It’s the season for Ornate Ghost Pipefishes here in Lembeh! This exotic looking fish hovers head down and can usually be found in pairs or smaller groups. Most of the time Ornate Ghost Pipefishes live right next to crinoids, feather stars or soft corals. Colors can vary from black, red, yellow to white.
The Wonderpus or Wunderpus photogenicus is one of the most photographed subjects in Lembeh. That is of course, if you can find it! Being a crepuscular hunter (active during twilight), the Wonderpus typically hides in a hole in the sand during day-time. Also, the Wonderpus is often confused with a similarly looking cephalopod, the Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus). We will look into both species and point out some differences, which will help you distinguish between the two!
Survival in nature can be quite easy. Enough defenses invested, and one can make it quite safely through life. Examples are whales, roses and poison arrow frogs, investing in size, structures or chemistry in order to deter predators. The problem with these strategies is that they are costly, diverting energetic Read more…
Aer Bajo is something like the Prototype of a Black Sand Muck Dive: No Corals, no Reef, no Topography …just a Black Sand slope with some Debris and Garbage. A Muckdiving Lover would say: A Perfect place. Aer Bajo is situated on the Island side and faces north from a Read more…
Rojos is a Black Sand Muck Dive on the northern Island Side of the Strait. It is located in Between Batu Sandar and Angels Window – just next or half under a Pearl Farm. Besides some Coral Patches in the Shallows it is basicly just very fine (but not muddy) black Read more…
Invertebrates are in general stupid animals. Mussels, snails, and most other members of the mollusk group would certainly score pretty low on any scale of creative brightness, but their life style on the other hand does not require a brilliant mind. The only exception is the cephalopods, translated from greek Read more…
So here is the first instalment by the brand new guest blogger at NAD! My name is Bent Christensen, an avid underwater photographer visiting Lembeh for the fourth time in two years, and already planning my next trip! On my day job I teach ecology at a swedish university and Read more…
Lembeh Strait is a Muckdiving paradise – and it has many interesting habitats to offer. Algae, Sand, Rubble, Coral, Rocks and Sponges. This week i took 3 nice photos with different animals all living on the same type of sponge – i just realized that, when going through my pictures of this Read more…
The Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is surely one of the signature critters of the Lembeh Strait. Even though it can be seen throughout South East Asia (and also some other locations) it is way more likely to encounter this critter here in Lembeh. The Mimic Octopus grows to about 30cm Read more…
We went out today and planned a dive at Batu Sandar looking for Pygmy Seahorses – but as it is with plans, we ended up somewhere else instead: it was a little too choppy for good pictures of Pygmy Seahorses. So we changed divesite and decided to go to TK Read more…