The honeycomb coral

Photo by Deng Palomares

This neat-looking coral is one of my personal favorites. Diploastrea heliopora is unique and very easy to identify with its cone-shaped corallites having small openings and thick walls. It is also the only species in the genus Diploastrea. Unfortunately this coral is listed by the IUCN to be "near threatened".

Do you see a lot of this coral in your area? Next time you go diving in the Indo-West Pacific, look-out for this massive beauty.


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DIVE DIVE DIVE!!!

Photo by Ben Osborne from ARKiVE

The Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) is a sea bird resident of Sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. These sea birds are known to feed on fish, crustaceans, squid and other benthic invertebrates.  During feeding, it dives up to depths of 200 feet (60 meters), and as such, it is referred to as the “superbird” by enthusiasts.

Check out this video shot in Punta Leon, Argentina, where this behavior was documented by the Wildlife Conservation Society in December 2011. The sea bird dove 150 feet (45.72 in meters) in 40 seconds, just to catch a fish! On the surface, that’s just like jumping from a 13-story building down to the ground. Aren’t these birds talented? They use their physiology and environmental factors to feed and provide for their young!

Written by:

Patricia Yap

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project

Anemone, or not anemone?

"To be, or not anemone."

So, where is Nemo? 
    
Don't go looking for a clown fish on this one. You think it's an anemone? Think again! 
   
This is actually a mushroom coral (Family Fungiidae), specifically Heliofungia actiniformis. Considered vulnerable by the IUCN, this fungid is easily recognizable by its white-tipped tentacles that are always extended, resembling those of an anemone's.

  
This photo was taken by FishBase Scientific Coordinator Nicolas Bailly at the Balitian Reef in Anilao, Batangas, Philippines.

Written by:

Jeniffer Espedido

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project

Photo of the Week: bulb-tip anemone

The bulb-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) is a tropical species found throughout the Indo-Pacific and easily identified by its peculiarly-shaped tentacles from where its common name was derived.
     
This photo was taken by SeaLifeBase Project Coordinator Deng Palomares at Sepoc Wall in Tingloy, Batangas, Philippines.



Posted by:
Jeniffer Espedido
Research Assistant
The SeaLifeBase Project