Results tagged “reef” on Earth Touch Blog
The week’s most viewed stories Jun 6 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 30 May to Thursday 05 June 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
The week’s most viewed stories May 30 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 23 May to Thursday 29 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
Fusiliers feed in sunlit water May 27 2008
Chocolate dip on coral reef May 22 2008
Not many divers get to see this small reef at Sodwana Bay, part of South Africa’s Isimangaliso Wetland Park, because its uniform coral (Plasticeris) is so fragile.
Tags: africa, chocolate dip, chromis, coral, dive, fish, isimangaliso, lettuce, reef, sodwana, south africaGiant clam ‘farms’ algae May 15 2008
We found one of the species of giant clam in a cave at Nine Mile Reef, at Sodwana Bay on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, today. This is a truly amazing organism.
Tags: algae, clam, indian ocean, marine, mollusc, reef, south africaBounty on Sodwana reefs May 13 2008
There’s always a lot to see at Bikini and Ribbon reefs in Sodwana Bay, which is part of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast.
Tags: africa, coral, eel, fish, indian ocean, isimangaliso, marine, moray, ray, reef, sodwana, south africa, sponge, turtleDid You Know? Tomato rockcod May 6 2008
The tomato rockcod (Cephalopholis sonnerati) is a solitary reef fish, orange-red to reddish-brown in colour with white spots. The edges of its spiny fins get darker with age. It can grow up to 60cm (24in) long.
Tags: cephalopholis sonnerati, fish, indian ocean, marine, pacific ocean, reef, rockcod, tomatoThe Earth-Touch baby album Apr 30 2008
Over the months, Earth-Touch has been privileged to witness the early days, survival struggles and playful moments of many young animals. Here is a selection of these video clips.
Tags: africa, baboon, baby, bath, bird, botswana, burrow, calf, cape, chick, coast, colony, cub, delta, den, dog, egg, elephant, endangered, fish, fly, foal, giraffe, herd, hluhluwe, imfolozi, juvenile, karoo, kite, kwazulu-natal, lion, mammal, meerkat, monkey, moremi, mud, okavango, piglet, reef, sodwana, south africa, thailand, tree, trunk, video, warthog, water, western cape, whale, young, zebraGreat white shark’s hunting kit Apr 3 2008
The great white shark senses what’s going on around it using its eyesight, special cells along its lateral line, and sensory cells on its nose, called ampullae of Lorenzini, which detect electrical fields.
Tags: africa, camouflage, coast, colour, fish, great white, marine, predator, prey, reef, sense, shark, sight, smell, south africa, struisbaai, swim, vertebrate, western capeSharks out of the blue Mar 31 2008
In perfect blue water at Aliwal Shoal, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa, the Earth-Touch crew was joined by a crowd of blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) and then some tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier, pictured here).
Tags: aliwal shoal, blackfin, blacktip, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, marine, potato bass, reef, shark, south africa, tigerThe week’s most viewed stories (March 14 to 20 2008) Mar 21 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 14 March to Thursday 20 March 2008) were:
Number 1
Close encounter with a leviathan
Stingrays jostle for food Mar 20 2008
When an Earth-Touch crew recently visited Skip Skop, a dive site on South Africa’s south-west coast, they witnessed a tussle between two short-tail stingrays (Dasyatis brevicaudata).
Did you know? Anemones and clownfish Mar 13 2008
Sea anemones are predatory animals, closely related to jellyfish. They live on rocks and reefs in the ocean. There are many types of anemone. Sometimes, many anemones will attach to a reef, together looking like a giant, colourful, underwater carpet.
Tags: anemone, clownfish, fish, gender, indian ocean, invertebrate, ocean, pacific ocean, poison, protect, reef, vertebrateThe week’s most viewed stories Mar 7 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 29 February to Thursday 06 March 2008) were:
Tags: aliwal shoal, blue, camouflage, cave, coast, fish, food, kwazulu-natal, ray, reef, sand, scorpionfish, south africa, swim, turtle, water, whaleThe week’s most viewed stories (Feb 22 to 28 2008) Mar 1 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 22 February to Thursday 28 February 2008) were:
Tags: blacktip, botswana, coast, delta, dive, fish, okavango delta, popular, reef, shark, shoal, sky, south africa, storm, summer, tiger shark, whale shark, windAbundance at Seven Mile Reef Feb 22 2008
Drift among the valleys and gullies of Seven Mile Reef, on the Indian Ocean coast of South Africa.
Did you know? Moray eels Feb 22 2008
Moray eels are nocturnal sea creatures, hunting and feeding on small fish and octopus.
Tags: fish, gill, indian ocean, jaw, moray eel, octopus, prey, reef, sea, shrimp, snakes, water, wrasseDid you know? Turtles Feb 12 2008
Turtles are one of only three groups of reptiles that live in the sea. The others are sea snakes and marine iguanas.
Tags: beach, dive, egg, endangered, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, loggerhead turtle, marine iguana, reef, reptile, scuba, sea, sea snake, south africa, turtle, underwaterPipefish at Big Ribbon Reef Feb 8 2008
Pipefish are not a common sight for divers, as they are not very plentiful and are so well camouflaged.
Tags: africa, isimangaliso wetland park, pipefish, reef, sodwana, south africaThis week’s most viewed stories Feb 1 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 25 January to Thursday 31 January 2008) were:
Tags: barking, creature, deer, female, food, fresh, habitat, khao yai national park, pregnant, prey, pride, reef, ribbon, risky, search, shoots, small, south africa, thailandInternational Year of the Reef Jan 30 2008
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) has designated 2008 the International Year of the Reef.
Earth-Touch has published high-definition video footage filmed at several reef locations in the past year. Users can explore this underwater treasure trove by following these links:
Tags: coral, eel, fan, gorgonian fan, international coral reef initiative, kwazulu-natal, lobster, paperfish, parrotfish, reef, south africa, spongeMeeting a big fan on Earth-Touch’s deepest dive Dec 12 2007
Recently we did what is to date our deepest dive to film Earth-Touch content. Plunging down 38m (125ft) to the small lump of rock that we call the Pinnacle is an eerie feeling.
You have to descend fast here for fear of missing the reef completely. The current off the southern coast of Mozambique pulls you off course quickly, and any procrastination results in a dive “in the bush”!
Tags: gorgonian fan, organism, reefForging new frontiers to film in Mozambique Dec 10 2007
We’ve just relocated to southern Mozambique off the south-east coast of Africa for early summer, to meet the sharks, turtles, dolphins and blue water that all move into this area at this time of the year.
The lack of infrastructure in this area, crooked port captain and bad roads are offset by the opportunity to film on relatively pristine reefs, some of which that have had no SCUBA impact at all. I guess this is the trade-off for working in difficult places!
Tags: boulders, devil firefish, eel, emperor snapper, fish basket, g-spot, geometric moray eel, leopard moray eel, mozambique, reef, rockcod, scorpionfish, scuba, zebra sharkJostling on the reef Dec 5 2007
Fish aren’t just slippery: they can also push and shove. This underwater bossing and barging is clearly seen in the Earth-Touch clip, Fish and eel jostle for position.
The Fish Basket dive site off the coast of Southern Mozambique is home to a variety of fish species, which you can see in this footage.
Tags: cleaner shrimp, devil firefish, eel, fish basket, reef, rockcod, snapperEarth-Touch team in southern Mozambique Nov 28 2007
The underwater Earth-Touch team has moved north up the Southern African coastline in the warm Indian Ocean waters, from filming off the coast of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, to the waters of Southern Mozambique.
Devil firefish in the Indian Ocean Nov 20 2007
Devil firefish are sea fishes which prey on crabs. See them swim and sleep in the Indian Ocean in the Earth-Touch clips, Embattled reef dwellers ride out the storm and Sleeping devil firefish.
The week’s most viewed stories Nov 9 2007
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 02 November to Thursday 08 November 2007) were:
Number 1
While adult monkeys groom and scratch, their babies cavort and play in the branches around them.
Did you know? Coral reefs Nov 8 2007
One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is climate change. The natural oranges, purples and greens could be bleached a ghostly white if the sea temperature continues to increase.
In the past 100 years the sea temperature has increased by 1°C (33°F) and it is predicted to rise even more in the coming 50 years. This rise could result in sea temperatures that are intolerable to coral life and could result in the extinction of coral species and reef communities.
Did you know? Wrecks form coral reefs Sep 25 2007
Shipwrecks often form natural coral reefs alive with colourful corals and an abundance of underwater life, as is illustrated in the Nebo shipwreck.
The Nebo was a 2000-ton steamship that sank off the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in 1884, on her maiden voyage from Sunderland in the United Kingdom to Durban, South Africa. It was carrying a railway bridge for Amanzimtoti, a town just south of Durban, aboard, when it sank. It now lies upside down about 1km (0.62mi) north-west of Aliwal Shoal.
Tags: aliwal shoal, angelfish, catfish, colour, coral, durban, kwazulu-natal, nebo, ocean, reef, shipwreck, south africa, sunderland, united kingdomMassive bass easily missed Sep 11 2007
Potato bass (Epinephelus Tukula) as big as 1.5m (5ft) long live here. Their camouflage blends in with the reef, and can make them difficult to see, despite their large size. Potato bass are members of the rockcod family. They are alternatively know as groupers, potato cod, and potato groupers. Tags: bass, grouper, kwazulu-natal, potato bass, potato cod, potato grouper, reef, rockcod, south africa, umkomaas
Did you know? Remora fish Aug 22 2007
A remora is a long, slender fish with a flattened head which has an adhesive sucker on top, which it uses to attach itself to the undersides of large fish such as sharks, rays, and turtles, and even boats. Pictured above in an Earth-Touch image, remoras swim close to a tiger shark off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Wildlife news from around the world
East Timor declares first national park Aug 22 2007
The South-East Asian country of East Timor, which became independent of Indonesia in 2002, has declared its first national park, the Associated Press has reported, in a story run by The Star of Malaysia.
The Nino Konis Santana National Park is home to endangered birds such as the yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea), and the green pigeon (Treron psittaceus), and a rich diversity of coral and reef fish, among other species.
Latest story: Turtle in a watery abyss Jul 25 2007
Our coastal crew has been exploring the Indian Ocean for some months now.
The latest video package published today, Turtle and dolphins in reef dive, took place in a world-renowned reef, the Aliwal Shoal, on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Tags: aliwal shoal, bottlenose dolphin, kwazulu-natal, loggerhead turtle, ragged-tooth shark, reef, reptile, south africa, turtlePage 1 of 1 pages
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