Topics in March

Blackcheek Moray [Gymnothorax breedeni]

Description: Member of the moray eel family. Attains a max. length of 100cm. Has distinctive black patches below the eyes. Has a brown body with darker brown to black spots. A single row of short, slender teeth in each jaw and a few enlarged teeth on roof of mouth.     Behavior: Strongly territorial and will bite if provoked. Often referred to as bad tempered.     Depth: 4-40m     Habitat: Tropical and subtropical reef, often found on walls. Likes to occupy porous coral rock.     Diet: Feeds mainly on fish.     On Aliwal Shoal: Not the most common moray on the reef but can be found hiding in crevices and holes where only its head will be extended during the day.     Other details: Can inflict serious and painful bite that usually requires medical attention.

Blacktip Shark [Carcharhinus limbatus]

Description: Dark grey, ashy blue or dusky bronze on back, belly white or yellowish white. Dark band extending rearward along each side to about over origin of pelvic fin. Tips of pelvic fins have a persistent black spot. Tips of dorsal fins, pectoral fins, anal, and lower lobe of caudal fin usually black or dusky in young individuals, fading with growth. A stout shark with a long, narrow, pointed snout, erect narrow-cusped upper teeth. The first dorsal fin, positioned slightly posterior to the pectoral fin insertion, is high and has a narrowly pointed apex. Max. recorded length at 275cm     Behavior: Known to breach out of the water while feeding, sometimes spinning up to three or four times around their axis. This behavior is thought to facilitate the sharks' predatory success while feeding on schools of fish near the surface.     Depth: 1-64m but usually within 1-30m     Habitat: Subtropical reef     Diet: Feeds mainly on bony fish such as sardines, herring, mullet, jacks, and mackerel, among others; the young of other sharks, skates, rays, some cephalopods and crustaceans.     On Aliwal Shoal: Fairly common in areas but almost always present on baited shark dives.     Other details: Not been indicated in unprovoked attacks against humans but is potentially dangerous. Caught as a commercial and game fish. High vulnerability with a population doubling time of 4.5-14 years. Near threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Paperfish [Taenianotus triacanthus]

Description: Colour varies from light tan, cream, reddish yellow, brown or nearly black. Attains 10cm. Very compressed body shape that resembles a leaf or piece of paper. A very high dorsal fin with dorsal spines. The dorsal fin is attached to the caudal fin.     Behavior: Will usually be spotted sitting very still on the reef and gently swaying from side to side to imatate a dead leaf. Molts twice a month.     Depth: 5-134m but usually within 5-20m     Habitat: Reef, non-migratory.     Diet: Will feed on small crustaceans, fish and larvae.     On Aliwal Shoal: Not too common but since they rarely move we know of certain areas to find them.     Other details: Also known as a Leaf scorpionfish and is family of the Scorpionfish. Has venomous spines and prickly papillae instead of scales. Low to moderate vulnerability as it is sought for acquariums.

Spotted Raggedtooth Shark [Carcharias taurus]

Description: Short, pointed snout, small eyes, protruding spike-like teeth and small, equal-sized dorsal and anal fins. Caudal fin with a pronounced subterminal notch and a short ventral lobe. Pale brown or grey, paler belly, with dark spots that appear faded in adults. Older females often seen with mating scars.     Behavior: Found in warm seas. Found singly or in small groups. Breeding season will find large amounts of Raggies in particular areas.     Depth: 1-191m     Habitat: Inshore from the surf zone and in shallow bays. Often seen dwelling near the bottom but also occurs in midwater or at the surface.     Diet: A night feeder; preying on bony fishes, small sharks, rays, squids, crabs, and lobsters.     On Aliwal Shoal: Quite common during their annual breeding season but much less common during the remaining seasons.     Other details: Also known as the Sand tiger shark. This shark was declared as endangered in 1996. Current status declared as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Raggedtooth Sharks only give birth to 1-2 large pups every two years. Minimum population doubling time more than 14 years. Caught as a commercial and big game fish. Flesh highly prized in Japan.

1 March 2009

It's our Birthday today! We would like to thank the group from Twin Palms Scuba for a great weekend. Our birthday party on Saturday night was good fun with lots of laughs. The spit braai was a lovely success and even the pouring rain couldn't dampen our spirits.

Congratulations to the eight Discover Scuba Divers who decided to share our birthday with their first dive. They had a super dive even though visibility wasn't all that great. Apart from all the tropical reef fish and corals they enjoyed seeing a blue-spotted stingray, round ribbontail rays, turtle, geometric eel, gold saddle goatfish, goldbar wrasse. Their shallow dive on the Pinnacles was superbly ended with a white-tip reefshark that came by and did a nice big figure eight swim infront of us. See you for your Open Water course guys!

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