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Why
Saba? Hot off
the press... Other good stuff...
Uranoscopus sulphureus
This bubble-eyed night time stalker was photographed in the Straits of Lembeh off Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Though it appears to have a lure-like mechanism to entice prey, the mechanism is instead waving worm like tentacles attached on the lower jaw. The popular name, as the scientific name (Uranoscopus = the one looking at the sky) both refer to an obvious anatomic feature, the eyes looking upward. This allows the fish to hide under the sand, with only eyes and mouth exposed. Though similar in appearance to a Stone fish, the Star Gazer is its own Genus, belonging to the Order Perciformes, with its cousins ranging from bass to perch; whereas Frogfish belong to the Order Lophiiformes. Questioning Sargassums as the only swimmers of frogfish?
On the Saba
Frogfish page of this site we remark that our readings indicate a
Sargassum Frog Fish is the only frog fish granted a swim bladder and
giving it the ability to swim. We're presently in contact those in
the know to question that writing as we found the above angler to be a
hardy swimmer. Tthrough a friend of a friend we made advance arrangments
with a local diver in the area who had spotted tasselled's in the
past. We became friends with Melanie Payne. Mel is from the
wine region of Adelaide but regularly dives this area when her partner is
not traveling for business. She and her dog camped with us and
continued the vigil until after about 10 days and almost 30 dives she
found this gem. Granted we were the only divers with this quest with
the exception of an equally crazed videographer from the UK. Once
found, it proved to be less than a cooperative subject. The above
photo catches the Tasselled Frog Fish literally in flight.
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First three images from Lembeh Straits, Indonesia. Next images from South Australia.
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All images ©John Magor Photography and Sea Saba Dive Center or as otherwise noted. No image to be used for any purpose or in any format without permission. Quality prints on archive standard paper available $30-$50, size dependent. High resolution digital images on a contract basis only. Contact us for permission and procedures. This page last updated on 04/20/2006 |
Where you'll find a Tasselled and More...
And this picture was taken on the nicest day. Most dives were done with a 3 foot chop, vis was never better than 10 meters and our maximum depth was 8 meters. Oh, and almost forgot to mention the temperature 16C or around 50F. But there is amazing marine life under this jetty. As you can see in the photo, the Edithburgh Pier is now the platform for many a retired angler above. Originally, this pier and many others in the region were built for the export of gypsum. No longer a viable industry, the small towns are quiet hamlets for retirees and visitors. The winds in this area are normally very strong. We found an incredible variety of marine life utilizing the lost lawn chairs, fishing tackle and even a pair of blue jeans which hosted juvenile cuttlefish and a dozen blue ring octopus! Our quest initially was to find the Tasselled Frogfish but it became apparent early on that we were in one of the most productive muck dive areas we've ever encountered. The photos to the left below the Tasselled show some of the frogfish we found in this very small area. Most of the piers in the area appear to have a "fence" underwater. After a few days the purpose became more obvious...these fences are built as protective swim areas for the local children. While we were there, a windsurfer disappeared with only his board and a small piece of wetsuit were found just one pier north of where we were diving. White pointers (great white sharks to non-Australians) are not a myth in this area, but a fact of life. Have a beer with John and ask him about the sea lion story...See our More Cepholapods page about the accommodations we utilized on this trip.
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