Amazing Plants & Animals of the Caribbean Sea

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

• Various types of algae (including but not limited to):

  • Papyrus Print Alga – A very thin green algae that has distinct veins running through it

  • Fragile Feather Alga – A green algae that has feather-like leaves sprouting out of white stalks

  • Fleshy Twig Alga – A number of two-lobed branches growing in a tangled mess together.

  • Green Net Alga – Very thin algae that looks much like netting

  • Flat Green Feather Alga – Dark green, feather-shaped leaves that grow upwards from the sand on the ocean floor.

  • Mottled Crust Alga – Generally orange algae with red spots, found in shallower water.

  • Reef Cement – Algae that takes the shape of the ground below it.

• Sponges

  • Rope

  • Ball

  • Vase

  • Tube

  • Barrel

  • and Encrusting shapes

• Corral

  • Pillar

  • Finger

  • Rose lace

  • Wire

  • Feather

  • Gorgonian/Sea Fan

  • * Each of which are named after the shape they take on

ANIMALS

• Various types of clinging crab (including but not limited to):

  • Red Ridged – Its body has grooves along its body, blunt claws, and sharp spines.

  • Banded – Has a hairy body and legs, and smooth claws.

  • Hairy – Dark red/brown body with short little hairs everywhere.

  • Green – Smooth green body and legs.

  • Nodose – Deep grooves and knobs cover the entire body.

• Various types of cowrie (including but not limited to):

  • Atlantic Dear – Has a round shell and dark spots.

  • Measeled – Have an elongated shell with either spots or stripes.

  • Atlantic Triton’s Trumpet – Has an elongated shell with many little knobs everywhere.

• Various types of nudibranch (including but not limited to):

  • Long Horn – Has tufts of cerata and usually tan or white markings.

  • Purple Ring – Transparent/orange body with long cerata.

  • Lynx – Has a very prominent blue line that runs down its entire body.

• Various types of blenny fish (including but not limited to):

  • Blackcheek – Has red eyes and various sizes of white spots.

  • Arrow – Has a long pointed face, a red body and yellowish tail.

  • Ringed – Includes white bands as markings all the way down the body.

• Various types of parrotfish (including but not limited to):

  • Blue – Has a light blue body with yellow eyes.

  • Redband – Large scales and small black dots behind the gills.

• Various types of groupers (fish) (including but not limited to):

  • Strawberry – Named after the fruit because of its strawberry-like appearance.

  • Tiger – Lighter bars that turn to spots on other parts of the body.

  • Yellowfin – Darker rectangular patches cover this fish’s body.

• Various types of dolphin (including but not limited to):

  • Bottle Nosed

  • Spinner

  • Orca

• Banded Coral Shrimp – Known as a cleaner shrimp. It’s got really long antennae and has dark red/purple coloring.

• Blue Tang – A bright blue fish with black markings.

• Christmas Tree Worm – Has Christmas tree-shaped gills, thus its name.

• Creole Wrasse – Travel in large dark blue schools.

• Yellowtail Damselfish – A very brightly colored fish that feeds crustaceans, plankton, and algae.

• Green Moray Eel – Actually a brown colored animal, but the yellow tint from the mucus it secretes makes it look green.

• Nurse Shark – A docile species you can pet, it feeds off the bottom of the ocean.

• 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.

• Squirrelfish – This is a brightly colored fish that is mostly active at night.