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OCTOPUSES: WORTH LEARNING TO SCUBA FOR?
OCTOPUSES: WORTH LEARNING TO SCUBA FOR? If I had to give a single reason for learning to scuba, watching an octopus would be very near the top of a long list. It’s never going to happen for me, of...
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TURTLE BREEDING SEASON & A SMALL POEM TO PONDER
TURTLE BREEDING SEASON & A SMALL POEM TO PONDER The turtle lives ‘twixt plated decks Which practically conceal its sex. I think it clever of the turtle In such a fix, to be so fertile. Anyone...
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WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?) 13: THE ROUGHHEAD BLENNY
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?) 13: THE ROUGHHEAD BLENNY The WTF? series has looked at a number of bizarre reef denizens, and this little fish is certainly that. For a start, its ‘correct’ name is...
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‘CUDAS: “WHAT BIG TEETH YOU’VE GOT…”
‘CUDAS: “WHAT BIG TEETH YOU’VE GOT…” Or, if not exactly big then lethally lacerating. Their sharp fangs are all different sizes, which gives more of a mincing effect than a clean bite. Then there’s...
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ONE GOOD INTERN DESERVES ANOTHER (Part 1)
ONE GOOD INTERN DESERVES ANOTHER (Part 1) Four years ago a young English friend of ours, Oscar Ward, was lucky enough to be offered an internship with the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation...
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JAW-DROPPING: A GROUP OF GROUPER(S)
JAW-DROPPING: A GROUP OF GROUPER(S) Today is going to be about Jaws – not those sinister-music-sharky types, but a look at the dentition, gill arrangements and oral hygiene of groupers(s). First,...
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REDSPOTTED HAWKFISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (35)
REDSPOTTED HAWKFISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (35) The redspotted hawkfish (Amblycirrhitus pinos) is one of a number of species of hawkfishes found worldwide. This one is found on the sub-tropical and...
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BAHAMAS REEF FISH (36): REEF BUTTERFLYFISH
BAHAMAS REEF FISH (36): REEF BUTTERFLYFISH Butterflyfishes come in several varieties in Bahamian waters; and there are more than 120 species worldwide. Not so long ago I wrote about the LONGSNOUT...
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HAWKSBILL TURTLES + ANGELS = REEF HEAVEN
HAWKSBILL TURTLES + ANGELS = REEF HEAVEN Hawksbills on their own, nosing around the colourful coral reefs of the Bahamas, are a beautiful sight. I don’t want to overdo the religious tendency of the...
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MARK CATESBY, PIONEER NATURALIST: NEW BOOK
MARK CATESBY, PIONEER NATURALIST: NEW BOOK Exactly two years ago, I wrote about the publication of a lavish limited edition facsimile of Mark Catesby’s renowned work The Natural History of Carolina,...
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ROCK BEAUTY: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (37)
ROCK BEAUTY: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (37) The Rock Beauty Holacanthus tricolor is a small species of Angelfish. Seen swimming around the reefs they are unmistakeable, not least because of their bright...
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DOLPHINS DISPORTING IN THE BAHAMAS
DOLPHINS DISPORTING IN THE BAHAMAS ‘Disporting’. Not a word I’ve used very often. Or possibly ever. It looks a bit like ‘unsporting’, which is emphatically what dolphins are not. Basically, it just...
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EYES ON STALKS: CONCH WATCH ON ABACO
EYES ON STALKS: CONCH WATCH ON ABACO This is not so much about you looking at, and admiring (without salivating too much, I trust) conchs in their natural element. More about them watching you...
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BAHAMAS REEF FISH (38): SPOTFIN BUTTERFLYFISH
BAHAMAS REEF FISH (38): SPOTFIN BUTTERFLYFISH Butterflyfishes are a large family of mainly colourful small fish somewhat like mini-angelfish. The spotfin butterflyfish (Chaetodon ocellatus) is one of...
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CLEANING UP IN THE BAHAMAS: PEDERSON SHRIMPS
CLEANING UP IN THE BAHAMAS: PEDERSON SHRIMPS Pederson’s Shrimps Ancylomenes pedersoni (also known locally as Peterson’s shrimps), are one of several species of cleaner shrimp found in The Bahamas and...
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QUEEN TRIGGERFISH AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO MARIA
QUEEN TRIGGERFISH AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO MARIA I can think of no sensible connection between the colourful yet undoubtedly strange and grumpy-looking looking queen triggerfish Balistes vetula, and a...
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AN ‘EXHILARATION’ OF ABACO DOLPHINS
AN ‘EXHILARATION’ OF ABACO DOLPHINS Bottlenose dolphins! Tursiops truncatus! These engagingly playful show-offs of the inshore waters round Abaco are 99.99% adorable**. It’s been a harrowing few weeks...
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HAWKSBILL TURTLES: DIVERS VIEWS…
HAWKSBILL TURTLES: DIVERS VIEWS… Daydream for a moment. Imagine that you had a different occupation. And your new one involved daily contact with spectacular wildlife underwater (this assumes you can...
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‘RAISE AWARENESS’: SPOTTED EAGLE RAYS
Spotted Eagle Rays – Abaco, Bahamas ‘RAISE AWARENESS’: SPOTTED EAGLE RAYS Mention of rays may conjure up thoughts of the familiar southern stingrays that populate the bright shallows and colourful...
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BLAINVILLE’S BEAKED WHALES IN ABACO WATERS
BLAINVILLE’S BEAKED WHALES IN ABACO WATERS It’s hard to believe that the seas around Abaco and its cays are home to a number of whale species, from huge sperm and humpback whales down to so-called...
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