Carnival under the Seas

We dress up to blend into a sea of beads and feathers. Two days in fancy dress is enough for most of us; and now the Carnival is over. However, there are marine creatures that spend their lives masquerading under the sea in the Caribbean. Dr Anjani Ganase presents some of these creatures in the Carnival that continues year round under the sea.

The Basket Star: Like something out of an alien movie or an old mas band, the basket star can be found wrapped in a tight ball under rocks and in sponges during the day, but at night they extend ornate arms into the water column to trap plankton. Careful not to shine the torch on them too long or they’ll curl up and retreat back into hiding.

The Basket Star photo Anjani Ganase

The Snake Eel is common on Caribbean reefs and is the reason that many people believe sea snakes can be found in the Caribbean. Alas the snake eel is a type of fish, and not a snake.  There are two species of “snake eels”, the sharptail eel and the golden spotted eel. Sea snakes are only found in the Indo-Pacific region where snakes have adapted to living in the ocean.

The Snake Eel photo Ryan Mannette

The Flying Gurnards are unique winged fish, which use pectoral fins to glide over the bottom of the reef and give divers an unexpected display silvery blue colour when they try to move quickly. The flying gurnards also use these fins for hunting by sweeping the sandy bottom in search of little critters to munch on.

 

Flying Gurnards photo Anjani Ganase

Trumpetfish come in shades of yellows, silver, reds and blues. Smaller trumpetfish can be found pivoting upside down among the fronds of soft coral and swaying back and forth to camouflage. They are in the same family as seahorses, and appear to be stretched out versions of seahorses. However, don’t be fooled by their thin morphology, they are voracious predators and use their narrow tube-like mouths to suck their prey in.

Trumpetfish photo Anjani Ganase

The collector urchin as it’s name suggests tends to pick up random bits of debris – shells, algae, pebbles among its spines intentionally and unintentionally. The collection keeps them hidden from predators such as pufferfish and octopus.  They are found in seagrass beds, especially in the northern Caribbean region. Here is a sea urchin that has covered itself in macroalgae. 

The Collector Urchin photo Anjani Ganase

The Spiny lobsters are the underwater flag wavers of the reef. On rare occasion, you will find a lobster exposed on the reef. Most of the time, for safety reasons, they’re often found under coral overhangs with only their antennae sticking out, waving back and forth in the water column.

 

Spiny lobster photo Anjani Ganase

As suggested by its name, the Stonefish can be mistaken for an old rock underwater but don’t get caught out. The pain from the barb of a stonefish is excruciating. Their cryptic patterns allow them to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Stonefish are typically shades of reds and brown. (Photo credit Anjani Ganase)

 

Stonefish photo Anjani Ganase

The Queen Angelfish is literally the queen of carnival underwater. A fluorescent blue crown stands out on top of the head, and is matched by the electric blue trim around the darker blue body. The colouration is so striking that it is often difficult to get a photograph that does it justice. (Photo credit Anjani Ganase)

Queen Angelfish photo Anjani Ganase

A school of Creole Wrasse represents underwater pretty masquerade. Large schools of up to a hundred blue and purple creole wrasse can often be found flying above the reefs feeding on plankton as they move through the water column. 

 

Creole Wrasse photo Anjani Ganase

The Stingray has a natural undulating flow that can be an inspiration to many carnival costumes. Stingrays undulate their bodies like a wave to propel forward, similar to the waves formed by flags blowing in the wind.

 

Stingray photo Jonathan Gomez