Vertebrate Archives

Atlantic Trumpetfish
Stuart Wynne 31st August 2022 No Comments

The Atlantic Trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus) is a very curious species, with a long slender body and trumpet-like mouth. It cruises around the reef inconspicuously, with barely any fin movement, quietly looking for its next meal and an eye open …

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Juvenile Filefish
Stuart Wynne 16th April 2022 No Comments

Can you see me? Once again I am drawn to the detail of what is under the water. It is so easy to swim past these small Halimeda thickets growing out of the sand within a seagrass bed. Indeed, the …

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Hawksbill Turtle Hatchling
Stuart Wynne 13th February 2022 No Comments

This was a very special moment. I had received a call from some local builders who had arrived at work to find some lost Hawksbill Turtle hatchlings flapping around in a foundation trench. He had put them in a bucket …

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Purplemouth Moray in a Bottle
Stuart Wynne 2nd December 2021 No Comments

This Purplemouth Moray Eel in a bottle goes to show that nothing goes to waste in nature, not even human garbage. That’s no reason to justify mindless littering, but it is comforting to know that even irresponsible behaviour gets made …

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Caesar Grunt
Stuart Wynne 21st October 2021 1 Comment

The Caesar Grunt (Haemulon carbonarium) is very similar in appearance to some other grunt species, namely Tomtates (Haemulon aurolineatum) and Latin Grunts (Haemulon steindachneri). It can however be distinguished quite easily if you pay …

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Cuban Tree Frog
Stuart Wynne 22nd August 2021 No Comments

The Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis), native to Cuba, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, has been introduced to many islands around the Caribbean, and even across to Hawaii. Its flexibility with diet, combined with an ability to …

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Lionfish
Stuart Wynne 30th April 2021 No Comments

First appearing in Anguilla during 2010, the invasive Lionfish from the Indo-pacific region has spread around the Caribbean rapidly since its introduction into coastal waters off the southeast coast of the USA. Although sightings were reported off the coast of …

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Smooth Trunkfish
Stuart Wynne 28th February 2021 No Comments

The Smooth Trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) is a curiously cute little fish. It belongs to the boxfish family (see Honeycomb Cowfish), which means it too has a hard exoskeleton made up on interlocking hexagonal plates. It’s those little …

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Redear Herring
Stuart Wynne 21st June 2020 No Comments

Redear Herring (Harengula humeralis) are small silvery glittering jewels that spend much of their time swimming around the shallow sandy areas, snatching scraps of food and trying to avoid being eaten by hungry Barracuda or passing sea birds. …

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