the animal dies, all that is left is the apricot colored shell. When alive, the snail appears yellow-orange with irregular shaped spots ringed in black. However, the mantle can be retracted, exposing the shell. This snail is extremely over-collected and must be protected.

We know that, corals are the foundation for all life on the tropical coral reef. It’s build entire islands, give the shelter to fishes, sea creatures and provide food for lots of sea animals but the Flamingo Tongue Snail is the only one animal that couldn't survive without corals.

The Flamingo Tongue Snail lives in the tropical waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Lesser Antilles. It can also be found from North Carolina, the Bermudas to Northern Brazil.

The Striped eel catfish - an interesting schooling fish of the Indian Ocean.

The Striped eel catfish is an interesting schooling fish from the family of Plotosidae. The Scientific name of this beautiful sea fish is Plotosus lineatus. It is also called as Catfish Eel, Eel-tailed Catfish, Lined Catfish, Striped Catfish Eel and Striped Eel Catfish. It is from the class of Actinopterygii and the genus name of the fish is Plotosus.

A pair of beautiful Striped eel catfish

Juvenile specimens live in large schools with 100s of fish in them which is an entertaining display for the aquarist but while adults it is live in smaller groups. They grow up and become aggressive towards smaller fish and crustaceans. This is the only species of catfish that lives on coral reefs. Adults Striped eel catfish can be reach about 30cm long, those seen on the intertidal range from tiny ones about 1cm, to juveniles about 15cm long. The Body of the fish is long and cylindrical, flattening into an eel-like tail. It has a dark brown, black or even maroon body with lighter color on the underside. The juveniles have very striking white stripes along their bodies. These strikes are less pronounced or even gone completely in adult specimens.

A bunch of beautiful Striped eel catfish.

The Striped eel catfish is native to the Indian Ocean, the western Pacific Ocean and New Guinea. The species is primarily tropical but has been recorded down the east and west coasts of Australia to Sydney, New South Wales, Western Australia respectively. It lives in bays and estuaries where it is usually seen in dense schools.