Mystery creatures
Posted by Neil on April 1st, 2010
I’m wondering whether any GLUG members can help me identify a couple of mystery creatures which I spotted in the Philippines…
Firstly, this one. It looks kinda like a Nudibranch – but has no gills, and it’s too bulbous for a flatworm.
What on earth?!
Secondly, this:
Scorpionfish?
It looks like it could be a Scorpionfish – but I’ve never seen a white one before. It was also quite small – about 8-10cm in length.
I can’t find either of them in my Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide
If anyone knows what these are, please leave a comment below.
Processing your request, Please wait....
#4063 | | Hide Post Comments |
I too got photos of both on my trip at Xmas/New Year. I think the first is a type of Cowrie and the second is, I think, a juvenile Devil Scorpionfish. The one I saw was even smaller – around 4cm – and I spotted it moving along the bottom as we were finning over the featureless ‘muck’ in Dauin. (It was the penultimate day of three weeks’ diving and I was ‘in the zone’ for spotting…)
I may have the exact details of both – but I’m now away until after Easter. I’ll get back to you…
Alan
I’m with Alan on the first one – it’s a cowry with a fully-extended mantle…
If you google ‘scorpionfish’and then click on pictures/images of scorpionfish you can see hundreds of them including the white ones. So, you are right. It is a scorpionfish.
Neil
It is a Dwarf Scorpionfish. They grow to a maximum of 10cm and live out in the open or on rubble believing that they are well enough camoflaged to avoid predators. As I said, the one I saw was much smaller and I didn’t get a good photo. (‘Wrong lens’… lol!) Yours is a great photo of one.
Alan