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Blacktip
Reef Shark (Carcharhinus Melanopterus)
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Carcharhinid
of moderate size, it is common in shallow coastal waters, especially
near open sea reefs. The body is elongated, the snout is short and
rounded and the head is flat. The tips of the fins are black. The
teeth are triangular. The blacktip Reef Shark grows to a length
of two metres and often displays territorial behaviour.
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Blue
Surgeonfish (Acanthurus Leucosternon)
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Tapered
body with pointed snout. Large eyes and mouth. The dorsal fin extends
to the height of the caudal peduncle. The coloring is golden yellow
on the back becoming gradually paler along the sides and almost
silvery on the belly. Typical of the species are the four light
stripes running lengthwise, with the longest stripe running from
the mouth to the caudal peduncle. The edges of the dorsal and caudal
fins are black. This fish measures forty centimetres in length.
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| Bluestriped
Snapper (Lutjanus Kasmira) |
| Tapered
body with pointed snout. Large eyes and mouth. The dorsal fin extends
to the height of the caudal peduncle. The coloring is golden yellow
on the back becoming gradually paler along the sides and almost silvery
on the belly. Typical of the species are the four light stripes running
lengthwise, with the longest stripe running from the mouth to the
caudal peduncle. The edges of the dorsal and caudal fins are black.
This fish measures forty centimetres in length |
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Bullethead
Parrotfish (Scarus Sordidus)
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The
general configuration of the body is typical of the parrotfish.
The dental plates can be clearly seen. The young present a pattern
with horizontal stripes. As they grow this coloring turns dark brown.
The adult males are green in colour and the edges of their scales
are salmon pink. The cheeks are bright orange fading to yellow on
the opercula. Strangely their teeth are green while the female of
the species has a pink mouth.
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Giant
Manta (Manta Birostris)
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Easily
recognised by their well-developed pectoral fins, the giant manta
can attain a width of five to six metres. The head projects from
its body and is distinguished by a pair of long, flat, flexible
cephalic fins separated by the large arch of the mouth. The upper
jaw is devoid of teeth and the spineless tail is long and slim.
The dorsal colouring is dark, while the ventral colouring is quite
light with dark blotches. These dark spots can be used to distinguish
one individual specimen from another.
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Giant
Moray (Gymnothorax Javanicus)
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The
giant moray is the largest of the morays and are fairly common throughout
the Maldives. The body is powerful with a well developed head. The
snout is short and the mouth is wide. The openings of the opercules
are large and black and are quite evident. The body is marked by
three rows of dark brown spots. The tail is reticulated. The giant
moray can grow to as long as two and a half metres in length.
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Oriental
Sweetlips (Plectorhynchus Orientalis)
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The
body of the oriental sweetlips is oblong, tall and compressed. Its
mouth is small and lips thick. The flanks are distinguished by six
or seven black striations lengthwise; the two central striations
extend all the way to the caudal fin. Its snout is yellow as are
the fins that are spotted black. The oriental sweetlip tend to form
small groups and stays motionless in the shelter of large coral
formations. They feed on molluscs and crustaceans and can grow to
a length of 50 centimentres.
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Long-nosed
Butterflyfish (Forcipiger Longirostris)
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Extremely
distinctive in shape and easily recognisable by its long beak-like
snout and the truncated rear portion of its body. The upper section
of the head is black and the lower section lighter in colour with
silvery highlights. The body is yellow with a few dark stripes at
the base of the pectoral fin. The caudal fin is transparent. The
longnose butterflyfish live in small groups of five to six and feed
on invertebrates that they catch using their long snouts from nooks
and crannies. They grow to a length of 18 centimetres.
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Spotted Unicornfish (Naso Brevirostris)
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This
is the most distinctive of the surgeon fish, easily recognised by
its powerful oval body that terminates in a long beak, which in
turns extends well beyond the snout. On the sides of the peduncle
there are two bony plates, each bearing a sharp spine. The caudal
fin is rounded. Its colouring ranges from greyish-blue to olive
brown. The lips are sometimes bluish. Its tail features a pale band
along the lower edge. The spotted unicornfish has gregarious habits
and attain a length of 50 centimetres.
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Stingray
(Taeniura Melanospilos)
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The
body of the stingray is rounded, disk-like and slightly raised at
the edges. The eyes are set in a raised position, immediately behind
which are the large spiracles that allow the animal to breathe even
when it is lying in the bottom of the sea. Its back is rough due
to the presence of tubercules. The tail, which is longer than its
body width, has one or two venomous spines with serrated edges.
The colour at its back is greyish with brown or black spot and its
belly is light in colour. Stingrays are often found on sheltered
sandy sea beds or in grottos. They grow to a size of one metre in
diameter.
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Yellowfin
Fusilier (Caesio Xanthonota)
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The
body of the yellowfin fusilier is oval, elongated and compressed.
Its snout is short and mouth small, lined with small teeth. The
dorsal fin is long. The caudal fin is profoundly incised with pointed
lobes. The upper portion of the body and the caudal fin are yellow
in colour. The lower half is light blue in colour. Its eyes are
red. The base of the pectoral fins is black, the edges of the caudal,
analy are pinkish. The fish live in schools along the exposed side
of the reef. They grow to a length of 30 centimetres.
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