Mike Gil, Ph.D.Moorean Creatures of the Deep, Large and Small (Part 2)
Below I’ve included my favorite macro shots that I’ve taken so far of sea life in Moorea this summer. This particular group of shots was collected while on a night snorkel on Gump Reef, which is adjacent the the research station where I reside and literally 3 meters from my front doorstep. In just an hour of snorkeling around in 1-2 m depths, we encountered some very interesting, although tiny, creatures (Please note that the following photos were all taken with a macro lens, thus, to do them justice, please click each to enlarge):
A tiny puffer fish (~2 in or 5 cm length) snuggles up to a Porties massive coral as I take his/her headshot
Like a deer in headlights, a butterfly fish gasps at the sight of me
A baby (barely post-larval) cardinal fish was attracted to my spotlight, making for a nice and unexpected photo op
A hermit crab is out foraging, while zooplankton (copepods, which look like suspended sediment above the crab in the photo) dart around, entranced by my spotlight
Another hermit crab, complete with anemones that it stuck to its shell for stinging armor, locks its mesmerizing eyes onto my lens
I hope you enjoyed the photos. My experiments are wrapping up nicely, and I plan to post some more updates on my progress as the field season comes to a close. Stay tuned!
Mike
Mike Gil, Ph.D. 