Amazing Plants & Animals of the Caribbean Sea
May 20, 2014 by admin
Filed under Travel information
One of the best parts about vacationing near a beach are the amazing creatures you can see beneath the sea’s surface. The Caribbean Sea is home to some of the most interesting plant and animal life.
PLANTS
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Various types of algae (including but not limited to):
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Papyrus Print Alga – A very thin green algae that has distinct veins running through it
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Fragile Feather Alga – A green algae that has feather-like leaves sprouting out of white stalks
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Fleshy Twig Alga – A number of two-lobed branches growing in a tangled mess together.
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Green Net Alga – Very thin algae that looks much like netting
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Flat Green Feather Alga – Dark green, feather-shaped leaves that grow upwards from the sand on the ocean floor.
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Mottled Crust Alga – Generally orange algae with red spots, found in shallower water.
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Reef Cement – Algae that takes the shape of the ground below it.
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Sponges
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Rope
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Ball
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Vase
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Tube
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Barrel
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and Encrusting shapes
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Corral
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Pillar
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Finger
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Rose lace
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Wire
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Feather
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Gorgonian/Sea Fan
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* Each of which are named after the shape they take on
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ANIMALS
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Various types of clinging crab (including but not limited to):
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Red Ridged – Its body has grooves along its body, blunt claws, and sharp spines.
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Banded – Has a hairy body and legs, and smooth claws.
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Hairy – Dark red/brown body with short little hairs everywhere.
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Green – Smooth green body and legs.
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Nodose – Deep grooves and knobs cover the entire body.
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Various types of cowrie (including but not limited to):
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Atlantic Dear – Has a round shell and dark spots.
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Measeled – Have an elongated shell with either spots or stripes.
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Atlantic Triton’s Trumpet – Has an elongated shell with many little knobs everywhere.
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Various types of nudibranch (including but not limited to):
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Long Horn – Has tufts of cerata and usually tan or white markings.
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Purple Ring – Transparent/orange body with long cerata.
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Lynx – Has a very prominent blue line that runs down its entire body.
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Various types of blenny fish (including but not limited to):
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Blackcheek – Has red eyes and various sizes of white spots.
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Arrow – Has a long pointed face, a red body and yellowish tail.
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Ringed – Includes white bands as markings all the way down the body.
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Various types of parrotfish (including but not limited to):
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Blue – Has a light blue body with yellow eyes.
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Redband – Large scales and small black dots behind the gills.
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Various types of groupers (fish) (including but not limited to):
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Strawberry – Named after the fruit because of its strawberry-like appearance.
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Tiger – Lighter bars that turn to spots on other parts of the body.
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Yellowfin – Darker rectangular patches cover this fish’s body.
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Various types of dolphin (including but not limited to):
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Bottle Nosed
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Spinner
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Orca
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Banded Coral Shrimp – Known as a cleaner shrimp. It’s got really long antennae and has dark red/purple coloring.
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Blue Tang – A bright blue fish with black markings.
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Christmas Tree Worm – Has Christmas tree-shaped gills, thus its name.
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Creole Wrasse – Travel in large dark blue schools.
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Yellowtail Damselfish – A very brightly colored fish that feeds crustaceans, plankton, and algae.
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Green Moray Eel – Actually a brown colored animal, but the yellow tint from the mucus it secretes makes it look green.
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Nurse Shark – A docile species you can pet, it feeds off the bottom of the ocean.
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Spotted Eagle Ray – Has a very elegant body covered in spots. They feed on molluscs and crustaceans. They can even crush shells because of their flattened teeth.
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Squirrelfish – This is a brightly colored fish that is mostly active at night.