OCEANROAMERS

A MULTICOLOURED WORLD

Are you a diver who is thirsting to find a soul mate in the blue? Well, to help you out a little, here is a list of the main inhabitants in the Red Sea. The two animals have a symbiotic relationship: protected from the anemone's stinging tentacles by a substance that they continuously secrete, the clownfish feed the anemones and they, in turn, defend them against attack from other fishes.

THE PREDATORS:

Although they are rarely aggressive in the Red Sea, it must always be remembered that sharks are predators. Resist the temptation to provoke a reaction from reef and whitetip sharks, which are known for their curiosity and timidity, and the nurse sharks that skim the seafloor.

The vast majority of sharks are found away from the reefs, like the curiously shaped hammerhead shark, or the leopard shark, with the same spots as his terrestrial counterpart, and less frequently you can encounter the oceanic whitetip shark (Longimanus) and the whale shark, the real colossi of the seas.

Tuna: Everyone recognizes the powerful silver body of the tuna fish, with its crescent-shaped tail adorned with short decorative fins. They live in shoals, and are remarkably fast swimmers.

Barracuda: Silver with black stripes, this slender predator has sharp teeth that can inflict a dangerous bite. They swim in groups when young, and swim alone when older. Like magpies, they are attracted to shiny objects.

Blue-spotted Stingray: Covered in blue spots, it uses its fins like wide wings, and has a particularly venomous spine at the base of its tail. When it is not resting on the sandy bottom, it swims by literally gliding through the water.

Grouper: This large fish (they grow to 1m in length), recognizable by its protruding lower jaw that makes it look as though it’s pulling a face, belongs to a large group of fish with many different species that vary in colour and size – there are red-spotted, blue-spotted, black, and lyretail groupers…
They all have two things in common: they live in the reefs and, when possible, in the wrecks, and never stray far from their caves.
All groupers are born female, but become male after several years.