Leucetta spp.

I picked this sponge because it is very common here in Fiji and because it is bright, vibrant yellow. It grows all over the reef, adding a cheerful splash of color.

Heteractis magnifica.

This anemone is one of the most common on the reef and is home to up to 12 species of anemone fish. Looking at it reminded me of the anemone and anemone fish in our tank in the BLC. Its common name is the Magnificent Sea Anemone.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Tubastraea micrantha.

It is difficult to pick my favorite coral because there are so many corals here and they are simply gorgeous, all of them. I’ve picked Tubastraea micrantha because it often has its polyps out to feed, even in the middle of the day, when many other corals retract their polyps and let their zooxanthellae do all the work. Also, it is this amazing hunter green color that is very distinctive.

Photo from Atlas: Dr. Pez

Aurelia aurita.

Well, picking my favorite jelly on this trip is easy because I’ve only seen one jelly in the last 6 days! Aurelia aurelia is the Moon Jelly; it is common all over the world and it’s a nice one because it doesn’t sting people at all.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Plumaridae hydroids.

I don’t know hydroids well enough to know exactly which species of hydroid I’ve been looking at, but I can tell that they are all members of the Plumaridae family of hydroids … what I call the Ostrich Feather Hydroids because they look like big feathers. To me, they are totally cool because they spend part of their lives as stationary hydroid polyps attached to the reef and the other part of their lives as free-floating medusa forms.

Photo from Reef Guide

Pseudobiceros hancockanus.

This was another easy choice, because just like the jellies, this was the only flatworm that I saw. They were fairly common on the reefs and I even got to see them swim from place to place on the reef.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Spirobranchus giganteus.

This is the Christmas tree worm and saying it is colorful doesn’t really do it justice. These amazing little annelid worms come in all sorts of decorative colors—blue, yellow, purple, red, orange, and even brown.

Photo courtesty of Jesse Fairbanks

Tridacna sp., Giant Clam.

The Giant Clam isn’t so gigantic in Fiji; most of the largest clams have been taken from the reefs by the Fijians, who eat them. I’d say the largest clam I saw on this trip was maybe a foot or a foot and a half in length. However, the largest Giant Clams can grow to 4-5 feet in length and weigh more than a ton.

Photo courtesty of Jesse Fairbanks

Charonia tritonis, Triton’s Trumpet.

This snail is just absolutely amazing. First off, it is HUGE … it can grow to be over a foot in length. And it is a efficient predator that guzzles down sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and sea stars.

Photo from Encyclopedia of Life

Sepia papuensis, Papuan Cuttlefish.

Cuttlefish are similar to squid and score pretty high on the “cuteness” scale. Like octopus, they are more active at night, when they can be seen jetting around the reef in search of food.

Photo from SeaLifeBase

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Lybia edmondsoni, Pompom Crab.

What a hoot! These crabs carry anemones around in the front claws (for protection?) and they look exactly like little pompons being waved around by a cheerleader.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Panulirus penicillatus, Spiny Lobster.

I only saw 2 lobsters in a week of diving in Fiji, which makes me think that these critters have been overfished. That’s sad. They are very beautiful, with deep vibrant colors.

Photo from Encyclopedia of Life

Alpheus bellulus, Snapping Shrimp.

I could have spent pretty much every underwater minute looking at the shrimp here in Fiji. The diversity of shrimp is mind-boggling. I picked this shrimp as my favorite because of its commensal relationship with a little goby fish. The shrimp dig burrows for themselves and the gobies and the gobies stand guard just outside the burrow, protecting the shrimp.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Linckia laevigata, Sea star.

These lovely, colorful sea stars can be bright blue, green, pink or even yellow in color. They crawl in the coral rubble, looking to scavenge food from the bottom.

Photo from Hobart and William Smith

Diadema setosum, Sea urchin.

This is a very delicate, small sea urchin that I saw on just about every dive. It lives in small alcoves that it digs in the reef and hides all day long so that all you see are its spines waving in the current. At night it comes out to feed.

Photo from Wikipedia

Euapta godeffroyi, Synaptid Sea Cucumber.

This very weird sea cucumber is found in the Gulf of California and all over the Pacific. It is very long (4-5 feet) and limp and squishy. [Most sea cucumbers are rigid.] It also lacks tube feet on the bottom and moves by contracting and expanding its body.

Photo from Wikimedia

Amphiura spp,. Brittle star.

These very delicate brittle stars hide during the day by wrapping themselves up in the base of a soft coral. They come out at night to scavenge for food.

Photo from Starfish

Lamprometra palmata, Crinoid.

To me, these critters are living fossils. They hang on to soft corals and sea fans and spread their arms out into the current to filter feed.

Photo from Nai'a

Rhopalaea spp., Tunicate or Sea Squirt.

There are many types of tunicates on the reefs of Fiji; I picked this one as my favorite only because of its beautiful blue color and vase-like shape. It is very decorative!

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Pterois volitans, Common Lionfish.

Picking a favorite fish is darn near impossible! The diversity of fishes here in Fiji is just crazy. I could have easily picked a shark, a sea horse, a scorpion fish, or a moray eel, but I chose the Lionfish because it is both beautiful and deadly.

Photo from Sea Friends

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