Indonesian Sea Life Gallery

These are taken from Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. Sea life can be always interesting and beautiful.

Designer Worm
Photograph by David Doubilet

A polyclad flatworm undulates through a night sea. As the flatworm swims, its colorful patterns look like a beautiful bedsheet flapping in a breeze. But the brilliant flash of color warns predators that this animal is a poisonous meal.

Spiny Shelter
Photograph by David Doubilet

Protected in the tall spines of a black sea urchin, dazzling Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) are newcomers to Lembeh Strait. Native to the Banggai Archipelago, 250 miles (400 kilometers) to the south, they are thought to have been accidentally introduced into the strait by an aquarium-fish exporter, and their population is now exploding.

Dragon in the Sand
Photograph by David Doubilet

A fingered dragonet (Dactylopus dactylopus) displays all of its splendid fins. Dragonets skip along the bottom feeding on tiny invertebrates that live in the sand. They belong to a group of fish that lack scales but cover their body in a layer of mucus.

Mystery Crab
Photograph by David Doubilet

I found this unidentified crab among the tentacles of a branching anemone. It wandered around the base of the miniature rubbery forest of the anemone's tentacles, picking up morsels of food.

Snacking on a Star

Photograph by David Doubilet

Harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera picta) are a rare find in Lembeh Strait. This one is slowly devouring its favorite meal, a sea star, consuming it one leg at a time. Voracious predators, harlequin shrimps often work in pairs to move a star to a secure place, then feast for days or weeks on the living animal.
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