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Temp: Bottom 28°C
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Water: Salt
Recent Divers in South Thiladhunmatee Atoll
Dive Shop & Buddies
Dive buddies:
Christoph B.
Dive Profile
- 1. Nitrox 31
- 12L Aluminium
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- Average depth: 18m
Data provided by EOL.org
Species Identified
Cheilinus undulatus Rüppell, 1835 (Humphead wrasse)
Humphead wrasses are extremely long-lived, known to survive for at least 30 years, and taking around five to seven years to reach sexual maturity . Adults are usually solitary, spending the day roaming the reef and returni...
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Humphead wrasses are extremely long-lived, known to survive for at least 30 years, and taking around five to seven years to reach sexual maturity . Adults are usually solitary, spending the day roaming the reef and returning to particular caves or ledges to rest at night . Very little is known about these fish; adult females are able to change sex but the triggers for this development are not known . Pairs spawn together as part of a larger mating group that may consist of over 100 individuals. The planktonic eggs are released into the water and once the larvae have hatched they will settle out on the substrate . Using their tough teeth, these fish are able to consume hard-shelled species such as molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans . They are one of the few predators of species that destroy coral reefs, such as the infamous crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) .
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos (Bleeker, 1856) (Gray reef shark)
Occurs on continental and insular shelves and oceanic waters adjacent to them . Common on coral reefs, often in deeper areas near drop-offs to the open sea, in atoll passes, and in shallow lagoons adjacent to areas of str...
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Occurs on continental and insular shelves and oceanic waters adjacent to them . Common on coral reefs, often in deeper areas near drop-offs to the open sea, in atoll passes, and in shallow lagoons adjacent to areas of strong currents . Coastal-pelagic near the bottom, near drop-offs at 1-275 m . Forms daytime schools or aggregations in favored areas . Although active during the day, it is more active nocturnally . Viviparous, with 1-6 pups . Feeds on reef fishes, squids, octopi, crabs, lobsters and shrimps . Tends to be aggressive under baited conditions and readily enters into a frenzy feeding pattern, at which time it may become quite dangerous. Repeatedly incriminated in human attacks. Utilized for human consumption, fishmeal, and other shark products. Minimum depth from Ref. 6871. Maximum length of female taken from Ref. 5213.
Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Nurse shark)
During the day the nurse shark is a sluggish animal, spending most of its time resting on sandy bottoms, or in crevices in rocks and coral reefs. Often several nurse sharks may congregate when resting, sometimes even pili...
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During the day the nurse shark is a sluggish animal, spending most of its time resting on sandy bottoms, or in crevices in rocks and coral reefs. Often several nurse sharks may congregate when resting, sometimes even piling on top of one another . At night however, the nurse shark actively roams the sea bottom and reef for prey. It feeds on bottom invertebrates such as spiny lobsters, shrimps, crabs, sea urchins, squid and octopi . It is also feeds on fish, its nocturnal nature enabling it to prey on resting fish that would be too active during the day to capture . The nurse shark's small mouth and large pharynx enable it to feed by a unique suction method, effectively making the nurse shark the 'hoover' of the ocean floor. By cupping its mouth over a hole or crevice and expanding its throat, it creates a vacuum that sucks prey out of their hiding . This suction-feeding is also useful for extracting snails from their shells , and it will dig in sand to root out prey sensed by its fleshy barbels . The nurse shark is one of few sharks in which courtship behaviour is relatively well known . The male swims alongside the female, grabs one of the pectoral fins in his mouth, rolls her over and they mate . A large number of males will often try to mate with a single female, and females often bear numerous bite-scars and bruises received during mating attempts. It is therefore not surprising that females frequently try to avoid males by swimming in very shallow water, where they can bury their pectoral fins in the sand . Nurse sharks are ovoviviparous , a method of reproduction whereby the young develop inside a weakly-formed egg shell within the mother, receiving nourishment from their yolk sac, for five to six months . The females move to shallow seagrass beds and coral reefs to give birth to 20 to 30 pups in late spring and summer . Like many sharks the nurse shark is slow growing, with males not reaching maturity until 10 to 15 years of age, and females 15 to 20 years .
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Maldives
Date: 2012-10-07 - 08:17
Max Depth: 27.1m Duration: 58mins
