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The Interesting World of Macro
This article will be focusing on the small marine life that often gets pushed to the side for the larger more majestic creatures such as sharks, turtles and rays. While these little guys may not be as visibly impressive from a distance, when one takes a closer look you are provided with a chance to appreciate some magnificent beauty and uniqueness in a world where many do not concentrate.
As many underwater photographers know, especially the macro photographers- these smaller little creatures often provide just as much of a thrill when captured on camera than the larger marine life. Their colours are unrivalled and due to their gentle nature, a pleasure to watch.
Leafy Sea Dragon
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The leafy sea dragon is an amazing creature under the same family as sea horses. The leafy sea dragon is a very special animal that can only be found along the Australian coast line. They can be found various depths from as shallow as 5 meters or water to 50 meters.
They are usually found hiding in sea grass or between rock formations. They range between 20 and 24 centimeters in length and their diet consists of small crustaceans and plankton. They have amazing camouflage abilities and are often missed as they blend in with their surroundings, most commonly the sea grass.
Defining physical characteristics of the leafy sea dragon are the long protrusions which extend out from its body, which resemble leafs and hence how it got its name. They have a pectoral and dorsal fin, both of which are translucent and hard to spot.
When diving between Jurien Bay and Kangaroo Island in Australia, one should definitely keep an eye open for these amazing creatures. The leafy sea dragon can make for lovely photographs and even without documenting they are a pleasure to watch as they drift and bob between the sea grass.
Weedy Sea Dragon
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Another member of the Syngnathidae family, the weedy sea dragon is also only found in Australia, along the southern Australian coast line. They too are also generally found in waters about 5 meters to 50 meters.
The weedy sea dragon is very similar to the leafy sea dragon, though larger- the weedy sea dragon can reach lengths in excess of 40 centimeters where as the leafy sea dragon is about half that size. Physically the two creatures are very similar, the main difference between the two being that the weedy sea dragon does not have as many protrusions extending from its body, and appears more streamlined and sleek.
You can find the weedy sea dragon in the same sort of environments as the leafy sea dragon, between rocks and between areas of sea grass, most commonly. It is interesting to note that the Syngnathidae family are the only known species where the male carries the eggs.
Nudibranch
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One of the kings of colour in the macro world, the nudibranch is a small soft bodied, shell-less mollusk. They are sometimes referred to as 'sea slugs', though this can cause confusion due to the fact that there are numerous kinds of sea slugs in existence and many of them are different to nudibranchs.
The nudibranch can be found all over the world and has over 3000 different species, this often allowing divers to try document all the different kinds of nudibranchs they can, creating a kind of collective archive. The nudibranchs colouring and size usually depend on their living environment, and those in warmer shallower waters tend to be larger and have more interesting colouring.
Nudibranchs can vary dramatically in length, between as small as 20 millimeters to a very large 60 centimeters. The nudibranchs senses are gained through types of tentacles which extend from its head. Their diet differs depending on the nudibranch in question, while most have a diet of sponges and hydroids there are some which eat other sea slugs or even other nudibranchs.
They have very good camouflage abilities and are some of the most colourful creatures in existence. These bright colours are often used as a protective measure to alert predators that they are poisonous or taste bad which put the predators off. They can also release sour liquids from their body.
Sea Anemone
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While an anemone is a flower which the sea anemone is named after, from here onwards the sea anemone will be referred to as simply the anemone in this article.
The anemone is closely related to jellyfish and corals, and is part of the Anthozoa classification of the Cnidaria.
The composition of an anemone consists of a pedal disk which secures the anemone to the surface as well as a column shaped body extending to an oral disk with a hole in the middle, this hole being the anemones mouth. The surroundings of the anemones oral disk consist of numerous tentacles which contain cnidocytes. When touched the anemone then injects a small dose of poison into the prey or predator, this is the action that humans feel when they touch an anemone and it seems like it's sticky.
Sea anemones come in various different visual appearances, with varying physical structures as well as coming in plenty of different colours. They make for excellent photographs, and as most of you know the clownfish or anemone fish is immune to the anemones nematocysts and thus often house themselves in the anemone. This can make for excellent macro photography.
Mantis Shrimp
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This marine creature, despite its name is not a shrimp but rather gained their name due to the fact that they look like a praying mantis crossed with a shrimp. They are fairly large though still small enough to be classified as macro life.
The mantis shrimp can grow to lengths in excess of 30 centimeters though in general they are around 25 or so centimeters. They have extremely powerful claws which are said to even be able to break through aquarium glass. There are vast differences in the appearances of mantis shrimp, some are extremely boring looking and appear as a brown, dull colour- while other mantis shrimp offer some great photography chances and consist of greens, oranges and different shades of purple, blue and pink. The peacock mantis shrimp is probably the most beautiful of the mantis shrimp.
They are differentiated into two distinct groups depending on what kind of claws they posses, there are the smashers and the spearers- the smashers have blunt rounded claws which are used to pound, kind of like a punch while the spearers have sharper claws which are used to penetrate and cut through prey. The mantis shrimp can generally be found in warm waters of tropical or sub-tropical climate.
There are of course countless more small marine creatures out there worthy of mention.
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