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Temp: Bottom 28°C
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Dive type : Recreational
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Visibility: Excellent
Water: Salt
Specific gear used
- Wet suit: Beuchat - Full 7mm
- Weights: 6 kg
Recent Pictures in Cozumel
Data provided by EOL.org
Species Identified
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 .
Sphyrna mokarran (Rüppell, 1837) (Great hammerhead shark)
The great hammerhead is particularly keen on feeding on stingrays, despite the danger of their barbs. The hammerhead pins down each ray with its hammer and then bites chunks from the wings until the ray is immobilised . It...
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The great hammerhead is particularly keen on feeding on stingrays, despite the danger of their barbs. The hammerhead pins down each ray with its hammer and then bites chunks from the wings until the ray is immobilised . It also feeds on groupers, sea catfish, small, bony fish, crabs, squid, other sharks and lobsters . It can be cannibalistic although it is not known what triggers this behaviour. Feeding mainly at dusk, the great hammerhead uses an electro-sensory system to locate prey; sensing the weak electric field produced by all living organisms. Larger sharks may prey on juvenile great hammerheads but adults have no natural predators . Mating has rarely been observed in this species, but unlike other sharks it is known to mate at the surface . Males use extensions of the pelvic fins called 'claspers' to transfer sperm to the female , resulting in a pregnancy lasting 11 months . Young are born live in the spring or summer . The function of the hammer is much discussed and a great many theories have been put forward as to its purpose. Amongst these theories, the most popular are that it helps the shark to scan larger areas of the ocean floor for food, and that it maximises the area of the sensory organs that can detect chemical, physical and thermal changes in the water, as well as electric fields .
Mycteroperca bonaci (Poey, 1860) (Black gouper)
Pomacanthus paru (Bloch, 1787) (French angelfish)
Common in shallow reefs. Usually in pairs, often near sea fans . Feed on sponges, algae, bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians and tunicates . Oviparous , monogamous . Spawning pairs are strongly territorial, with usuall...
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Common in shallow reefs. Usually in pairs, often near sea fans . Feed on sponges, algae, bryozoans, zoantharians, gorgonians and tunicates . Oviparous , monogamous . Spawning pairs are strongly territorial, with usually both members vigorously defending their areas against neighboring pairs . Juveniles tend cleaning stations where they service a broad range of clients, including jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, surgeonfishes, and wrasses. At the station the cleaner displays a fluttering swimming and when cleaning it touches the clients with its pelvic fins . Flesh considered good quality; marketed fresh . Has been reared in captivity .
Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (queen angelfish)
Found on coral reefs. Generally occurs solitarily or in pairs. Moves gracefully between seafans, seawhips, and corals . Stomach contents of 26 specimens indicate that the species feeds almost exclusively on sponges supp...
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Found on coral reefs. Generally occurs solitarily or in pairs. Moves gracefully between seafans, seawhips, and corals . Stomach contents of 26 specimens indicate that the species feeds almost exclusively on sponges supplemented by small amounts of algae, tunicates, hydroids and bryozoans. Young pick ectoparasites from other fishes . Marketed fresh .
Balistes vetula Linnaeus, 1758 (Ol'wife)
The queen triggerfish is often found drifting close to the bottom, where it feeds on a range of molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms . The strong jaws and long teeth of this fish enable it to bite through the hard body p...
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The queen triggerfish is often found drifting close to the bottom, where it feeds on a range of molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms . The strong jaws and long teeth of this fish enable it to bite through the hard body parts of these marine creatures with ease . It specialises on feeding on a particular sea urchin (Diadema antillarium), and has evolved an ingenious way of tackling this spiny prey; it blows water under the sea urchin to overturn it, exposing the part of the sea urchin where the spines are shortest . Little information is available on the breeding biology of this species, although it is known that triggerfish lay eggs which stick to corals, rocks and algae . The eggs are somewhat protected by being camouflaged , and are also apparently guarded by the male . As adults, queen triggerfish are protected by the erectile spine on their backs. If threatened, the triggerfish will retreat into a crevice in the reef, the spine on its back locks into position, and the predator is unable to remove the fish from its shelter .
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Florine Isunderwater
Mexico
Date: 2010-11-19 - 10:40
Max Depth: 31.5m Duration: 41mins
Dive with Yucatek Divers
