Flashlight Fish
Photoblepharon palpebratum
As the end gets closer, Lembeh is still astounding me. This week I did one of the most incredibly dives of my life. The weather has been really calm...
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Coconut Octopus giving birth
Amphioctopus marginatus
This week we went to a dive site I had never been to before, in the south of Lembeh, on the mainland. It was very mucky but, as seems...
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Carry Crab with Nudibranch
Ethusa sp & Glossodoris hikuerensis
I’ve seen many strange things, weird behaviour and odd critters while in Lembeh, but this is one of the most bizarre sights I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing… Now...
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Shrimp and Shrimp Goby
Amblyeleotris sp & Alpheus sp
The relationship between these ‘Shrimp Goby’ and their ‘Shrimp’ reminds me of the expression ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ The Goby has pretty good eyesight and...
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White Spearing Mantis
Lysiosquillidae
Another week and another Lembeh surprise. I found a White Spearing Mantis! We get quite a lot of mantis shrimp in Lembeh, both the smashing mantis and the spearing...
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Idiomysis
Very small critter
Even though Lembeh is all about small things, some things are smaller than others. And they don’t come much smaller (or harder to film) than Idiomysis. These are a...
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Octopod? Copepod?
Ever since I first saw one of these, in the Caribbean, 15 years ago, i have wanted to see one closely. They look like fish scales and you see...
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‘Dumbo’ Snail
Strange Locomotion
Something strange caught my eye on a dive the other day. I was swimming along, looking for the usual Lembeh suspects when, in the corner of my vision, I...
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Pygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus bargibanti
Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorses are one of the critters that helped put Lembeh on the map. Lembeh was one of the first locations where you could be guaranteed to see...
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Flamboyant Cuttlefish in Slow Motion
Metasepia pfefferi
Flamboyant Cuttlefish are one of the most wonderful creatures we get in Lembeh. They are small (of course) but have the ability to flash bright colours when excited. They...
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Hispid or Striated Frogfish
Antennatus sp.
Frogfish can be very difficult to ID. They are highly variable in colour and size. One of the easiest ways is by the shape of their lures. Now this...
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Translucent Gorgonian Shrimp with parasite
Manipontonia psamathe
Even though I’m starting to worry that perhaps my eyesight isn’t what it was, it’s still not too bad. I am still in awe of the tiny things that our...
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Sponge Isopod
Santia sp.
These Sponge Isopods are actually fairly common. But they are so small, do not move that much and so are overlooked by most divers. when you can actually see...
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Pygmy Squid Laying Eggs
Idiosepius sp. 1
I was extremely lucky to capture this incredible moment of natural behaviour. Pygmy Squid are, as the name suggests, very small squid. Not an awful lot is known about...
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Peanut Worm
Sipuncula
Update: Thanks to Fabio Russo on the Underwater Macro Videography group, I have now been able to identify this as a Peanut Worm!! It is a bilaterally symmetrical, unsegmented...
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Cigar Jelly
Olindias phosphorica
One of the strangest critters we occasionally see here it the Cigar Jelly. This is a cnidarian, class Hydrozoa. I must admit that when I first saw one of...
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Pontohi Pygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus sp.
Pontohi Pygmy Seahorses are one of the most beautiful critters we get in Lembeh. They are also one of the hardest to find and the hardest to get photos...
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Mimic Octopus – includes a fight
Thaumoctopus mimicus
Mimic Octopus are one of the most iconic critters we have in Lembeh. They are on most of our guests ‘wish list’, not surprisingly, as they are an amazing...
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Honshu Pipefish
Doryhamphus japonicus
Pipefish are one of the hardest small critters to photograph or film. Not only are they small, they are also long and thin. One of the problems that we...
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Coral Shrimp
Coralliocaris Sp.
Coral Shrimp (Coralliocaris sp.) are amongst the hardest shrimp to photograph or film. It’s not because they move around or are particularly tiny (these are all around the 1cm...
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Sea Spiders
Pycnogonida
These very strange creatures are Sea Spiders (Pycnogonida) but they are not true spiders, thought they seem to closely resemble them. They are arthropods, as they are invertebrate animals...
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Bullock’s Hypselodoris with Goby
Hypselodoris bullocki
Nudibranchs, as many of you know, do not always have the easiest of names to remember, There are so many of them and they tend to be called things...
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Moyer’s Dragonet (juvenile)
Synchiropus moyeri
Dragonets are one of the most beautiful fish we get. But most of the ones you see are rather drab and boring. But drab and boring is rather good...
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Blue Ring Octopus hunting
Hapalochlaena sp.
I managed to film a very interesting sequence of some Blue Ring action that I hadn’t seen before. As I was filming this one it started to hunt. After...
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Giant Frogfish
Antennarius commersoni
We’ve been finding a couple of Giant Frogfish recently, so I thought I would put on my wide angle lens and go and film one of them. It was...
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Jony’s Shrimp
Unknown species
The amount of species in Lembeh is phenomenal. Because of this we get to see many many species and have dive guides who are the best in the business...
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Two Little Green Shrimp
Phycocaris Sp.
Recommended to watch full screen in HD. Ever since these Little Green Shrimp were first spotted in Lembeh about 9 months ago, they have become one of the most...
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Rare Yellow Shortfin Lionfish
Dendrochirus brachypterus
Even though we get many different types of Lionfish in Lembeh, I am still amazed by how beautiful some of them can be. This is a rare yellow variation...
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Modest Snapping Shrimp
Synalpheus modestus
After diving here in Lembeh for over two years, pretty much every day, I did not know these shrimp existed. Some of our divers came back form a dive...
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Bumpy Dendrodoris with Emperor Shrimp
Dendrodoris tuberculosa
This week we were diving at Jahir 2, one of our great muck sites. It the midst of the expanse of black featureless sand Jenly, our trainee dive guide,...
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Harlequin Sweetlips – juvenile in slo mo
Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides
These wonderful juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips are known to to divers all over South East Asia. There name derives from the fact that there big lips are considered a very...
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Tiger Mantis – Digging
Lysiosquillina maculata
Many Mantis Shrimp live in burrows in the sand. We swim over many every day, but never give a thought as to how these wonderful crustaceans actually go about...
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Phyllodesmium poindimiei
Strange Insides
This is a Phyllodesmium poindimiei . I found it around 20m deep, moving along the sand. What made is really stand out was what I saw as I started...
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Coral Cardinalfish – Pregnancy
Siphamia corallicola
It’s a well known fact the male seahorses incubate their fertilised eggs. It is also fairly well known that male Jawfish incubate their fertilised eggs in their mouths. It...
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Brown-Lined Paperbubble
Hydatina physis
This has to be one of the most beautiful molluscs we get. It is circumtropical, but this is the first one I’ve seen in Lembeh. It is about 5cm...
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Red Bumpy Gymnodoris eating
Gymnodoris rubropapulosa
Beautiful but deadly!!! These stunning orange nudibranchs harbor an evil secret….they eat other nudibranchs alive!!! While most other nudis munch on algae, hydroids and other such stuff, these ones...
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Green Melibe – Eating
Melibe viridis
These large nudibranchs are carnivorous and have a great way of feeding. They throw their ‘head’, an oval veil, in front of them, and using hairs around the edge,...
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Orangutan Crab
Achaeus japonicus
These wonderful little crabs are one of the most aptly named crabs we get here in Lembeh. Orangutan (Orang Utan) literally means ‘man of the forest’ in Indonesian, and...
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Stimpson’s Snapping Shrimp
Synalpheus stimpsoni
These shrimp are not super rare, but are very very rarely seen. The reason for this is that they live underneath Crinoids. Crinoids, or Feather Stars (as they are...
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Harlequin Shrimp Family
Hymenocera elegans
This video is of a wonderful family of Harlequin Shrimp we found recently. There is Junior, who is determined to get his bit of yummy starfish food, dad, looking...
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Little Green Shrimp
Phycocaris sp. ?
These seem to be all the rage in Lembeh at the moment, so here’s my video of them. These shrimp are a definite ‘unknown’ and have been spotted in...
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Zebra-stripped Seahorse
Hippocampus trimaculatus
This wonderful Seahorse is a very rare variety of a Longnose Seahorse. Although it is known here as a Zebra Seahorse this is not quite the correct name, as...
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Cuapetes Shrimp
Anatomy
These particular shrimp are often overlooked, as to the casual eye or photographer they are perhaps deemed ‘boring’. They are almost transparent and do not seem to have another...
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Spiny Devilfish – pre-mating
Inimicus didactylus
Spiny Devilfish usually, as one can guess from their highly camouflaged appearance, do not move very much. I came across three of them in quite an excited state on...
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Pegasus (Dragon) Sea Moth
Eurypegasus draconis
One of the most bizarre fish, anywhere in the world, is the Pegasus Sea Moth. These little fish, about 10cm long when fully grown, often hang around in pairs...
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Halimeda Crab
Huenia heraldica
These wonderful crabs really know how to hide. They are an Arrowhead Crab and stick bits of Halimeda Algae on their heads so they can blend into their habitat. They can’t...
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Egg Cowrie (juvenile)
Ovula ovum
As adult, Egg Cowries are not the most exciting of critters. Most divers would swim over one, as the do not ever seem to move, and are completely covered...
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Donald Duck Shrimp
Leander plumosus
These bizarre shrimp have an elongated rostrum which gives them a beak-like appearance, and from that their name. They really are quite extraordinary critters and are always a joy...
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Candy (Soft Coral) Crab
Hoplophrys oatesii
These wonderful little crabs are really called Soft Coral Crabs, but the guides in Lembeh have always called them ‘Candy Crabs’ and it’s easy to see why. They live...
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Nudibranches Of Lembeh
Collection 3
Nudibranches, sometimes known by their much less attractive name of ‘Sea Slugs’ are one of the wonders of the underwater realm. Unlike their land-based cousins, these ‘slugs’ are incredibly...
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Spotted Box Crab
Calappa philargius
Have you every wonder what Box Crabs eat?? Well, maybe you haven’t but I did find out this week. Box Crabs usually spend their time buried in the sand,...
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Elephant Nose Conch
You would probably swim over the top of one of these small sand-covered conch and never give them a second glance… ..but if you did, and they were hungry, you...
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Mushroom Coral Shrimp
Periclimenes kororensis
These lovely little shrimp are often looked over. Due to their white heads they can be difficult to see and, when you do see them, difficult to see past...
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Unknown Mollusc
This is, at the moment, an unknown mollusc. Barb had found a hole in a sandy/rubbly area and at the bottom were 4 or 5 weird white things crawling...
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Marten’s Sidegill Slug
Berthella martensi
This was the first one of these magnificant nudibranchs I have seen. It is really quite big, this one was around 10cm long, which makes it all the more suprising...
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Lembeh Magnum Sea Cucumber
Neothyonidium sp. 1
At first glance these you would not think these are Sea Cucumbers but, of course, they are… Their bodies are buried in the sand and they stick their heads and...
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Dragon Shrimp
Miropandalus hardingi
Yet another shrimp that i didn’t know existed, but exists in Lembeh!! These are another crustacaen that live on a whip coral. They are usually green with yellow-tipped spikes on...
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Mushroom Coral Pipefish
Siokunichthys nigrolineatus
Mushroom Coral Pipefish are one of the hardest critters to film, for four reasons… 1. They are small. 2. They are white, making it very hard to film without blowing...
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Red Frog Spanner Crab
Ranina ranina
This has to be one of the coolest and weirdest named critters!! These crabs spend much of their time buried in the sand, with just their eyes showing. when they...
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Occellate Octopus
Unknown
I was starting to think I had seen pretty much everything in Lembeh, but yet again was proved wrong. This is a video of an Occellate Octopus. This is the...
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Flamboyant Cuttlefish Birth
Metasepia pfefferi
I was very lucky this week to not only witness a Flamboyant Cuttlefish laying her eggs, but I also saw a Flamboyant Cuttlefish being born. Flamboyant’s lay their eggs under...
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Bobbit Worm
Eunice aphroditois
Bobbit Worms are a very strange nocturnal predatory worm. They have most of their bodies buried in the sand, with just their frightening looking pincers showing. I was patiently filming...
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Transparent Juvenile Eel
Gymnothorax sp.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime find. It is not known exactly what sort of Moray Eel this is a juvenile of, only that it is probably in the Gymnothorax species. This...
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Hairy Octopus
Octopus sp. 1
This is a wonderful find, the incredibly elusive Hairy Octopus. These are another very small little octopus and this was the first one I have seen. They are probably the...
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Ornate Ghost Pipefish with Eggs
Solenostomus paradoxus
Ornate Ghost Pipefish are more of the most bizarre and most beautiful critters. Around July they start to appaer on many dive sites, usually picking a Feather Star to ‘hide’...
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Severn’s Pygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus severnsi
This is, I think, a Severn’s Pygmy Seahorse. These Pygmy Seahorses are incredibly difficult to film as they are so tiny. This one is about 1cm tall and, as you...
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Geographic Sea Hare
Syphonota geographica
Since I saw a photo of one of these wonderful Sea Hares I have been looking out for them. I found found this little one. It is about 3cm long....
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Tiger Shrimp
Phyllognathia ceratopthalma
These wonderful Tiger shrimp are one of the rarer finds here in Lembeh. They look extraordinary, with spikes randomly jutting out from theirs bodies. They are also known as Horned...
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Threadfin Sand Diver
Trichonotus elegans
Though this fish is not that uncommon here but it is not often seen and it is very difficult to get close to. They live in the sand, usually in...
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Spindle Cowrie
Phenacovolva tokioi
These beautiful cowries camoflague themselves on their host sea fans. They are really lovely mollusks to find. This one was particularly co-operative, as it had just reached the end of...
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Solar Powered Nudibranch
Phyllodesmium longicirra
Phyllodesmium longicirrum is probably the most spectacular of the aeolids which have evolved a symbiotic relationship with single-celled plants (zooxanthellae). It is exceptionally large, the shot with the two nudis,...
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Mototi Octopus
Octopus mototi
This little guy is similar in size (though perhaps a little larger) and shape to it’s cousin, the Blue Ring Octopus, It is also similar in that it can produce...
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Lembeh Pygmy Seadragon
Kyonemichthys rumengani
The unique Lembeh Sea Dragons. These tiny Pygmy Pipe Dragons were discovered in Lembeh Straits at the end of 2006, and are another example of the incredible variety of life...
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Robust Ghost Pipefish – Mating Fight
Solenostomus cyanopterus
Robust Ghost Pipefish usually hang vertically in the water, not moving, pretending to be a bit of Sea Grass. Here we have two males (the two smaller Pipefish) fighting over...
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Five-Lined Ribbon Worm
Baseodiscus quinquelineatus
The largest free-living worm in the sea is the ribbon worm. But for all their size, this is the first one I have seen here. This one was around 1...
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Spotted Porcelain Crab
Neopetrolisthes maculatus
These crabs are interesting, not only because of the way they feed, by waving adapted mouth parts in the current to gather thier food, but because they are not actually...
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Striped Snapping Shrimp
Synalpheus striatus
These shrimp are fairly rare. They spend their lives living in crinoids (Feather Stars). What was very interesting about this one, was that when I look at the film I...
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Pinnate Spadefish – Small Juvenile
Platax pinnatus
These juvenile Spadefish are one of the most striking juveniles of any species. As adults they are fairly nondescript silver coloured, oval shaped fish. But as juveniles they are black...
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Pinnate Spadefish – Large Juvenile
Platax pinnatus
These juvenile Spadefish are one of the most striking juveniles of any species. As adults they are fairly nondescript silver coloured, oval shaped fish. But as juveniles they are black...
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Signal (Crabeye) Goby
Signigobius biocellatus
This is a very elusive fish and we rarely get to see them. And when we do, they tend to quickly dart into their burrows and disappear from view. They...
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Haig’s Porcelain Crab
Porcellanella haigae
Sometimes you have to dive for macro in a current. It’s tricky to film, but sometimes it’s worth it.. I found this lovely little Sea Pen on a dive and...
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Nudibranchs
Collection 1
A collection of nudibranchs seen in Lembeh. The body forms of nudibranchs vary enormously, but because they are opisthobranchs, unlike most other gastropods they are bilaterally symmetrical because they have...
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Nudibranchs
Collection 2
A collection of nudibranchs seen in Lembeh. The body forms of nudibranchs vary enormously, but because they are opisthobranchs, unlike most other gastropods they are bilaterally symmetrical because they have...
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Longhorn Cowfish
Lactoria cornuta
This is a large juvenile of the wonderful Longhorn Cowfish. These are very tricky fish to film, as they always seem to know exactly where your camera is and then...
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Urchin Bumblebee Shrimp
Gnathophyllides mineri
This week i finally found a tiny little crustacean I had been searching for – the Urchin Bumblebee Shrimp, though I think it should be called the Urchin Grain-of-rice Shrimp!...
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Harlequin Shrimp – Dinner Time
Hymenocera elegans
When we first found this particular pair we didn’t have any guest divers with us, so it gave me the chance to spend some quality time with them. They had...
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Moon-faced Nudibranch
Euselenops luniceps
I came across a strange writhing ball on a night dive this week. On closer inspection it was two Mooon-faced Nudis mating. One was dragging the other around until they...
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Weird Nudibranch
Melibe papillosa
This huge nudibranch only appears at certain times of the year. This one was about 40cm long. When I found it, it was laying eggs and remaining fairly stationary. After...
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Blue Ring Octopuses Mating
Hapalochlaena sp.
I was lucky enough to find these two Blue Rings mating this week!! The male is holding on to the female, and you can see that slowly he starts to...
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Peacock Mantis Shrimp with Eggs
Odontodactylus scyllarus
She may have the fastest strike on Earth, but she is also a caring mother…. Lovely to find this Peacock Mantis holding on to her clutch of eggs. She was...
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Clark’s Anemonefish Fertilising Eggs
Amphiprion clarkii
I was lucky enough to catch this male Clark’s Anemonefish fertilising his partner’s eggs. Anemonefish use, as can been seen here, external fertilisation. I have seen the eggs many times,...
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Yawning Bargibanti’s Seahorse
Hippocampus bargibanti
Pygmy Seahorses are one of the critters that put Lembeh on the map. You can come here and be guaranteed sightings… ..but Pygmy Seahorses are very frustrating critters to photograph...
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Lembeh Velvetfish
Paraploactis sp1.
This rather ugly fish is a member of the Velvetfish family. What makes it so special is that, as the name suggests, it is only found in Lembeh Strait. It...
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Hairy Squat Lobster
Lauriea siagiani
These beautiful small squat lobsters live on Giant Barrel Sponges. They are usally very difficult to film as they tend to hide in the recesses at the bottom of the...
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Shaggy Octopus
Abdopus aculeatus
I thought that I had finally found the very rare Lembeh Hairy Octopus. It wasn’t, sadly, but a very interesting octopus none the less, and one we hadn’t seen before....
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Hairy Shrimp
Phycocaris simulans
This is now officially the smallest critter I’ve yet filmed in Lembeh. It is like a small piece of pocket lint. Tiny tiny tiny. How the guide found it I...
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Risbecia tryoni
Feeding
The Risbecia tryoni is a well known nudi, as it is often found ‘tailgating’ in pairs, with one very closely following the other. These ones were very unusual as I...
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Ghost Pipefish
Solenostomidae
This is some great video of three more different type of Ghost Pipefish that I didn’t even know existed until 1 amazing dive in Lembeh. The video starts by showing...
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Skeleton (Ghost) Shrimp
Caprella sp.
These are tiny!!! Ghost Shrimp, sometimes known as Skeleton Shrimp, are usually seen individually or with another one or two. They are very hard to spot, or even see, when...
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Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
This was filmed at the world famous shark dive in Beqa, Fiji. You get incredibly close to these majestic creatures, with no cage to get in the way!! This female...
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Harlequin Shrimp
Hymenocera elegans
This wonderful Harlequin Shrimp was seen at Serena Besar in the Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia. They are max. 4cm long and have extravegant pincers that they use to cut up...
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Polyclad Flatworm
Pseudoceros sp.
These are often confused with nudibranches, but are, in fact, flatworms and completely different. They usually slide over the substrate, but occassionaly decide to go for a quick ‘flight’ They...
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Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Metasepia pfefferi
These aptly named Flamboyant Cuttlefish are one of the smaller cuttlefish, with the first one being only about 10cms long and the larger one at the end about 20cms. They...
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Fingered Dragonet (juvenile)
Dactylopus dactylopus
This clip starts off showing an adult Fingered Dragonet, which is about 15-20cm long. Fairly drab in color, it’s a interesting fish none the less, with it’s banner-like adapted dorsel...
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Electric Disco Scallop
Lima sp.
Another creature that asks the question ‘why??’ Why on earth (or underwater) do you need to have an electric flashing light running up and down your body? Another bizarre...
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Sea Cucumber Crab
Lissocarcinus orbicularis
Well, we all have to live somewhere…. This little Crab (Lissocarcinus orbicularis) chooses to spend his free time living inside a Sea Cucumber. You can see him here, at...
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Coconut Octopus
Octopus marginatus
This Veined, or commonly know Coconut, Octopus, decided that it was interested in my housing. After enveloping the lens it decided to sit on top of my housing!! A...
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Cockatoo Flounder
Samaris cristatus
These flounder look like a normal flounder until they feel threatened, as which point they display their ‘cockatoo’ fin, designed to make them look larger than they actually are....
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Sponge Leg Crab
Changing Skins
This was shot when I thought I was filming one crab eating another. When looking at it after I realised that the crab had in fact just shed it...
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Striped Catfish
Plotosus lineatus
We often see these young Catfish is groups, but they are usually feeding on the sand and difficult to approach closely. This group seemed quite content to keep hiding...
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Bumblebee Shrimp
Gnathophyllum americanum
The Striped Bumblebee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum) is another wonderful crustacean found here in Lembeh. Again, as with other small shrimp, they seem to live in pairs, with the larger...
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Boxing Crab
Lybia tessellata
These great little crab are tricky to find, but a wonderfully unique critter. They are very small, full size about 4cm across, and hold two tiny anemones in their...
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Bobtail Squid
Euprymna berryi
These tiny squid (4cm long) remain completely buried in the sand during the day. They come out at night and sit on the surface. You can see how small...
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Blue Ring Octopus Eating
Hapalochlaena sp.
I was lucky enough to catch a Blue Ring octopus making a kill. The Blue Ring was sitting on a small rock and a crab, nearly the same size...
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Blue Ring Octopus
Hapalochlaena sp.
This is a Midringed Blue-Ring, only found in Lembeh, Sulawesi. They spend most of their lives under rubble, so are very rare to spot. This one we found at...
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Anemone Decorator Crab
Majidae sp.
This is one of the prettiest Decorators Crabs i’ve seen. It is covered in, what I presume are, tiny white anemones. The time and effort that must go into...
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Ambon Scorpionfish
Pteroidichthys amboinensis
These Ambon Scorpionfish are hard to find and hard to film. The are very shaggy, with multiple protrusions coming out of just about every part of it’s body, especially...
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