Sea stars have their role to play
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Big honking sea star
Sea stars (that is the correct name what for we commonly call starfish) are slow-moving relatives of sea cucumbers and urchins. They’re voracious eaters (though very slow) and will consume anything they creep across. Because of that, they’re often keystone species in an ecosystem, preying on other species that have no predator, to maintain ecological balance or stop an invasive species or pest.
This Panamic Cushsion sea star lives off North Seymour in the Galapagos Islands.
Humans, unfortunately, also find them beautiful when dried and place on a shelf, mantle, table or counter. So they’re sold on beaches the world over as souvenirs and decorative items. This leads to overharvesting of sea stars and disrupts entire ecosystems.
(Ironically, another sea star — the Crown of Thorns has thrived in places like Australia and southeast Asia because of the removal key stone species like mollusks and shrimp. The Crown of Thorns, however, is destructive to coral reef, which in turn can lead to ecosystem collapse.)
Tags: ecology, ecuador, environment, keystone species, ocean, panamic cushion sea star, photography, scuba diving, sea star, wildlife
A living creature, not something for your mantle
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Not a souvenir
Large shelled creatures often play an important role in maintaing and controlling an ecosystem’s growth; but they also frequently end up as decorations for shell collectors.
Please don’t. This guy, hanging out off North Seymour, in the Galapagos Islands, has his part to play in his underwater environment.
Tags: ecuador, environment, ocean, photography, scuba diving, shell, wildlife
Awesome, tiny ocean creature
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Tiny little buggers
Meet the nudibranch, about the size of the tip of my smallest finger. It’s an underwater sea creature whose exact scientific classification is still under some debate as new species are discovered regularly. Nudibranchs are known for their vibrant colors and are often referred to commonly though not quite accurately, as sea slugs.
The are shell-less and frequently tiny (though not all) and many of the common types breathe though unprotected “lungs,” hence the name: nudibranch means naked gills. They are typically carnivorous, eating sponges and other stationary creatures on the reef.
Most nudibranchs are also hermaphroditic, though they mate with others, with both parties producing egg strings.
The above nudibranch was shot off North Seymour. These are common throughout coastal Ecuador and particularly the Galapagos Islands.
Tags: ecuador, environment, galapagos, nudibranch, ocean, photography, science, scuba diving, species, tiny, wildlife
Remembering good times and a birthday, from India
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
In India, guy friends hold hands
We interrupt my recent string of ocean, diving and ecology related posts for an important announcement.
My shenanigan wallah, partner in crime and damn good friend, Joel, celebrates a birthday today, though he probably won’t mention it.
But I will.
He and his lady, Katie, came to visit India last year. They had some good times, some hot times and a few sick moments in between. Above are photos to remember the trip.
Happy birthday, brother.
Tags: birthday, india, joel, photography, rajasthan, shenanigans
Butterflies, butterflies, everywhere
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Ocean shallows and reefs are full of fish. Full. As a diver, I sometimes get focused on seeing the big, rare, charismatic fauna. But in reality fish are almost always swirling around.
That’s because the ocean represents a vibrant, complete ecosystem, with many more moving and visible parts than most of what we see up on land. Forests, deserts, savannas and meadows are also ecosystem, but the integral parts are often hidden, so that all we see are grasses and trees and dirt.
The butterfly fish — pescados de mariposa — pictured are part of the many, many fish flitting about reef and rock on almost every dive I’ve made. These are from the coast of North Seymour in the Galapagos Islands.
Tags: butterfly fish, ecosystem, environment, fish, galapagos, north seymour, ocean, photography, scuba diving, wildlife
Lazy moray eel
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Morays in the Galapagos are cheap
The Galapagos Islands deserve their renown as one giant underwater aquarium. Moray eels — creatures that are normally a uncommon sighting and delight to see elsewhere in the diving world — are everywhere here. I consider them cheap and easy, lazing about without concern for me or my camera.
But they’re still amazing to look at.
Tags: ecuador, eel, galapagos, moray, north seymour, ocean, photography, scuba diving, wildlife
Seafood tonight? Don’t order the grouper
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
What I believe is a blacktip grouper off the coast of North Seymour, Galapagos. Though this fish might earn a reprieve from heavy fishing because it lives in national park waters, groupers the world over are under threat from catches. They’re valued as a tasty meal leading to over-fishing and habitat destruction.
Source your seafood, people. Yes, fishing is a livelihood for coastal people in developing and developed countries a like, but we need better measures to conserve fish and, more importantly, their ocean ecosystem. That’s a major reason why I’m applying even now to marine conservation and sustainable development graduate school programs.
Tags: conservation, ecuador, fish, fishing, galapagos, grouper, ocean, photography, scuba diving, sustainable development, wildlife
Fish in a hole
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Hiding
Another skittish gobi fish hangs out in a hole at the approach of a scuba diver. This one off the coast of North Seymour, in the Galapagos Islands.
Tags: ecuador, fish, galapagos, gobi, north seymour, ocean, photography, scuba diving, tiny, wildlife
Prowling for a meal
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
On the hunt
A Galapagos shark out for a meal. The water quality and visibility was less than stellar, hence the grain when this photo was leveled in production. These guys are no real threat to humans, but at close to two meters long, they still have a commanding presence from 15 feet away.
Off the coast of North Seymour, in the Galapagos.
Tags: ecuador, galapagos, galapagos shark, north seymour, ocean, scuba diving, shark, wildlife
This fish stings
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Still working on his camo
A scorpionfish who is still building his camo in dramatic light off the coast of Isla de la Plata.
Tags: ecuador, fish, isla de la plata, photography, scorpionfish, scuba diving, wildlife
