Wild Tobago

Paul the Octopus shot to fame when he was used to predict World Cup winners in 2010. How intelligent are these creatures? Dr Anjani Ganase explains in this creature feature. Cephalopods (head-foot) The group of marine creatures that includes squids, cuttlefish and octopus are in a family called cephalopod, which literally translates head-foot. Most cephalopods look as if they completely lack a body.   The basic anatomy of a cephalopod consists of a mantle (the head), a siphon or funnel for propulsion, two large eyes and eight tentacles. While some cephalopods have internal structure or bone, such as squid and cuttlefish, octopuses lack any bones or skeletal structure and as a result are extremely flexible and capable of morphing to fit through tight spaces. Conversely, the nautilus, which is a distant cousin, has a more rigid shape because of its large, external coiled shell. The shell features a series of chambers that can be filled with air/ gas and used as ballasts to...

Marine scientist Anjani Ganase discusses sedimentary habitats that are abundant in the ocean but less recognized as ecosystems worth protecting. Sedimentary habitats are exactly what they sound like, areas of sandy, or muddy marine habitats that result from settlements of sand and sediment particulates in locations of lower water movement. When we think of sandy habitats, we imagine shallow lagoonal areas along the coastline, which include areas along the bases of coral reefs in deep harbour bays such as Maracas Bay, Charlotteville and Scarborough. These types of habitats also extend to great depths beyond the continental shelf. Although these habitats may not be the postcards of marine biodiversity, the varying environments in which they are found make them quite diverse in terms of the communities that can live there. As sedimentary habitats are so extensive and rarely accessible, many of these places are underexplored especially in deeper locations; and to this today, the ex...

There’s more sea than meets the eye off Tobago. Enter the depths with Diva Amon, a deep-sea biologist who has explored the deep ocean in Antarctica, the Atlantic and the Pacific. She has experience in chemosynthetic habitats and anthropogenic impacts on the deep sea. You can find out more via her Twitter ( https://twitter.com/DivaAmon ) and her website ( https://divaamon.com/ ). This feature was first published in the Tobago Newsday on June 22, 2017                     When you imagine Tobago, you see turquoise waters on the shores of beautiful white-sand beaches or glimpses of coral reefs teeming with colourful fishes. Few people ever give thought to what exists further out to sea from Tobago’s coast, where the sea turns from turquoise to deep blue. This is surprising given that most of the ocean surrounding our twin-island state is actually far below the reach of scuba divers; it extends to depths of ...

Many dive operators are hunters, capturing trophy or food fish.  After more than 25 years diving, Ron Tiah, operating Dive TnT, has turned himself into an ocean protector. Today, he shoots lionfish to save the coral reefs. And he shoots with his camera so that we can see what’s alive in the ocean, the good and the bad. This feature was first published in the Tobago Newsday on June 8, World Oceans Day. All photos courtesy Ron Tiah Another world, underwater at Brothers rock, Caribbean Sea, off Tobago Who is Ron Tiah? I grew up in Pointe-a- Pierre; my dad Robert Tiah was Rexformer Superintendent at the Texaco Refinery. I would say he was my mentor and hero. I inherited my love for the sea, the land and conservation from him. He cultivated one of the most successful citrus plantations in Trinidad, still operating today. He was also an academic, who insisted on further studies for me at Albert College and York University in Canada. I also wanted to learn to scuba dive. ...

In the movie, Clash of the Titans, Zeus unleashes his ultimate weapon when he commands, “Release the Kraken!” What is this monster (pronounced krak-en)? This week, Anjani Ganase, marine biologist, tells us about the oceanic giant squid that has been invoked in other films such as Pirates of the Caribbean. Although none as immense as those described by fishermen of a thousand years ago have yet been seen, who can say what lies in the unexplored deep seas that encircle our world.  This feature was first published in the Tobago Newsday on Thursday, November 17, 2016 Follow Anjani on twitter @AnjGanase The Norse legend of the Kraken tells about the mythical sea creature that lived off the coasts of Norway and Greenland.   It is a giant squid that rises up from the deep to crush vessels and pull fishing boats to a watery grave. Some of these stories recounted since the 1200s were documented by the Danish naturalist, Bishop Erik Pontoppidan, as part of his writt...