The Puffed-Up Pufferfish
Family The boxfish the porcupinefish and the pufferfish are members of an order called Tetraodontiformes. The latter is from a family called the Tetraodontidae. One subdivision with the sharp-nosed pufferfish is called Canthigasterinae. The puffer connotation reflects the amazing ability of the pufferfish to pump itself up like a balloon to fool potential predators. Many members of this family are spiny spiky and prickly. This effectively turns predators off to swallow them. But there s even mor...
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Goatfish
Goatfish Family The goatfishes belong to the Mullidae family and rank among the common and proverbial features in the Red Sea. Not common though are their peculiar barbels they are equipped with. These barbels can be spotted beneath the chin on either side of the mouth. It is as if these barbells function as sensitive filaments to trace benthic items on the daily menu such as molluscs crustaceans and worms. The goatfishes are diurnal or nocturnal depending on the species. The goatfish isn t your...
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Requiem Sharks
Requiem Sharks Family The Red Sea requiem sharks are part of the family of the Carcharhinidae. The family features household names like the white-tip reef shark the Red Sea lemon shark and the ocean white-tip shark. Sharks have a reputation of being dangerous to humans aggressive and harmful. It isn t quite fair. Respect a shark and its environment and it this respect will be mutual. Family Members Blacktip Reef Shark Size up to 180 cm (5 9 ft). Depth up to 75m (246 ft) It has a slender physique...
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The Motionless Hawkfish
Family The types of hawkfish are member from the Cirrhitidae family. They have distinctive features typified by their small size and thickened lower pectoral fin rays. One other characteristic element are their tiny filaments on their single dorsal fin. Filaments means cirrhi in Latin. The hawkfish can stand among corals using them as a watchtower. The hawkfish is a bottom-dweller and hunts like a hawk perched on coral columns or rocky towers. it does so hawk-like patiently waiting blended in wi...
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Filefish
Filefish Family The filefish is related to the triggerfish from the Balistidae family and are members of the Monacanthidae family. They have a more elongated body and flatter body than the triggerfish. Its monikers are leather jackets and foolfish. Peculiar of note is that the first dorsal fin consists virtually of only one thin ray. You will find that the skin is covered with scales of a smaller size. The habitats or living environments of a filefish varies; from lagoons with seaward reefs and ...
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Surgeonfish
Surgeonfish Family Members of the Acanthuridae family are the surgeonfish and the unicornfish. Both have gruesome spines and agonisingly sharp bony blades at the sides. These scalpel-like weapons can cause injuries with surgical accuracy. On top of that these blades can fold into a groove and used both used both offensively and defensively. In essence the diurnal members of this family are herbivorous. Some are planktivorous. Please bear in mind the spines are potentially dangerous to humans. Th...
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Unicornfish
Unicornfish Familie Members of the Acanthuridae family are the surgeonfish and the unicornfish. Both have gruesome spines and agonizingly sharp bony blades at the sides. These scalpel-like weapons can cause injuries with surgical accuracy. On top of that these blades can fold into a groove and used both offensively and defensively. In essence the diurnal members of this family are herbivorous. Some however are planktivorous. Please always bear in mind the spines are potentially dangerous to huma...
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Sea Breams
Sea Breams Family The stout and proud sea breams are a stocky fish with a relatively massive body and a steep forehead. It is a member of the family of Sparidae. The Sparidae boast fair-sized scales similar to the snappers of the Lutjanidae bunch. It operates either solitary or in smaller schools and aggregations of insignificant size. They live a sheltered life appreciating the taste of echinoderms like sea urchins and other invertebrates. Family Members Doublebar Sea Bream Size up to 50 cm (1 ...
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Sweetlips/Grunts
Sweetlips/Grunts Family Sweetlips and grunts are closely related to snappers and belong to the Haemulidae family. The sweetlip comes from a subfamily called Plectorhinchinae. Their moniker or sobriquet is sweetlip because of their prominent thick lips. The grunts are allocated to the subfamily of Haemulinae. The grunt reference alludes to their ability to produce grunt-like noises. They do this by grinding their pharyngeal teeth and amplify the sound with their gas bladder. They differ from snap...
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Batfish/Spadefish
Spadefish/Batfish Family Now here we have the family of the Ephippidae. The members are spade-shaped and their body is highly and laterally compressed. They have a lovely shiny silvery appearance broken by vertical faded black or lemon chiffon bands. Serving as camouflage the bars will often obscure the eyes of a batfish or spadefish. The term bat alludes to their yellow and black fins conjuring visions of wings. Its laterally compressed body is equipped with scales of smaller size and the snout...
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Cornetfish
Cornetfish/Flutemouth/Needlefish Family Other names for the cornetfish from the Fistulariidae family are the flutefish or the trumpetfish. Its greenish to grey body is what is called elongate and cylindrical meaning stretched and long. The snout is exceptionally long ending in a tiny mouth. The cornetfish is perfectly built to dig and poke in corals in order to find small fish and crustaceans. It isn t uncommon for Fistulariidaerans to roam in large congregations navigating near coral reefs sand...
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Bigeyes
Bigeyes Family The bigeyes from the Priacanthidae family have well big eyes. They are they put it amazingly and justifiably simple red fishes with big eyes. They are active only during the night which accounts for their unusual ocular dimensions. Apart from their phenomenal ocular setting they possess a stout compressed body a continuous dorsal fin and extremely large beaks. The bigeyes are carnivorous; more specifically omnivorous feasting on fish cephalopods and crustaceans. When they gorge on...
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The Stunning Grouper
Grouper Family The groupers fish the anthias and the fairy basslet have been affectionately labelled as the Queens of the Red Sea . They are part of the royal family of the Serranidae. The grouper has been subcategorized as the Epinephelinae. Some of them are truly heavyweights with 300 kg on the scale. The colourful grouper is territorial to the bone. As territorial as they are the grouper is also solitary. The carnivorous diet of a grouper comprises crustaceans cephalopods and fishes. They are...
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The Stylish Ray
Rays Characteristics Rays belong to the class of the Chondrichthyes the so-called cartilaginous ray fish such asmanta rays from the Mobulidae branch and the eagle ray member of the Miliobatidae. They so graciously fly through the waters of the Red Sea hovering over sea beds conjuring visions of a flying carpet. Various of these species can be observedin locomotion in the Red Sea. Their disk-like flat and roundish bodies seem tohave been designed in a wind tunnel for aerodynamic purpose. Rays lik...
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The Anthias Fish; The Queen Of The Red Sea
Anthiases Family The grouper the soapfish and the diurnal anthias fish have been affectionately labelled as the Queens of the Red Sea . They are part of the royal family of the Serranidae. Within this family the tropical anthias or the fairy basslet has been assigned to the family of Anthiinae. It s a common and typical reef fish their bodies regular shaped and oval. They are planktivores and circulate in large school formations. A planktivore feeds on floating organic particles and planktonic f...
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The Royal Soapfish
Soapfish Family The grouper and the anthias and the soapfish have been affectionally labelled as the Queens of the Red Sea . They are part of the royal family of the Serranidae. The beautiful soapfish has been assigned to the subfamily of Grammistinae. They have a slimy skin that is capable of producing a bitter toxic substance called grammistin. It comes in the substance of mucus protecting the fish from predation. So the soapfish exudes a mucus coating that is toxic to other fish. The poisonou...
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Cardinalfish
Cardinalfish Family The cardinal fish belongs to a very large family called the Apogonidae and oh the irony they are very small in size. The cardinal fish are carnivorous. The cardinalfish label alludes to their predominantly red colouration but strangely enough it s only a minority that is beautified by distinctive red. In general we see rather dull and hardly exciting additional tones tinges and hues. The cardinalfish isn t particularly picky in habitat preference. To spot them we name rocky r...
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Angelfish
Angelfish Family Until 1979 the butterflyfishes from the Chaetodontidae family and the angelfishes from the family of Pomacanthidae were classified as one and the same family. They have since been distinguished as related but not assigned to one and the same family. They do share though their fascinating colouration small scales and brush-like teeth. The Pomacanthidae are very charismatic in terms of their splendid chromatic spectrum. They are aquatic transgenders turning into male after a femal...
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Butterflyfish
Butterflyfish Family Among the most bright colourful and conspicuous creatures from the Red Sea are the butterflyfishes from the family of Chaetodontidae. The name alludes to an ancient Greek word meaning bristle teeth . Their bodies conjure up visions of the discs thrown by field athletes in training or at contests. They have a layer of small scales and a distinguished protractile or protrusible snout. Their tail is rounded and has the shape of an eyelash fan brush. Butterflyfishes are hard cor...
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The Colourful World Of Wrasses
Family Wrasses types belong to the family of Labridae. Wrasses come in every shape size and colour. Their colouration is simply stunning as is the complexity of their brilliant patterns. What wrasse have in common generally speaking are their elongate bodies and their fleshy thickened lips; as if they are swimming against a strong current the whole day... The world of the Labridae is the world of aquatic transgenders. The majority of the family members go through a first stage of being female tu...
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Hepca Turtle Watch Programme & Blue Ocean
Blue Ocean Diving Centers & Resorts are one of the key players in the continuous promotion of the Red Sea s aquatic environmental awareness. One of the focuses is the baby turtle watch and the sea turtle watch programs. We are passionately dedicated to the protection of its flora and fauna and marine life. Blue Ocean Diving Centers & Resorts feel privileged and delighted to announce the hosting of Hepca s latest version of its Turtle Watch program. The advanced Turtle Watch Program is based on t...
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Damselfish & Chromis
Damselfish/Chromis/Sergeant Family The damselfish sergeantfish the anemonefish and the puller aka as chromis are related and all of them are happy members of the family of the Pomacentridae. This family is well-represented in the subtropical waters of the Red Sea and boasts ten species that are endemic to the Red Sea. The damselfish are small and colourful creatures. You will find them venturing in the environments of rocky and coral reefs. Their appetite for food ranges from plants and algae so...
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So You Think You Can Fly
How agonising. Does it feel familiar? You re on holidays and you ve just been told a rare species of marine life is roaming an isolated dive spot. And guess what? You never had an encounter before. It s on your bucket list. And have another guess. Today s your final day of an exciting diving trip and you want to top it off. And you re flying tomorrow... The thought it makes you sick by figure of speech. Diving and flying are not a happy combination unless you take your precautionary and effectiv...
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Emperorfish
Emperorfish Family The medium-sized emperor from the Lethrinidae dynasty is your typical middle-of-the road Red Sea fish. Their robust bodies are equipped with oversized scales and a high-set ocular system. Some species can rapidly change their colour. There are eleven species of the Lethrinidae dynasty in the Red Sea. The medium-sized Red Sea emperorfish has prominent lips as if it has been permanently swimming against forceful currents... The emperor is not territorial and is a friend of a fri...
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Anemonefish/Clownfish
Anemonefish/Clownfish Family Like the sergeantfish the puller aka as chromis and the damselfish the anemonefish species is a member of the family of the Pomacentridae. This family is well-represented in the subtropical waters of the Red Sea and boasts ten species that are endemic to the Red Sea. The intriguing anemonefish or clownfish or Nemo for cinema enthusiasts and Walt Disney addicts is your Red Sea poster reef fish and deserves special praise. The adorable Red Sea anemonefish lives in harm...
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