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Dive type : Reef, Divemastering a Fun Dive
Recent Divers in Hon Cau, Con Dao
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 .
Taeniura lymma (Forsskål, 1775) (Bluespotted ribbontail ray)
Blue-spotted stingrays live alone or in small groups , migrating in large schools into shallow sandy areas on the rising tide in order to feed, and dispersing back into the ocean as the tide falls to shelter in the coral c...
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Blue-spotted stingrays live alone or in small groups , migrating in large schools into shallow sandy areas on the rising tide in order to feed, and dispersing back into the ocean as the tide falls to shelter in the coral crevices of the reef . Feeding most commonly occurs during the day, but sometimes also at night , and the diet consists largely of worms, shrimps, crabs, molluscs and small fish . Prey is often detected through electroreception, a system which senses the electrical fields produced by the prey . Not all small fish and invertebrates are potential prey, as blue-spotted stingrays can often be found at 'cleaning stations', areas of reef where large fish line up and tiny fish or shrimp pick off their dead skin and parasites . In courtship, males often follow females, using their acutely sensitive 'nose' to detect a chemical signal emitted by the female that indicates she is receptive. Breeding occurs from late spring through the summer, and gestation can last anything from four months to a year . Reproduction is ovoviviparous, meaning females give birth to live pups that have hatched from egg cases inside the uterus . Up to seven pups are born per litter and each juvenile is born with the distinctive blue markings of its parents in miniature .
Aulostomus chinensis (Linnaeus, 1766) (Chinese trumpetfish)
Found in clear, shallow water , in rocky and coral areas of protected and seaward reefs . Benthopelagic . Feeds on small fishes and shrimps . A slow-moving fish relying partly on stealth and camouflage to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. Often darts down vertically on its prey. Usually solitary .
Found in clear, shallow water , in rocky and coral areas of protected and seaward reefs . Benthopelagic . Feeds on small fishes and shrimps . A slow-moving fish relying partly on stealth and camouflage to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. Often darts down vertically on its prey. Usually solitary .
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Lance Brabant
Viet Nam
Date: 2013-06-04 - 10:47
Max Depth: 20.3m Duration: 69mins
Dive with Lance Brabant from Dive! Dive! Dive! Con Dao
Dive buddies:
Chinatsu Horii
Fun Dive with Austrian-Brazilian brothers Bert and Rein. Saw a small nurse shark, scorpion fish and blue spotted stingray. INCREDIBLE Viz today!