
Thai: 
บาตูโลฮาง,มานาโดตัว
ปลาผีเสื้อพีระมิด (Hemitaurichthys polylepis), PED, เกาะนูซาเปนิดา, บาหลี
กุ้งตัวตลก (Hymenocera picta), เซรายา ซีเคร็ท, บาหลี
ทากเปลือย (Hypselodoris kanga), เซรายา ซีเคร็ท, บาหลี
ปลาทองดิสพา (Pseudanthias dispar), รอน พอยต์, บูนาเคน
ปลาแพะขนุน (Mulloidichthys flavolineatus), ฟุกุอิ, บูนาเคน
ปลาการ์ตูนส้มขาว (Amphiprion ocellaris), คอรัล การ์เด้น, ทูแลมเบน, บาหลี

English: 
The Republic of Indonesia, in Southeast Asia,
comprises some seventeen thousand islands.
Much of Indonesia lies within an area that has been termed "The Coral Triangle",
reaching to Malaysia in the west, the Philippines in the north,
and Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the east.
This region has been designated on account of its extraordinary marine biodiversity.
A combination of warm water, tropical light and enriching ocean currents
has created ideal conditions for a myriad of aquatic creatures to thrive.
More than five hundred species of coral,
and more than three thousand species of fish live here.
The Coral Triangle has been called the global center of marine biodiversity,
and is a focus for many conservation efforts.

English: 
At the heart of the sprawling Indonesian archipelago,
and of the Coral Triangle, lies Sulawesi,
the eleventh largest island in the world.
Much of Sulawesi is fringed by hard coral reefs.
For example at Bunaken Island,
off the North Sulawesi coast near Manado,
pristine coral reefs teem with tropical fish.
Down below, green turtles rest on ledges in the reef wall.
Schools of pelagic fish patrol the deep blue water off the coast,

Thai: 
ปูดอกไม้ทะเล (Neopetrolisthes maculatus), ปุระ จีปุน, ท่าเรือปาดังไบ, บาหลี
ปลาผีเสื้อเทวรูป (Zanclus cornutus), แมนโดลิน, บูนาเคน
ปลาทองดิสพา (Pseudanthias dispar), รอน พอยต์, บูนาเคน
เต่าตนุ (Chelonia mydas), เล็คอวน1, บูนาเคน
ปลากะพงผี  (Macolor niger),เล็คอวน1, บูนาเคน

Thai: 
ปลาฉลามครีบดำ (Carcharhinus melanopterus), รอน พอยต์, บูนาเคน
ช่องแคบเลมเบห์
ภูเขากลาบัต, ทางตอนเหนือของเกาะสุลาเวสี
บิตุง, ทางตอนเหนือของเกาะสุลาเวสี

English: 
and the occasional shark cruises by.
Across the North Sulawesi peninsula lies Lembeh Island,
separated from the mainland by the Lembeh Strait,
a waterway some fifteen kilometers long and one to two kilometers wide.
The undulating coast is lined on both sides by rainforest
and plantations of coconut palms which are farmed primarily for their oil.
The strait is overlooked by Mount Klabat,
a dramatic, dormant volcano on the Sulawesi mainland.
The busy town of Bitung lies at the southern end of the strait,
and is Sulawesi's main deep-water port.
The underwater landscape here is quite different.

Thai: 
นูดี้ ริทรีต, ช่องแคบเลมเบห์
แฮร์บอล, ช่องแคบเลมเบห์
แฮร์บอล, ช่องแคบเลมเบห์
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ (Solenostomus paradoxus), แฮร์บอล
ปลาสตาร์เกเซอร์ (Uranoscopus sulphureus), ไอร์เปอรัง
ดอกไม้ทะเล (Alicia sp.), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากเปลือยบุลล็อก (Hypselodoris bullocki), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
ปลาหูช้างหัวโหนก (Platax batavianus), จาเฮียร์
ปลาปักเป้าหนามสั้น (Cyclichthys orbicularis), ทีเค2 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 2)

English: 
Much of the seabed consists of gently-sloping plains of dark sand and silt
-tiny fragments of volcanic lava- that can appear barren at first.
Visibility is more limited,
and newcomers might be forgiven for wondering why they are here.
But a closer look reveals a vast array of life,
supported by the currents passing through the sheltered strait,
and nutrients from the mineral-rich substrate.
Many of the animals are unusual and exotic species rarely seen elsewhere.
The area is a popular breeding ground for many species,
and the juveniles often stick around during their development.
Over the years, a lot of refuse has been discarded into the strait
from passing boats or from the shore.

English: 
Everything from bottles to tires is encountered underwater.
Although some of the trash is undoubtedly toxic,
in many cases it has become integrated with the natural features
and is an important part of the underwater ecosystem.
On a seabed with relatively little natural shelter,
everything that can be used as a habitat invariably is.
Pioneering explorers first discovered Lembeh's charms in the 1990s.
The term "muck diving" had been coined for similar dives in Papua New Guinea,
and Lembeh soon became a Mecca for this growing activity,
and in particular for macro photographers and videographers.
Several dive centers have since been established on both sides of the strait,
and liveaboard vessels occasionally visit too.
Despite the extra traffic, there is plenty to go around,

Thai: 
ปลาบู่จิ๋ว (Lubricogobius exiguus), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)
ปลาไหลมอเรย์ตาขาว (Gymnothorax thyrsoideus), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาอมไข่ลายจุด (Sphaeramia orbicularis), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ
ทากเปลือยดิสโคโดริสขอบเข้ม (Discodoris boholiensis), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ
ปลากะรังหน้างอน (Cromileptes altivelis), ทีเค3 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 3)
ปลาหมึกสายดำ (Amphioctopus marginatus), พานไทพาริกิ
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาหางเหยียด (Diagramma pictum), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)
แฮร์บอล
ปลากบ (Antennarius striatus), แฮร์บอล

English: 
and many stretches of the coastline have been recognized
and christened as dive sites.
Although coral reefs are sparse,
the muck is punctuated by occasional oases of life 
such as this colony of branching flower pot coral on the slope at TK 2.
These Xenia soft corals also sit isolated at Nudi Retreat.
The pulsating movement of the tentacles
is not to catch plankton, as is commonly thought,
because the polyp mouth and digestive tract are no longer functional.
Rather, the motion enhances gas exchange
and assists the uptake of dissolved nutrients from the water.
Such sessile animals, those that are fixed in one place,
succeed in spots where currents are plentiful.

Thai: 
ปะการังฟลาวเวอร์พอท ( Alveopora gigas), ทีเค2 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 2)
ไวท์เทาซันแฮนด์  (Xenia actuosa), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
The exposed reefs at Critter Hunt, in the middle of the strait,
are ideal for ascidians, or "sea squirts".
This is a colony of stalked ascidians, rooted to one of the reefs.
Water is inhaled through the larger hole, the oral siphon.
Organic particles are filtered out for food,
and the water and waste products exit via the smaller atrial siphon.
This nearby compound ascidian
consists of many small individuals, each called a "zooid",
forming a single, sheet-like colony with a shared circulation.
Symbiotic relationships between marine creatures
are crucial to many species' survival underwater
and nowhere is this more apparent than around sea anemones.
On the mucky slopes,
large communities of saddleback clownfish
shelter in Haddon's carpet anemones

Thai: 
โกลเด้นซีสเควิร์ต (Polycarpa aurata), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
เพรียงหัวหอมร้องเพลง (Clavelina robusta), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
เพรียงหัวหอมชนิดอยู่รวมกันเป็นกลุ่มประกอบกัน ลีช (Botrylloides leachii), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
ปลาการ์ตูนอานม้า (Amphiprion polymnus), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาการ์ตูนอานม้า (Amphiprion polymnus), แฮร์บอล

Thai: 
ลูกปลาการ์ตูนอานม้า (Amphiprion polymnus), นูดี้ริทรีต
กุ้งโฮลธอส (Ancylomenes holthuisi), อาว์ชาร์ค
ปะการังไข่ปลาหมึก (Catalaphyllia jardinei), แฮร์บอล

English: 
in a classic example of mutual symbiosis.
The anemone's stinging tentacles
provide protection for the clownfish,
which are immune to the sting.
The clownfish chase away polyp-eating predators,
and their feces provide food for the anemone.
At Nudi Retreat, this juvenile saddleback clownfish
shelters alone in a Sebae anemone.
The fish swims constantly to stay still in the current.
In this sebae anemone, a slightly older saddleback clownfish
is joined by a holthuis shrimp.
The shrimp also uses the anemone's tentacles for protection,
but the anemone doesn't appear to benefit in any way.
This is known as a commensal relationship,
and the shrimps in this group are known as commensal shrimps
or partner shrimps.
This elegance coral

Thai: 
กุ้งดอกไม้ทะเลก้ามขาว (Ancylomenes magnificus), แฮร์บอล
ดอกไม้ทะเลหลอด (Cerianthus sp.), นูดี้ริทรีต
กุ้งดอกไม้ทะเลก้ามขาว (Ancylomenes magnificus), นูดี้ริทรีต
ไนท์แอนนีโมนี (Phyllodiscus semoni), ไอร์เปอรัง
เกรสฟูลคอมเมนเซิลชริมพ์ (Ancylomenes venustus), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
plays host to a number of the slightly different magnificent shrimp.
Tube anemones are also often found in isolation on the mucky seabed,
and this example is home to a solitary magnificent shrimp,
which lives at its base.
These graceful commensal shrimps are found in a night anemone,
one of their typical habitats.
This anemone mimics corals during the daytime,
and only extends its mouth to feed at night.
It has an extremely potent sting that immobilizes prey.
The venom doesn't affect the shrimps, but is dangerous to humans.
It leaves ulcers in the skin and can even cause kidney failure.
Researchers have suggested that the venom

English: 
may be useful in developing medical drugs.
These shrimps seem more interested in cleaning themselves
than any third party.
This warty sea cucumber is also known as a curryfish
because of its popularity in Asian cooking.
Sea cucumbers such as this often host emperor shrimps.
The shrimps are usually found in couples.
The male is smaller and has consistent coloration
with white markings down its back.
The female is larger and the coloration is more variable.
The shrimps hang head down
and feed on detritus picked off the seabed
as the host creeps along.
This pair of emperor shrimps is traveling on a synaptid sea cucumber,
sometimes known as a "medusa worm".

Thai: 
ปลิงทะเลเหลี่ยมน้ำตาล (Stichopus herrmanni), จาเฮียร์
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ (Periclimenes imperator), จาเฮียร์
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ เพศผู้ (Periclimenes imperator), จาเฮียร์
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ เพศเมีย (Periclimenes imperator), จาเฮียร์
ปลิงสร้อยไข่มุก (Synapta maculata), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)

English: 
The female is completely lacking the white spots that are usually present.
Eggs can clearly be seen under the abdomen of this large female.
The brood is protected by her shell and her swimming legs,
which are folded up.
As well as sea cucumbers,
emperor shrimps also hitchhike on larger sea slugs
such as Spanish dancers.
This pretty tube anemone is feeding on the plankton
brought by the current at Critter Hunt.
These anemones often have squat shrimps living around their tube.
The female is twice the size of the male.
The distinctive coloration and movement

Thai: 
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ เพศเมีย (Periclimenes imperator), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ เพศเมีย (Periclimenes imperator), แฮร์บอล
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ เพศผู้ (Periclimenes imperator), แฮร์บอล
กุ้งจักรพรรดิ เพศเมีย (Periclimenes imperator), แฮร์บอล
ดอกไม้ทะเลหลอด (Cerianthus sp.), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
กุ้งเซ็กซี่ (Thor amboinensis), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์

Thai: 
กุ้งเซ็กซี่ (Thor amboinensis), อาว์ชาร์ค
กั้งตั๊กแตนสีส้ม (Lysiosquilloides mapia), เรอตักแลร์รี่
กั้งตั๊กแตนลายเสือ (Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata), จาเฮียร์

English: 
make these shrimps very popular with aquarists,
who generally know them as "sexy" shrimps.
This orange mantis shrimp, waiting in its burrow in the sand,
is a type of spearing mantis shrimp.
It's front claws are sharp and barbed,
and are used to stab its prey at great speed.
Mantis shrimps have perhaps the most advanced eyes
in the entire animal kingdom.
Whereas human eyes have three types of color receptors,
mantis shrimps have no less than sixteen different types,
so they can see many colors that other animals can't,
including deep shades of ultraviolet.
The eyes of spearing mantis shrimps,
like this golden mantis shrimp,
tend to be elongated.
whereas the eyes of smashing mantis shrimps,
such as this pink-tailed variety,
tend to be more circular.

Thai: 
กั้งตั๊กแตนหางชมพู (Odontodactylus latirostris), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)
กั้งตั๊กแตนเจ็ดสี (Odontodactylus scyllarus), อาว์ชาร์ค
ปูหัวแหลมดาวขนนก (Allogalathea elegans), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
Smashing mantis shrimps have an extremely hard pair of clubs
at the end of their front claws that they use to smash or stun prey.
They are made from the same material as dental implants,
and can strike with a speed of some 80 km/h.
This is a peacock mantis shrimp,
at one of the entrances to its U-shaped burrow.
This species can grow up to 18cm long,
and is common across the whole Indo-Pacific region.
Another crustacean, the elegant squat lobster,
lives commensally on the arms of crinoid feather stars.
It feeds on plankton collected by its host,
and its color often matches the crinoid for camouflage.
Squat lobsters are very different from other families of lobster,
but take their name due to their long, clawed legs.

English: 
These undescribed squat lobsters of the Galathea genus
live on a branching sponge.
Space on the reef is at a premium,
and competition between individuals is fierce.
Hermit crabs don't have a hard carapace like other crabs,
so they recycle an empty gastropod shell
to protect their soft abdomen.
This whitespotted hermit crab is using an empty conch shell.
Long eye stalks ensure that the crab has a wide angle of view.
Hermit crabs carry their adopted home around with them.

Thai: 
ปูมังกร (Galathea sp.), ทีเค2 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 2)
ปูเสฉวนยักษ์ (Dardanus megistos), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ

Thai: 
ปูเสฉวนยักษ์ (Dardanus megistos), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปูเสฉวนดอกไม้ทะเล (Dardanus pedunculatus), ทีเค2 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 2)
ปูฤๅษี (Cycloes marisrubri), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)

English: 
This individual is carrying a different type of conch shell.
In another classic example of mutual symbiosis,
the anemone hermit crab carries a specific species of sea anemone on its back.
The stinging anemones help protect the crab,
while the anemones share in the crab's meals
and thrive on the extra mobility.
These eyes belong to a pair of box crabs,
which are usually buried in the sand during the day,
with just their sensory organs exposed.
Once a male box crab has chosen his female mate,
he clings onto her from behind using his two large front claws.
Mating will take place just after the female has molted her shell
and is still soft.
During the wait, the male carries her everywhere with him
as he scurries sideways along the seabed.

English: 
The rear-spined elbow crab has amazing camouflage.
It lays its huge front claws down flat on top of the seabed,
where they blend in perfectly with the sand.
While this decorator spider crab
gathers debris on its body and legs
to help it remain undetected.
The distinctive zebra crab forms a commensal relationship

Thai: 
ปูก้ามยาว (Aulacolambrus hoplonotus), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ปูแมงมุมแต่งตัว (Achaeus sp.), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
with one of several species of sea urchin.
This one is clinging to the underside of a highly venomous flower urchin.
The last segment of the crab's legs
has evolved into a hook to grip onto the urchin's spines.
Human deaths have been attributed to this urchin.
The blue-spotted urchin is another highly venomous echinoderm.
The bright coloration serves as a warning to would-be predators.
The urchins graze on algae and are able to scurry around on their needles.
They are often seen in groups in shallow depths
at sites such as Hairball.

Thai: 
ปูม้าลาย (Zebrida adamsii), จาเฮียร์
เม่นดอกไม้ หรือ เม่นทะเลแต่งตัว (Toxopneustes pileolus), จาเฮียร์
ปูม้าลาย (Zebrida adamsii), จาเฮียร์
เม่นทะเลจุดฟ้า (Astropyga radiata), แฮร์บอล

English: 
Small fishes like this juvenile emperor red snapper
are often seen sheltering amongst blue-spotted urchins.
A bluespotted stingray, a type of maskray,
swims towards the depths at Hairball.
The sandy seabed is ideal for this species.
It camouflages itself by flapping its large, triangular pectoral fins,
thereby covering its body with sand and rubble from the seabed.
The ray breathes through its spiracle, a hole just behind the eye.
It's often confused with this other species,
the bluespotted ribbontail ray.
But this is more circular, and it's blue spots are more vivid.
This ray tends to seek the shelter of outcrops,
rather than rest on open ground.

Thai: 
ปลากะพงแดงหน้าตั้ง(วัยเด็ก) (Lutjanus sebae), แฮร์บอล
ปลากะพงแดงหน้าตั้ง(วัยเด็ก) (Lutjanus sebae), จาเฮียร์
ปลากระเบนจุดฟ้า (Neotrygon kuhlii), แฮร์บอล
ปลากระเบนจุดฟ้า (Neotrygon kuhlii), มากะวีเดย์
ปลากระเบนทอง (Taeniura lymma), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์

English: 
But it still sometimes likes to bury itself for camouflage.
This is the most popular stingray in the home aquarium trade,
but seldom lives for long in such a situation.
It is listed as "near threatened"
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Pelagic sharks; sharks that must keep moving to breathe,
are not at all common in the Lembeh Strait.
But bottom-dwelling brownbanded bamboo sharks,
sometimes known as catsharks, are sometimes seen.
Juveniles bear strong banding,
possibly mimicking the coloration of some dangerous snakes and eels.
These sharks can pass water over their gills
while remaining still on the seabed.
In adulthood the coloration fades to a more uniform gray.
The shark has two sensitive barbels above the mouth
that help it find prey when it hunts at night.

Thai: 
ปลากระเบนทอง (Taeniura lymma), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ลูกปลาฉลามกบ (Chiloscyllium punctatum), อาว์ชาร์ค
ปลาฉลามกบ (Chiloscyllium punctatum), ไอร์เปอรัง

Thai: 
ปลาไหลงูคอนวิคท์ (Leiuranus versicolor), จาเฮียร์
ปลาไหลงูสตาร์เกเซอร์ (Brachysomophis cirrocheilos), แฮร์บอล

English: 
Snake eels, a type of fish,
are a common sight in the Lembeh Strait.
At Jahir this convict snake eel swims across the sand,
hunting for food.
It bears similarities to some sea snakes,
which may deter potential predators.
The eel finally senses prey
and burrows head first into the sand to make its attack.
For protection, snake eels burrow tail-first into the sand.
Typically, only the head is seen exposed above the seabed.
This stargazer snake eel is an ambush predator,
and lies in wait for passing fish,
but is clearly disturbed by our presence.

English: 
The highfin snake eel is normally seen
with its head emerging vertically from the sand.
Its body is kept clean by the burrowing process,
but its head is often seen surrounded by magnificent shrimps,
which feast themselves on dead skin,
parasites and other unwanted organisms.
This is another example of mutual symbiosis,
whereby both animals benefit.
I encountered this snowflake moray eel
on a night dive at Aer Perang.
Eels of the Echidna genus, such as the snowflake moray,
have strong, blunt teeth for crushing the shells of crabs,
their favorite food.
The snowflake moray is more inclined to swim in the open,
hunting for prey, than most other morays.
Morays of the Gymnothorax genus,
such as this whitemouth moray,

Thai: 
ปลาไหลงูไฮฟิน (Ophichthus altipennis), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)
กุ้งดอกไม้ทะเลก้ามขาว (Ancylomenes magnificus), ทีเค1 (เทหลุค เคมบาฮู 1)
ปลาไหลมอเรย์ลายเมฆ (Echidna nebulosa), ไอร์เปอรัง

Thai: 
ปลาไหลมอเรย์ปากขาว (Gymnothorax meleagris), อาว์ชาร์ค
ปลาไหลมอเรย์คางซีด (Gymnothorax herrei), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาไหลมอเรย์คางซีด (Gymnothorax herrei), แฮร์บอล
ปลาไหลริบบิ้น วัยเด็ก (Rhinomuraena quaesita), ทีเค1

English: 
have long, fang-like teeth for dealing with fishes.
This moray's white spots help camouflage it amongst corals.
This is possibly a palechin moray,
but the plain coloration makes it more difficult to positively identify
without close examination.
Another individual bears the scars of serious injuries to its face,
a fairly common sight amongst morays.
Another member of the moray eel family is the ribbon eel.
The juveniles are black with a pale yellow border
to the dorsal fin and lower jaw.
They are usually seen poking out of a fairly exposed burrow near a reef.
As it grows older, the ribbon eel turns into a male,
taking on a bright blue and yellow coloration.

English: 
Ribbon eels have greatly expanded anterior nostrils,
along with protruding barbels on both jaws,
apparently to help them sense passing prey.
Later, the eel changes into a female.
It loses the blue and takes on a completely yellow color.
The ribbon eel usually holds its mouth open to breathe,
which gives it an aggressive appearance.
While anemonefishes have been the traditional inhabitants
of Lembeh's sea anemones,
in recent years they have had competition.
The Banggai cardinalfish is indigenous to just the Banggai Islands,
a very limited area some 400 kilometers away,
off Sulawesi's East Peninsula.

Thai: 
ปลาไหลริบบิ้น เพศผู้ (Rhinomuraena quaesita), ทีเค3
ปลาไหลริบบิ้น เพศเมีย (Rhinomuraena quaesita), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาไหลริบบิ้น เพศเมีย (Rhinomuraena quaesita), ทีเค1
ปลาการ์ตูนลายปล้อง (Amphiprion clarkii), โพลิซเพียร์
ปลาอมไข่ครีบยาว (Pterapogon kauderni), โพลิซเพียร์

Thai: 
ปลาอมไข่ครีบยาว (Pterapogon kauderni), โพลิซเพียร์
ปลาอมไข่ครีบยาว (Pterapogon kauderni), ทีเค3

English: 
It was discovered by the ornamental fish trade in the 1990s,
and quickly became popular due to its striking pattern.
In the year 2000, traders introduced some Banggai cardinalfish
to the Lembeh Strait,
where they have since thrived at a few sites like Police Pier.
Some have also been introduced to northwest Bali.
Despite its apparent success in the Lembeh Strait,
where it is not harvested,
the overall population of  Banggai cardinalfish
has been decimated by fishermen over the past 2 decades,
and destructive fishing practices
such as cyanide and blast fishing 
continue to damage its natural environment.
The species is classified as "endangered"
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature,
but at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2007,
efforts to control the trade in the fish were blocked.

English: 
The Banggai cardinalfish is very different to other members of the family
such as these Moluccan cardinalfish.
These orbiculate cardinalfish live under an abandoned oyster farm.
Like the Banggai cardinalfish, they are mouth brooders.
The male incubates the eggs in his mouth until they hatch.
The long, venomous spines of sea urchins
provide protection from predators such as lionfish and moray eels.
They are a favorite habitat of cardinalfish,
including these frostfin cardinalfish.
This group is sheltering amongst flowerpot corals.
Not far away, a trumpetfish is on the hunt.
Its long, slender profile makes it difficult to see from the front,

Thai: 
ปลาอมไข่โมลัคคัน (Ostorhinchus moluccensis), ทีเค3
ปลาอมไข่ลายจุด (Sphaeramia orbicularis), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ
เม่นทะเลหนามยาว (Diadema setosum), ทีเค3
ปลาคาร์ดินัลฟรอสฟิน (Ostorhinchus hoevenii), ทีเค3

Thai: 
ปลาปากแตร (Aulostomus chinensis), ทีเค3

English: 
and it has adjusted its body coloration to be well camouflaged amongst the corals.
Its dorsal and anal fins are right at the back by its tail, out of sight.
Its jaw structure is optimized for rapid and wide opening of the mouth
to suck in prey in a method known as "pipette feeding".
Patiently, it creeps up on the unsuspecting cardinalfish.
After the attack, one of the cardinalfish can be seen being swallowed whole.

Thai: 
ม้าน้ำดำ หรือ ม้าน้ำคูด้า (Hippocampus kuda), แฮร์บอล
ม้าน้ำดำ หรือ ม้าน้ำคูด้า (Hippocampus kuda), จาเฮียร์
ม้าน้ำดำ หรือ ม้าน้ำคูด้า (Hippocampus kuda), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
The spotted seahorse is found throughout the Lembeh Strait.
It also adapts its skin color to blend in to its environment
and it has small hairs which gather algae and other matter to increase the camouflage.
Seahorses are in the same phylogenetic order as trumpetfish,
and share a similar, characteristic long snout.
Rather than fishes, they feed on small crustaceans,
and their eyes can move independently
to maximize their field of vision to pick out prey.
The seahorse is a poor swimmer.
It has a prehensile tail,
which allows it to grasp onto a holdfast for stability.
The male seahorse incubates eggs then fetuses
in a brood pouch on its belly until they are ready to hatch.
This species is listed by the IUCN as "vulnerable",
mainly due to the demand for its use in traditional medicines. 

English: 
Because of this, trade is now monitored.
Amongst the branches of a sea fan,
we find one of the most perfectly camouflaged creatures in the entire animal kingdom.
Pygmy seahorses are much smaller than their larger cousins,
and have much shorter snouts.
The adults grow to a maximum of just a couple of centimeters long.
They live with two species of gorgonian sea fan,
clinging to their branches with their prehensile tail.
The body color matches the stem of the sea fan,
while the tubercles that cover its body
match the color and shape of the sea fan's polyps.
In fact pygmy seahorses are so small and well camouflaged
that they were only discovered in 1969
in a sea fan that had been collected by staff of an aquarium.

Thai: 
ม้าน้ำแคระ หรือ ม้าน้ำปิ๊กมี่ (Hippocampus bargibanti), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
Adults are usually found in pairs,
but numerous pairs can sometimes be found on the same sea fan.
Keen-eyed divers have discovered more species of pygmy seahorse in recent years,
and since the year 2000 at least six more species have been officially named.
They are notoriously difficult to find,
and like all seahorses, they shy away from bright lights,
so they are even more difficult to photograph and film.
Pipefishes are closely related to seahorses.
They share the same long snout and toothless mouth
as most species of seahorse,
but have a straight body with ridges running along it.
As poor swimmers, camouflage is important for their defense,
and the color varies to match aspects of the environment.
Younger specimens of the ornate pipefish

Thai: 
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ (Halicampus grayi), มากะวีเดย์
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ออเนท (Halicampus macrorhynchus), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
grow wing-like skin flaps that increase the disguise,
along with cirri on the snout
which give it the alternative name of "whiskered pipefish".
Standing in the current, with its tail anchored to the seabed,
the short-tailed pipefish resembles a gorgonian sea whip.
This juvenile translucent gorgonian shrimp
stands on the pipefish's back,
possibly taken in by the camouflage.
The short-tailed pipefish's neck is more bent than other pipefishes
but it has the same long snout and fused jaws.
Individuals adapt their color and texture,
resulting in great variation as shown by this specimen at Makawide.
The banded pipefish is a type of flagtail pipefish.

Thai: 
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ออเนท (Halicampus macrorhynchus), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้หางสั้น (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus), มากะวีเดย์
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้หางสั้น (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
กุ้งกัลปังหาตัวใส (Manipontonia psamathe), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้หางสั้น (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
The large tail fin makes it a faster and more agile swimmer than most other pipefishes
and is used in courtship and territorial displays.
Like seahorses, it is the male that incubates the young.
Females compete to deposit their eggs in compartments under its abdomen.
Scientists have suggested that the process of sexual selection
continues after copulation.
The males tend to fertilize and nurture the eggs of attractive females,
while the eggs of less attractive females may be neglected
or even digested by the male as he prepares for future pregnancies.
Ghost pipefish are usually found in pairs, hanging head down.
They are masters of camouflage, closely resembling their surroundings.
These robust ghost pipefish resemble the leaves of seaweed,
making them almost invisible to predators.

Thai: 
ปลาจิ้มฟันจรเข้ลายแถบ (Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ปลาจิ้มฟันจรเข้ลายแถบ (Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจใบไม้  (Solenostomus cyanopterus), ทีเค1

Thai: 
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจใบไม้  (Solenostomus cyanopterus), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ (Solenostomus paradoxus), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ (Solenostomus paradoxus), อาว์ชาร์ค

English: 
The taxonomy of ghost pipefishes has been a subject of much debate,
and some varieties that were previously considered to be separate species,
on the basis of body shape and coloration,
are now thought to be variants of the robust ghost pipefish.
The ornate, or harlequin ghost pipefish
is one of the most spectacular cryptic creatures underwater.
Numerous skin filaments cover its body as a camouflage.
The color varies but certain patterns are particularly common.
Black or dark brown specimens
are often found blending in with crinoid feather stars,
one of their favorite habitats.
At Hairball, next to an oil drum that has been used as mooring,
we find another pair taking shelter.

Thai: 
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ (Solenostomus paradoxus), แฮร์บอล
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ (Solenostomus paradoxus), แฮร์บอล

English: 
The smaller male has lost its tail fin.
Another pair has taken on the pale coloration of a submerged bamboo stalk.
Ghost pipefishes are more conventional than seahorses
and regular pipefishes in that it is the female that incubates the eggs.
It's been suggested that all ghost pipefishes start as males,
then some of them change into females and grow bigger.
The female develops a large brood pouch
between her pelvic fins where she stores her eggs.
She uses a pumping action of the fins
to aerate the hundreds of fertilized eggs

English: 
-a process known as "churning"- until they are ready for birth.
The juvenile ornate ghost pipefish is more translucent
before it acquires the pigmentation of the adult.
On a night dive near Tanjung Kusu-Kusu,
a school of rigid shrimpfish emerges from the blackness,
attracted by my lights.
Shrimpfish are always found in tightly coordinated schools,
usually swimming head downwards,
which may assist their camouflage amongst corals and sea whips during the day.
Their name comes from the similarity to long shrimps,
but they are also known as "grooved razor-fish"
because of the sharp-edged belly and resemblance to a cut-throat razor.

Thai: 
ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ วัยเด็ก (Solenostomus paradoxus), จาเฮียร์
ปลาข้างใส (Centriscus scutatus), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู

Thai: 
ปลาผีเสื้อกลางคืน (Eurypegasus draconis), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
This is a pair of short dragonfish, a type of seamoth.
Seamoths are related to seahorses and pipefishes
and share their long snout, although their mouth is under the snout.
The body is encased in a hard, rigid carapace,
while the tail is made of segmented rings to allow it to flex.
They are highly active during the day time,
walking on their pelvic fin rays while hunting for small invertebrates.
Usually seen in couples, seamoths are monogamous
and bond closely with their mate.
They shed their skin in a single piece every few days
to clean themselves of sessile organisms like algae and hydroids.
It has been estimated that millions of sea moths are collected each year
for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Thai: 
ปลานกฮูก วัยเด็ก (Dactyloptena orientalis), ทีเค1
ปลานกฮูก (Dactyloptena orientalis), ทีเค1
ปลานกฮูก (Dactyloptena orientalis), เรอตักแลร์รี่

English: 
This juvenile oriental flying gurnard
deters predators by appearing as large as it can.
The false eyespots on its pectoral fins
make it appear like a much larger fish from above.
Like seamoths, gurnards also walk across the seabed on their pelvic fins.
In adulthood the pectoral fins become huge and lose most of their blue spots.
They can be retracted for a burst of speed if necessary.
It also gains more red around the face,
which suits its alternative name of "sea robin".
Members of the family are also known as helmet gurnards,
because of the strong armor surrounding the head.
The word "gurnard" is derived from the French word "to grunt",
because of the strange sounds it can make.

English: 
Over 700 species of fish are known as blennies,
and some 400 of these are combtooth blennies.
One such variety is the starry blenny,
which usually lives amongst rocks where it feeds on algae.
Its interesting appearance and strong personality
make it popular in the aquarium trade.
By far the largest combtooth blenny is the hairtail or snake blenny.
This blenny can reach over half a meter long,
and burrows its body into the sand or mud,
much like a snake eel.
It feeds at night, and is rarely seen out of its burrow during the day.
Gobies represent the world's largest fish family,
and one of the most varied.

Thai: 
ปลาเบลนนี่ (Salarias ramosus), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลากระบี่ (Xiphasia setifer), มากะวีเดย์

Thai: 
ปลาบู่จิ๋ว (Lubricogobius exiguus), ทีเค1
ปากกาทะเล (Pteroeides sp.), นูดี้ฟอลส์

English: 
Yellow pygmy gobies are without doubt amongst the cutest.
They are usually found in pairs,
and traditionally seek refuge in natural shelters such as empty shells.
However the many discarded bottles and cans in the strait
provide perfect homes for them.
The gravid female's eggs can be clearly seen in her swollen belly.
The gobies appear to exchange signals by prodding the other's tail.
The toothy goby, a type of ghost goby,
forms a commensal relationship with a variety of sessile invertebrates;
sessile meaning immobile.

English: 
Here it is living on a sea pen, a type of octocoral.
The sea pen receives neither benefit nor harm from the relationship,
but provides the goby with shelter
and a good spot to feed on plankton passing by in the current.
These warpaint-like facial markings belong to a male fingered dragonet.
Such benthic animals - creatures that live on the seabed -
thrive in the muck of Lembeh.
The male has very long filamented rays on its dorsal fin
that it holds forwards when on the move.
The first ray of each pelvic fin is effectively a limb or "finger"
that the dragonet uses to walk along the seabed and dig for food,
hence the common name, "fingered dragonet".
It feeds in a picky, methodical manner similar to birds.

Thai: 
ปลาทูธตี้โกบี้ (Pleurosicya mossambica), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ปลามังกรน้อยลาย ตัวผู้ (Dactylopus dactylopus), แฮร์บอล

English: 
The upper jaw can be thrust forward to catch prey such as small crustaceans.
This motion reveals the female's bright orange upper lip.
These orange-black dragonets are similar and belong to the same genus.
The distinctive juvenile is largely white in color.
The adults are darker but retain the orange lips
and the bright blue spots on the anal fin.
The dragonet has adapted very effectively to life on the bottom.

Thai: 
ปลามังกรน้อยลาย ตัวเมีย (Dactylopus dactylopus), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลามังกรน้อยส้ม-ดำ (Dactylopus kuiteri), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลามังกรน้อยส้ม-ดำ วัยเด็ก (Dactylopus kuiteri), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
It is well camouflaged and at night it will bury its body.
The eyes and gills are placed high so only they remain above the sand.
A minuscule sea slug crawls down this dragonet's cheek.
The Morrison's dragonet shuffles around the seabed
without the aid of separated fin rays.
This individual at Nudi Falls is a female.
A similar species of dragonet, the mandarinfish,
bears one of the most spectacular colorations of any fish.

Thai: 
ปลามังกรน้อยส้ม-ดำ (Dactylopus kuiteri), ทีเค1
ปลามังกรน้อยมอร์ริสัน (Synchiropus morrisoni), นูดี้ฟอลส์

Thai: 
ปลาแมนดาริน (Synchiropus splendidus), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู

English: 
No wonder they are sometimes called "psychedelic" mandarinfish.
During the day they are well hidden amongst shallow hard corals,
but at dusk the males eagerly seek out female mates.
During the hunt they hold their first dorsal fin aloft
as an advertisement to the females and a warning to competing males.
When a mate has been found, the female rests on the larger male's pectoral fin
and the couple rise up together from the reef.
At the peak of their ascent they simultaneously release sperm and eggs
and then make a dash for cover as the spawn drifts away in the current.
This frenzy of sexual activity typically lasts some thirty minutes until nightfall.
If fertilized, the eggs will hatch about a day later
and the tiny larvae will drift for a further week or two

Thai: 
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), จาเฮียร์
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), โพลิซเพียร์
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
before settling onto the bottom to begin their benthic life.
While a rarity at most dive locations,
frogfishes are actually quite common in the Lembeh Strait,
where the conditions are ideal for them.
Frogfishes are highly camouflaged to resemble sponges
or rocks covered in algae.
They have an amazing ability to adapt their skin color and texture
to blend in with their surroundings,
and numerous color variations of the same species can be found.
This makes it very difficult to distinguish between different species.
There is debate over the taxonomy within the family,
and scientists are currently studying genetic samples
in an effort to clarify the classification.
The second frogfish in the rear of this shot is so well camouflaged

English: 
that I failed to notice it until reviewing my footage after the dive.
Frogfishes' gill openings are hidden away behind their pectoral fins.
Large quantities of water can be expelled from the gill openings
to give the frogfish jet propulsion when swimming.
Rather than blending into the surroundings,
this warty frogfish mimics toxic sea slugs to deter predators.
Although frogfishes can swim,
they usually walk around on their pectoral fins
which have evolved into arm-like limbs
complete with an elbow-like joint.
Although they will sometimes slowly stalk prey,
frogfishes are generally ambush predators,
and have a very clever hunting technique.
Their first dorsal spine, the illicium,

Thai: 
ปลากบครีบจุด (Antennarius nummifer), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลากบผิวปุ่ม (Antennarius maculatus), จาเฮียร์
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), จาเฮียร์
ปลากบผิวปุ่ม (Antennarius maculatus), จาเฮียร์

Thai: 
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), มากะวีเดย์
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), จาเฮียร์
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), มากะวีเดย์
ปลากบ (Antennarius pictus), แฮร์บอล
ปลากบยักษ์ (Antennarius commerson), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
ends in a fleshy lure known as an esca,
which resembles a variety of marine creatures depending on the species.
The frogfish waves the illicium like a fishing rod to attract prey.
The appearance of the esca is useful in distinguishing between species.
If the illicium and esca are removed,
the frogfish can grow a replacement.
The illicium is not always deployed,
and opportunistic frogfishes will snatch what food they can.
They will often just lie in wait,
their upturned mouths ready to devour unsuspecting bypassers.
The giant frogfish often takes up a more elevated position
like this tube sponge, from which to ambush prey.

Thai: 
ปลากบผิวปุ่ม (Antennarius maculatus), จาเฮียร์
เม่นดอกไม้ หรือ เม่นทะเลแต่งตัว (Toxopneustes pileolus), จาเฮียร์
ปลากบ (Antennarius striatus), ทีเค2

English: 
This warty frogfish appears nervous as it finds itself in the path
of a highly venomous flower urchin.
The urchin finally chose another route.
The striated frogfish is a real star amongst Lembeh critters,
and high on most divers' list of favorites.
Many examples in the area bear long skin filaments
and are known amongst the dive community as "hairy frogfish".
They are usually found on the open sand amongst algae.

Thai: 
ปลากบ (Antennarius striatus), จาเฮียร์
ปลากบ (วัยเด็ก) (Antennarius pictus), แฮร์บอล

English: 
The esca resembles a polychaete worm.
A black phase of the striated frogfish,
without significant skin appendages, is sometimes seen.
It's possible that the filaments may be seasonally shed.
Lembeh is famous for the amazing ability of the resident dive guides
to spot special subjects.
One of them found this tiny but perfectly-formed juvenile painted frogfish,
crawling across the sand.

English: 
The pointer behind it is just 1/4" in diameter.
It opened its mouth as a warning to a tiny nearby crab.
The sheltered conditions make the strait a successful nursery,
and juvenile fishes can be seen everywhere.
This striking coloration belongs to a young spotted parrotfish.
In later life it will likely head out to more exposed reefs
where its fused teeth will enable it to excavate chunks of hard coral.
It will also undergo a dramatic change in coloration,
as demonstrated by this mature male from Fiji.
The young feed on sediment lying on the reef.
Nutrient-rich algae is digested,
while the inert sand is excreted.

Thai: 
ปลานกแก้ว (Cetoscarus ocellatus), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ปลานกแก้ว (Cetoscarus ocellatus), ฟิจิ
ปลานกแก้ว (Cetoscarus ocellatus), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู

English: 
Previously, all specimens bearing this pattern
were thought to be of a species commonly known as the bicolor parrotfish,
but those are now deemed to be local to the Red Sea.
A starry goby takes this one by surprise.
Sweetlips also change dramatically during their life cycle.
This juvenile painted sweetlips bears bold stripes.
As an adult, it loses the stripes
and bears spots which will fade as it matures further.
The juvenile harlequin sweetlips
mimics toxic flatworms and sea slugs,
and the movement is confusing for predators.
As it matures, the movement slows down
and the pattern starts to change.

Thai: 
สตารี่โกบี้ (Asterropteryx semipunctata), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาหางเหยียด (วัยเด็ก) (Diagramma pictum) ทีเค1
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาหางเหยียด (Diagramma pictum) แฮร์บอล
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาดอกดำ (วัยเด็ก) (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาดอกดำ (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides), นูดี้ฟอลส์

Thai: 
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาดอกดำ (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides), ประเทศไทย
เยลโล่บล็อชเรเซอฟิช (Iniistius aneitensis), ทีเค2
ปลาวัว (วัยเด็ก), ทีเค2

English: 
This adult individual from Thailand shows how it will end up.
Juvenile yellowblotch razorfish, a type of wrasse, are here too.
This fish will dive head-first into the sand to sleep or if it is alarmed.
The slim, bony head is optimized for this purpose.
It prepares an area of sand in advance
by loosening it to make it easier to dive into,
and it is able to move significant distances under the sand
before re-emerging.
This white variation bears two false eyespots on its dorsal fin.
Juvenile filesfishes are a common sight too.
Their retractable dorsal spine deters predators.
The name filefish comes from the rough skin.
It is said that dried filefish skin
was once used like sandpaper to finish wooden boats.

Thai: 
ปลาวัว (Pseudomonacanthus macrurus), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาวัว (Pseudomonacanthus macrurus), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ปลาวัว (Pseudomonacanthus macrurus), จาเฮียร์
ปลาปักเป้ากล่องเขาวัว (Lactoria cornuta) ทีเค1
ปลาปักเป้าเขา (Lactoria fornasini), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
In Australia they are known as leatherjackets.
This is a juvenile strapweed filefish.
The adult is well camouflaged.
This is a very young boxfish, possibly a longhorn cowfish.
Along with toxic skin, the boxfish's main defense
is a very hard carapace of bony plates.
The juvenile's coloration helps it remain unnoticed
while the body hardens.
This is a juvenile thornback cowfish,
sheltering in Halimeda algae.
Juvenile boxfishes often tuck their tail to one side
when it is not needed for swimming.

English: 
Likewise, juvenile puffers, such as this starry puffer,
another fish that changes dramatically in adulthood.
Although puffers are slow movers,
the tail can give them a great turn of speed when threatened.
As a further defense, puffers can inflate their bodies with water,
vastly increasing their size and revealing short, sharp spines on their skin.
They are believed to be the second most poisonous vertebrate on earth,
after the golden poison frog.
However some predators can tolerate the toxin,
and some parts of them are carefully prepared as a delicacy
in Japan, Korea and China.
This juvenile guineafowl puffer's coloration
advertises its toxicity to potential predators.
Black and yellow is a common combination of warning colors in the animal kingdom.

Thai: 
ปลาปักเป้ายักษ์  (Arothron stellatus), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาปักเป้ายักษ์  (Arothron stellatus), ทีเค3
ปลาปักเป้าลายแผนที่ (Arothron mappa), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ
ปลาปักเป้าดำจุดขาว (Arothron meleagris), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู

Thai: 
ปลาปักเป้าข้างลาย (Arothron manilensis), แฮร์บอล
ปลาปักเป้าลาย (Torquigener brevipinnis), ทีเค2
ปลาปักเป้าเล็กหลังบั้ง (Canthigaster valentini), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาปักเป้าจมูกแหลมเบนเนตต์ (Canthigaster bennetti), มากะวีเดย์
ปลาปักเป้าเข็มทิศ (Canthigaster compressa), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ

English: 
More elongate puffers are around too.
This is a narrow-lined puffer at Hairball.
And this is a shortfin puffer at TK.
Sharpnose puffers, also known as tobies, like this Valentini puffer,
have elongated snouts and slimmer bodies.
This one is a Bennett's sharpnose puffer.
And this one is known as a compressed toby.
The birdbeak burrfish is covered in spines which are permanently erect,
and it can inflate its body like puffers.

English: 
It's eyes contain iridescent green specks.
Conversely, the spines of this long-spine porcupinefish
lie flat against its body when not it is not inflated.
It seems content to share this shelter with a small birdbeak burrfish.
This burrfish is sharing it's home amongst the trash
with a reclusive young panther or humpback grouper.
Perhaps the most distinctive of groupers,
this species is vulnerable due to its natural rarity

Thai: 
ปลาปักเป้าหนามสั้น (Cyclichthys orbicularis), จาเฮียร์
ปลาปักเป้าหนามทุเรียนหนามยาว (Diodon holocanthus), ทีเค2
ปลาปักเป้าหนามสั้น (Cyclichthys orbicularis), ทีเค2
ปลาปักเป้าหนามสั้น (Cyclichthys orbicularis), ทีเค3

Thai: 
ปลากะรังหน้างอน (Cromileptes altivelis), ทีเค3
ปลาสตาร์เกเซอร์ขอบขาว (Uranoscopus sulphureus), แฮร์บอล
ปลาสตาร์เกเซอร์ขอบขาว (Uranoscopus sulphureus), เรอตักแลร์รี่

English: 
and it's high value in the aquarium and live food trades.
The whitemargin stargazer spends most of its time buried in the substrate,
with only its upper, or dorsal, surface exposed,
where its eyes and mouth are located.
Like frogfishes, stargazers are ambush predators.
They have a worm-like lure, not seen here,
that extends from the upturned mouth to attract fish that pass overhead.
Stargazers are also equipped with poisonous spines at the rear of the operculum,
the gill cover.
The papillae fringing the mouth help stop sand
from falling in when the fish is buried.
This leopard flounder has adapted to life on the bottom

Thai: 
ปลาลิ้นหมาเสือดาว (Bothus pantherinus), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาหัวแบนเจแปนนิส (Inegocia japonica), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาหัวแบนแถบดำ (Rogadius patriciae), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
with a superb camouflage.
Such lefteye flounders are symmetrical
and swim upright like other fishes when young.
As they develop, the eye on the right side migrates to the left,
thus enabling them to lie flat on the bottom.
The eye stalks can be retracted for protection,
but enhance their view when extended.
Flatheads also have excellent camouflage
and a stealthy, low profile,
but unlike flounders, they are dorsally compressed
and remain symmetrical.
They are also ambush predators,
and often hide by burying much of their body in the substrate.
Flatheads are related to scorpionfishes
and have short, venomous spines on top of their head.

Thai: 
ปลาหัวแบนหนาม (Onigocia spinosa), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาไวท์สกอร์เปี้ยน (Scorpaenopsis macrochir), แฮร์บอล

English: 
This is a pair of spiny flatheads at Retak Larry,
a classic, dark sand muck diving site 
named after the late Lembeh pioneer, Larry Smith.
There are many species of scorpionfish in the area,
and it is often impossible to accurately identify them from pictures alone
due to the minor differences in their anatomy
and the highly variable nature of their camouflage.
All scorpionfishes possess venomous spines on the dorsal

English: 
and anal fins for self-defense, and for stunning their prey.
They can also deliver a painful, sometimes even deadly sting to humans.
The sting can be deactivated and the pain alleviated
with prolonged immersion in hot water.
Like so many cryptic lembeh creatures,
scorpionfishes are ambush predators,
using camouflage to remain hidden,
then pouncing on unsuspecting prey when it passes.
One of the best camouflaged of all is the Ambon scorpionfish,
named after the island to the south east in the Maluku islands.
It has very long protrusions, particularly above its eyes.
Due to its sedentary lifestyle,
this individual has gathered a lot of algae on its body.
Like many scorpionfishes it will soon clean itself
by shedding the outer layer of its skin, known as the cuticle.

Thai: 
ปลาแมงป่อง, ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาไวท์สกอร์เปี้ยน (Scorpaenopsis macrochir), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาแมงป่อง, เรอตักแลร์รี่
ปลาแมงป่อง, จาเฮียร์
ปลาแมงป่องอัมบน (Pteroidichthys amboinensis), แฮร์บอล

English: 
In the meantime the algae helps it disappear into the surrounding territory.
The scorpionfish of the Rhinopias genus
are fantastic and rare creatures,
and considered by many to be the holy grail of muck diving finds.
The Eschmeyer's scorpionfish,
sometimes known as a paddle flap scorpionfish,
is occasionally found by lucky divers.
This pink specimen was resident for a long time at Aer Perang.
Three days after my initial sighting,
the same individual had gathered a lot of algae on its body.
Like the Ambon scorpionfish, Rhinopias regularly shed their cuticle
to rid themselves of such algae and other unwanted organisms.

Thai: 
ปลาแมงป่องใบพาย (Rhinopias eschmeyeri), ไอร์เปอรัง

Thai: 
ปลาแมงป่องสาหร่าย (Rhinopias frondosa), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
The weedy scorpionfish, Rhinopias frondosa,
typically bears a spotted coloration and more skin filaments
than the Eschmeyer's scorpionfish.
This one was also at Aer Perang,
where bright yellow variants have previously been seen.
Both Eschmeyer's and weedy scorpionfishes
are often seen in the same locality,
leading some to speculate that they are in fact
morphological variations of the same species.
Like the nearby Eschmeyer's scorpionfish,
this one also gathered algae on its body during our three-day absence.
Lionfishes are close relatives of scorpionfishes.
Rather than camouflage, they bear a bold warning pattern

English: 
to advertise their toxicity and confuse predators.
Like scorpionfishes, they have venomous spines along their dorsal fin,
but the venom glands are smaller, so their sting is generally less potent.
Human fatalities are very rare.
This dwarf lionfish, also known as a shortfin turkeyfish,
splays its dorsal rays to maximize its defenses.
It feeds mainly on crabs at night.
In this pair, the male at the rear can be identified by its larger head
and longer pectoral fins with more bands than those of its female partner.

Thai: 
ปลาสิงโตแคระม้าลาย (Dendrochirus zebra), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ
ปลาสิงโตแคระ (Dendrochirus brachypterus), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
Red lionfish are sometimes seen too.
This is a young red lionfish sheltering next to an oil drum at Aer Perang.
They have tentacles above the eyes,
and some exhibit globular fleshy growths beneath these tentacles.
Here we find a mature adult at Jahir.
Although indigenous only to the Indo-Pacific,
red lionfish have been introduced to the east coast of the United States
and spread all the way from North Carolina down to the Caribbean.
With few natural predators
and a voracious appetite for smaller reef fishes,
the population has expanded exponentially,
wiping out many native species
and greatly upsetting the balance of reef ecosystems.

Thai: 
ปลาสิงโตปีกจุด (Pterois volitans), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลาสิงโตปีกจุด (Pterois volitans), จาเฮียร์

Thai: 
ปลากะรังหัวโขนดำ (Inimicus didactylus), ไอร์เปอรัง
ปลากะรังหัวโขนดำ (Inimicus didactylus), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
In a battle to control the invasion,
divers are encouraged to catch lionfishes.
Lionfish derbies are held,
with prizes for the highest number of catches,
and even lionfish cookbooks have been produced.
Scientists are trying to understand
why the native Indo-Pacific population is not out of control,
in an effort to find solutions to the west-Atlantic invasion.
One fish that divers should be wary of in the Lembeh Strait
is the demon stinger,
as its sting is extremely painful and can be deadly to humans.
They have excellent camouflage and often lie partially buried in the muck.
These fish are more closely related to the lethal stonefish
than to scorpionfishes,
and are known by a multitude of other evocative common names

Thai: 
ปลากะรังหัวโขนดำ (Inimicus didactylus), โพลิซเพียร์
บุ้งทะเล (Chloeia parva), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
including spiny devilfish, bearded ghoul and sea goblin.
The lower two rays of the pectoral fins
are detached from the fin,
and the demon stinger walks on them
in a manner similar to some dragonets.
Demon stingers have no known predators.
Many fellow bottom dwellers are oblivious to their existence.
This fireworm, a type of bristleworm,
crawls right over the top of a well-camouflaged demon stinger.
Another type of polychaete worm wriggles past this wispy waspfish.
Like their scorpionfish relatives,
waspfishes are also armed with venomous spines in their dorsal fin.

English: 
The wispy waspfish's coloration is variable.
Bandtail waspfishes are sometimes found too.
The whiteface waspfish is one of the more common types.

Thai: 
ปลากะรังหัวโขนลาย (Paracentropogon longispinis), มากะวีเดย์
ปลากะรังหัวโขนลาย (Paracentropogon longispinis), ทีเค2
ปลากะรังหัวโขนหางแถบ (Paracentropogon zonatus), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ปลากะตั้วหน้าขาว (Richardsonichthys leucogaster), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
With its spines erect, like its namesake's crest,
the cockatoo waspfish sways from side to side,
mimicking a dead leaf in surge.
They are sometimes found in pairs on the open seabed.
The broadclub cuttlefish is the second largest species of cuttlefish,
and the most common on coral reefs.

Thai: 
ปลากะรังหัวโขน (Ablabys taenianotus), นูดี้ริทรีต
ปลากะรังหัวโขน (Ablabys taenianotus), จาเฮียร์
หมึกกระดองมือยาว (Sepia latimanus), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์

English: 
It can adopt an infinite number of textures, colors and poses
to camouflage itself, communicate and to hypnotize prey.
As the name suggests, the crinoid cuttlefish
tends to hang around feather stars,
but this one is hiding amongst the branches of a decaying staghorn coral.
This is an undescribed species known only from Indonesia.
It can be recognized by the dark spots at the front of its lower arms.
The dwarf, or stumpy-spined cuttlefish
is a tiny species that is usually only seen at night.
Rather than swimming, it usually uses its lower arms
to walk on and explore the seabed.
It is often found in association with echinoderms such as this sea urchin.

Thai: 
หมึกกระดองมือยาว (Sepia latimanus), มากะวีเดย์
หมึกกระดองไครนอยด์ (Sepia sp.), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
หมึกกระดองแคระ (Sepia bandensis), นูดี้ฟอลส์

Thai: 
ปลาหมึกแฟลมบอยเอินท์ (Metasepia pfefferi), เรอตักแลร์รี่

English: 
Another species that walks on its arms
is one of the real stars of Lembeh,
the flamboyant cuttlefish.
When disturbed it abandons its camouflage
and the skin adopts spectacular shades of purple and yellow,
with waves of white radiating down the mantle.
The color changes are achieved
by adjusting millions of pigmented cells in the skin
called chromatophores.
This is an example of aposematic coloration
whereby a creature warns potential predators of its toxicity.
Scientists have recently discovered
that the flamboyant cuttlefish's muscle tissue
contains a unique and highly potent toxin,
proving that this display is no bluff.
Cuttlefishes' intelligence and unique powers

English: 
compensate for their lack of a protective shell.
They have the highest brain-to-body-mass ratio of all invertebrates,
and researchers have shown them to possess a good memory
and a high capacity for learning.
Like other cuttlefishes, they possess special feeding tentacles
which they use for snatching prey such as small shrimps or gobies.
This tiny juvenile raises its median tentacles,
a common threat display amongst cuttlefishes.
Octopuses are closely related to cuttlefishes
and have similar characteristics and intelligence.
Here at TK, this undescribed octopus
has captured a crab and retreats to its burrow to enjoy the meal.

Thai: 
ปลาหมึกแฟลมบอยเอินท์ วัยเด็ก (Metasepia pfefferi), มากะวีเดย์
ปลาหมึกยักษ์ที่ยังไม่ได้รับการจัดประเภท, ทีเค1

Thai: 
ปลาหมึกสายขาว (Callistoctopus luteus), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
This octopus is a near relative of the mimic octopus and wonderpus.
It usually injects the crab with a paralyzing saliva
before using it's parrot-like beak at the center its arms
to excavate the meat from the crab.
As the name suggests, the starry night octopus is a nocturnal species.
This starry night octopus led me a dance across the reef,

English: 
twisting, turning and contorting itself
as it tried to escape my attention.

Thai: 
หอยไฟฟ้า หรือ หอยกาบดิสโก้ (Ctenoides ales), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
This flame scallop is a type of bivalve.
It appears to emit luminescent electrical pulses,
but actually it is rolling and unrolling the edges of its mantle,
revealing special particles that simply reflect light.
The display is thought to attract phytoplankton as food

Thai: 
หอยกระต่าย (Phalium glaucum), ทีเค2

English: 
and perhaps frighten off predators like crabs and shrimps.
The grey bonnet is a typical sea snail, a type of gastropod.
It has a protective, coiled shell
that it can withdraw its entire body into.
It glides over the substrate on its large, muscular foot,
and at the rear we see the operculum,
a hard lid that is used to close the opening of the shell
after the snail withdraws into it.
Two simple eyes peer out from under the front of the shell,
and important sensory feedback also comes from the two tentacles.
To one side is the inhalent siphon,
a tube that the sea snail uses to draw in water for respiration.

Thai: 
หอยสังข์ปากส้ม (Euprotomus bulla), จาเฮียร์

English: 
The anatomy of the bubble conch is different.
Its mouth is much more obvious,
at the end of a long protrusion called a proboscis.
It is strictly a herbivore,
and it uses the proboscis for locating and eating algae growing in the sand.
It's eyes are much more prominent too,
at the end of long stalks, and jutting out from these stalks
are two highly sensitive tentacles.
Rather than gliding, it uses its operculum
to drag itself along the bottom in a lurching motion.
Conchs are a popular food,
and their shells have symbolic and religious significance in some cultures.
They have been used for everything from musical instruments,
to weapons, to ink holders.

English: 
It's not just humans that recycle conch shells.
Here is that whitespotted hermit crab we met earlier,
The original inhabitant of its home was a strawberry conch.
The main sensory organ of cone snails
is the siphon itself which contains highly sensitive chemoreceptors.
If it detects suitable prey
the cone will unleash a harpoon from its proboscis
containing a highly venomous neurotoxin,
powerful enough to kill humans.
A huge and fascinating diversity of sea slugs,
or opisthobranchs, are found in the Lembeh Strait.
Opisthobranch means "gills behind",
because their gills are located behind their heart.
Most have all but lost their protective shell,
but compensate with more advanced weapons of defense.

Thai: 
ปูเสฉวนยักษ์ (Dardanus megistos), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ
หอยเต้าปูนงาช้าง (Conus eburneus), ทีเค2
ทากเปลือยบุลล็อก & ทากเปลือยขอบย่นขอบเหลือง (Hypselodoris bullocki & Glossodoris cincta), ไอร์เปอรัง
ทากเปลือย (Phyllodesmium kabiranum), นูดี้ริทรีต
ทากเปลือยไทรอน (Hypselodoris tryoni), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยฮิปเสโลโดริสจุด (Hypselodoris maculosa), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์

English: 
Over six thousand different species of sea slug are nudibranchs.
The name means "naked gills",
referring to the rosette of branchial plumes on their back,
surrounding their anus.
These gills vary greatly in form,
but all have a large surface area for oxygen exchange.
The black-margined Doriprismatica sometimes actively wiggles its gills,
perhaps to increase water flow across them.
as does this closely-related Glossodoris slug.
Nudibranchs' primitive eyes can do little but detect light and shade,
but the rhinophores on their head
are sensitive to smell and taste, as well as touch,
helping them navigate, find food, and locate mates.
The fine structure gives a high surface area
for maximum chemical detection.

Thai: 
ทากเปลือยดัสกี้เนมโบรธา (Nembrotha kubaryana), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากเปลือยไทรอน (Hypselodoris tryoni), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยแคงก้า (Hypselodoris kanga), ไอร์เปอรัง
ทากเปลือยขอบย่นขาว (Doriprismatica atromarginata), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากเปลือยขอบย่นขอบเหลือง (Glossodoris cincta), ไอร์เปอรัง

Thai: 
ทากเปลือยไทรอน (Hypselodoris tryoni), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยดัสกี้เนมโบรธา (Nembrotha kubaryana), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากเปลือยแมกนิฟฟิเซินท์โครโมโดริส (Chromodoris magnifica), นูดี้ริทรีต
ทากเปลือยล็อคส์โครโมโดริส (Chromodoris lochi), บูนาเคน
ทากเปลือยแอนนา (Chromodoris annae), บูนาเคน
ทากเปลือยขาวจุดดำ (Jorunna funebris), ทีเค2
ทากเปลือยดิสโคโดริสขอบเข้ม (Discodoris boholiensis), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ

English: 
The pairing of rhinophores gives sea slugs some spatial awareness.
They can detect the direction that smells are coming from
by comparing the intensity on each rhinophore.
Most nudibranchs encountered in the Lembeh Strait are cryptobranchs,
which means "hidden gills".
This is because they are able to retract their gills to protect them.
Most species, such as this funeral jorunna slug,
are also able to retract their rhinophores when under threat.
This Bohol Discodoris nudibranch mimics a toxic polyclad flatworm.
But it can also shed sections of its mantle if disturbed;

Thai: 
ทากทะเล (Mexichromis trilineata), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ทากเปลือยแคงก้า (Hypselodoris kanga), ไอร์เปอรัง
ทากทะเล (Nembrotha yonowae), โพลิซเพียร์
ทากเปลือยแอนนา (Chromodoris annae), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยล็อคส์โครโมโดริส (Chromodoris lochi), นูดี้ริทรีต
ทากทะเล (Chromodoris willani), นูดี้ริทรีต
ทากเปลือยแมกนิฟฟิเซินท์โครโมโดริส (Chromodoris magnifica), นูดี้ริทรีต

English: 
a phenomenon known as autotomy.
Most nudibranchs are toxic or distasteful,
and many bear a dazzling array of flamboyant colors and patterns
- one reason why they are so popular with divers.
Some are even fluorescent.
This is another example of aposematic coloration
- a warning to potential predators of their toxicity.
Many nudibranchs of the Chromodoris genus
bear similar black, longitudinal lines.
Some suggest their coloration has converged
in an evolutionary phenomenon known as Müllerian mimicry.
Predators that learn their lesson to not eat one species,
are likely to avoid all similarly-patterned slugs.
Alternatively, they may have simply diversified from a common ancestor.
The truth may be a mixture of the two.

English: 
The Ceratosoma genus, with its distinctive lobed body,
is well represented in the strait.
The raised horn behind the gills
contains noxious chemicals from the sponges it feeds on.
It is a sacrificial defensive lure,
inviting predators to feed on it first,
while the more important and less toxic part of the slug is preserved.
Under attack, the gills would be withdrawn for protection.
Often these toxic appendages do appear to be small
and in the process of regeneration, suggesting previous attacks.
Lone Banggai cardinalfish
sometimes appear to form a symbiotic relationship with these nudibranchs.
Perhaps they benefit from the shelter of a notoriously toxic companion.
This slug has completely withdrawn its head and rhinophores,

Thai: 
ทากทะเล (Ceratosoma gracillimum), ทีเค1
ทากเปลือยซีราโทโซมาขอบม่วง (Ceratosoma tenue), จาเฮียร์
ปลาอมไข่ครีบยาว (Pterapogon kauderni), มากะวีเดย์

English: 
revealing its mouth.
The gills of phyllidiid nudibranchs are along their sides,
hidden under the mantle rather than on their backs.
When disturbed, they secrete a highly pungent poison
from the tubercles on their body.
This ocellate Phyllidia bears false eyespots
to give the illusion of a larger animal.
The cardinal Phyllidiopsis differs greatly
in color and form from other phyllidiids.
Its camouflage, and reluctance to venture into the open during daylight,
suggests it might not be so toxic.
Aeolid nudibranchs have cerata along their backs,
rather than a plume of gills.
They feed on stinging animals such as hydroids.

Thai: 
ทากเปลือยอานม้าสามชั้น (Ceratosoma trilobatum), ไอร์ เปอรัง
ทากเปลือยปุ่มเชอรีน (Phyllidiopsis shireenae), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยปุ่มเชอรีน (Phyllidiopsis shireenae), นูดี้ริทรีต
ทากปุ่มเหลืองลายดํา (Phyllidia ocellata), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยปุ่มคาร์ดิเนิล (Phyllidiopsis cardinalis), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากหนามม่วงปลายเหลือง (Flabellina exoptata), โพลิซเพียร์

English: 
They are immune to the hydroid's stinging nematocysts,
which are transported to the tips of the cerata,
where they act as a defense.
This nudibranch, commonly known as a "blue dragon" nudibranch,
stores and cultivates zooxanthellae from one of its food sources.
This is the same type of single-celled alga, a plant,
that lives symbiotically within reef-building corals.
Inside the slug's body, the zooxanthellae continue to photosynthesize
the sun's energy into sugars and other nutrients
that the slug then metabolizes.
In effect the slug is solar-powered,
and can survive for lengthy periods on this fuel without feeding.
The plants benefit from the arrangement too,
as they are protected and can flourish inside the nudibranch's body.
The cerata have evolved to give maximum exposure to sunlight.

Thai: 
ทากหนามชมพู (Flabellina rubrolineata), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
ทากหนามงู (Pteraeolidia semperi), แฮร์บอล
ทากหนามงู (Pteraeolidia semperi), โพลิซเพียร์
ทากหนามงู (Pteraeolidia semperi), แฮร์บอล

Thai: 
ทากขน (Phyllodesmium crypticum), เรอตักแลร์รี่
ทากขน (Phyllodesmium crypticum), แฮร์บอล

English: 
Patches of brown show where clusters of zooxanthellae are stored
and the white areas show where it is lacking.
This nudibranch of the Phyllodesmium genus
has a magnificent shrimp for company.
These slugs are also solar-powered.
They obtain their symbiotic zooxanthellae
from their prey of Xenia soft corals.
Although they can secrete repellent substances from their cerata,
they don't store stinging nematocysts like most other aeolids.
They compensate for this with camouflage,
by mimicking the soft corals that they feed on.
They also readily shed their cerata if disturbed.
Most sea slugs have a ribbon-like tongue covered in microscopic teeth
called a radula to help them consume their prey.

English: 
The form of the radula varies greatly
and is important as a basis for taxonomic classification.
All known nudibranchs are carnivores.
The biggest family of nudibranchs, the chromodoridids,
feed exclusively on sponges,
which are often concealed beneath sand or silt.
Most sea slugs are quite specific in their choice of food,
and so they are often drawn towards the same place.
This is also a good reason not to keep them in aquariums.
This is a pleurobranch, a different type of sea slug,
feeding on an ascidian, or "sea squirt", a type of tunicate.
This slug's gill is on the right side of its body
between its mantle and foot.
Nembrotha nudibranchs also feed on ascidians.
This lined Nembrotha is tackling a blue club tunicate.

Thai: 
ทากเปลือย (Hypselodoris emma), ไอร์เปอรัง
ทากเปลือย (Hypselodoris emma), ทีเค3
ทากเปลือยนางฟ้าม่วงพู่เหลือง (Hypselodoris apolegma), โพลิซเพียร์
ทากเปลือย (Hypselodoris whitei), อาว์ชาร์ค
ทากเปลือยแอนนา (Chromodoris annae), ตันจุง กุซูกุซู
ทากเปลือยนางฟ้าม่วงพู่เหลือง (Hypselodoris apolegma), ไอร์เปอรัง
พลูโรแบรนช์ (Pleurobranchus forskalii), ทูฟิชไดเวอร์เฮาส์รีฟ

English: 
The ascidian feeds by filtering plankton from the water
with its delicate, blue, sieve-like interior
enclosed in a clear outer sac, its tunic.
The sea slug everts its proboscis,
its oral tube, out of its mouth
and, with ruthless efficiency, sucks this fleshy interior
right through the tunic.
The radula teeth enable the slug to deal with
the tougher parts of the sea squirt's intestines.
In a little over a minute the meal is finished and the slug moves on.
This Nembrotha of a very similar species
makes its way through a colony of social ascidians
and past a tiny relative.
A liking for the same foodstuff

Thai: 
ทากทะเลเนมโบรธา&เพรียงหัวหอมบลูคลับ (Nembrotha lineolata & Rhopalaea crassa) , นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากเปลือย (Nembrotha chamberlaini & Nembrotha yonowae), ทีเค1

Thai: 
ทากเปลือย (Nembrotha chamberlaini), ทีเค1

English: 
increases the chances of encountering others of the same species,
and moments later this nudibranch had found itself a mate.
As they have no vision, nudibranchs locate each other
initially through smell then touch.
During copulation, they line up their genitals
which are on the right side of their body.
All sea slugs are hermaphrodites
and contain both male and female reproductive systems.
During mating, each nudibranch receives sperm from the other.
In many nudibranchs the genitals are flush with the body,
or raised on a slight swelling.
In this Nembrotha they are at the end of a stalk
which can be extended a long way to reach the partner.
The penis, which is off to the side,
is covered in tiny, sharp barbs
which lock it into the vagina,
which is at the center of the stalk.

Thai: 
ทากเปลือยบุลล็อก (Hypselodoris bullocki), คริตเตอร์ฮันท์
ทากเปลือยขอบย่นขาว (Doriprismatica atromarginata), นูดี้ฟอลส์
ทากเปลือยซีราโทโซมาขอบม่วง (Ceratosoma tenue), ไอร์เปอรัง
ทากเปลือยไทรอน (Hypselodoris tryoni), นูดี้ฟอลส์

English: 
The male organs often mature before the female ones.
Small nudibranchs with an immature female reproductive system
can store the sperm they receive until they start producing fertile eggs.
This is a mating pair of hypselodorid nudibranchs.
Their genitals are also covered in tiny spines
that anchor them together during copulation.
After fertilization, a mucus-bound ribbon of eggs is laid in a spiral,
often on or near the species' food source.
Most egg masses are toxic to predators
and are abandoned by the parent.
Hypselodorid nudibranchs often follow each other around, top to tail.
The reason for this "trailing", or "tailgating" behavior is a mystery.
It's thought to be a prelude to mating,
but in some cases the trailing slug

English: 
might simply be getting an easy ride in the search for food.
This sap-sucking slug is not a nudibranch.
It does not have gills as such
but breathes through two leafy flaps called parapodia
that run most of the length of its body.
The rhinophores on its head have a semi-tubular form.
It feeds by sucking the fluid from green algae,
and the chloroplasts it contains give the body a bright green color
which fades if the slug goes short of food.
Behind the rhinophores it has tiny photo-receptors for eyes.
The white spots are raised glands
that can secrete a repellent white substance.

Thai: 
ทากปีกเขียว (Elysia sp.), แฮร์บอล

Thai: 
ทากเฮดชิลด์ (Philinopsis gardineri), มากะวีเดย์
ทากเฮดชิลด์ (Chelidonura amoena), ไอร์เปอรัง

English: 
Headshield slugs lack tentacles
and most retain a small thin internal shell.
They also have parapodia,
which are wrapped up and around the body.
Many excrete mucous to help them burrow into the substrate,
and the headshield prevents sand entering the mantle cavity.
This Gardiner's headshield slug feeds on polychaete worms.
And this pleasant headshield slug
feeds exclusively on acoel flatworms
that infest hard corals and sponges.
Small, dark eyespots on the front of its head
give it very primitive vision.
Like the striated frogfish,
the ragged sea hare is camouflaged with long papillae
that help it disappear on a seabed strewn with algae.

Thai: 
แรกกิดซีแฮร์ (Bursatella leachii), แฮร์บอล

English: 
Sea hares get their name from the overall body shape
and the long pair of rhinophores on the head,
which are tubular, and give it an acute sense of smell.
It also has a second pair of tentacles at the sides of the mouth
and it gobbles up the thin layer of cyanobacteria that coats the seabed.
Below the rhinophores it has a pair of tiny eyes.
If it is disturbed it can release a noxious mixture
of white opaline and purple ink.
Recent research has shown that this sticks to the antennae
of predators such as lobsters and dulls their senses.
The bright blue eyespots covering the body
are more vivid here than in populations in other parts of the world.

Thai: 
ไลนด์ซีแฮร์ท (Stylocheilus striatus), เรอตักแลร์รี่

English: 
Ragged sea hares and these similar but smaller lined sea hares
sometimes form huge swarming aggregations
comprising hundreds or even thousands of individuals of varying size.
They tumble over each other, devouring cyanobacteria
and defecating as they stampede across the sea floor.
In an aggregation they are an easy target for predators.
Pufferfishes and predatory sea slugs
have been seen to pick them off one by one.
They breed quickly and have even been sold
into the aquarium trade as "sea bunnies"
for eating unwanted algae
and providing food for other tank inhabitants with their larvae.

English: 
It is said that inhabitants of some of the Cook Islands and Austral Islands
collect and eat swarms of these sea hares,
discarding the toxic internal organs.
It is a mystery why sea hares aggregate like this.
They have been observed to all mate, spawn and die at the same time.
Although it resembles a sea slug, this is a polyclad flatworm.
Its ruffled periphery forms a pair of pseudotentacles
reminiscent of nudibranchs' rhinophores.
Occasionally flatworms leave the seabed to swim
and when they do, they are a spectacular sight.
The Lembeh Strait is truly a remarkable place.
An evolutionary hotbed where many of the secrets are yet to be discovered.
Veterans of thousands of dives here

Thai: 
หนอนตัวแบน (Pseudobiceros gloriosus), เรอตักแลร์รี่

English: 
continue to be surprised by new creatures
and fascinating behaviors in the muck.
No film could ever comprehensively document
this underwater cornucopia of life.
Personally, I can't wait to get back
and see what lies in store.
