Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • The Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) is found from Bermuda and South Carolina to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Atol das Rocas.  They are common in the Caribbean and less common in southern Florida and the Bahamas. <br />
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The Coney weighs about a pound (0.5 kg), although occasionally it can weigh as much as 3 pounds (1.4 kg). Their average length is 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm), with a maximum length of 16 inches (41 cm).  Coney’s feed primarily on small fish and crustaceans. <br />
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As with many other groupers, the females transform into males when they reach about 8 inches (20 cm). The Coney also has many color phases including a common phase shown here, a bicolor phase in which the upper body is dark and the lower body is pale, and a bright yellow phase with few spots.
    P4120902-2-Edit-coney-coral-fish-spo...tif
  • The spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa) is a medium sized moray eel also referred to as conger, spotted eel, red moray, speckled moray, white cong, white-jawed moray, and white-chinned moray. Spotted moray eels are commonly 24 inches (60 cm) in length but can grow to more than 6.5 feet (2 m) and weigh 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg).  They inhabit the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are also found around the mid- and eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena.   Although spotted moray eels have been reported as deep at 660 feet (200 m), this individual is hiding 54 feet below the surface off the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted morays are solitary animals, and usually hide in narrow crevices and holes in reef structures with only their heads peeking out as shown here.  They have double rows of teeth and are active during the day, feeding on crustaceans and fish at or near the sea bottom. Their bite can cause damage due to the rearward slanting teeth and potential toxins that may be released into the wound.
    P4110585-2-Edit-spotted-moray-eel.tif
  • A purple Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina) graces the top of a coral head covered in the red encrusting sponge Clathria (Microciona) spinose at a depth of 47 feet off the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico. Although they may look like plants, both sea fans and sponges are colonial marine animals.  Sea Fans are salt water invertebrates and belong to the order Alcyonacea.  Closely related to corals, they are found throughout the tropical and subtropical oceans of the world. They mostly prefer shallow waters with constant current, but have been found several thousand feet deep.  Each gorgonian polyp has eight tentacles which catch the plankton upon which they feed.  To facilitate this “filter feeding”, the "fan" is always oriented across the prevailing current to maximize the water flow and food supplied to the gorgonian. Sponges are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them.  There are 5,000 to 10,000 known species of sponges.  Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems, relying instead on a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes.
    P4100126-2-Edit-sea-fan-red-sponge.tif
  • This Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) is passing through a Slimy Sea Plume  (Pseudopterygorgia Americana) at 52 feet below the surface of the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico.   The banded butterflyfish is found in tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Bermuda. The name is derived from the dark vertical bands on the fish's body and the vertical black bar through the eye.  These markings disrupt the outline of the body and act as an efficient antipredator adaptation.  The banded butterflyfish diet consists mainly of small invertebrates, crustaceans, coral polyps, polychaete worms and various eggs. Sometimes they will even act as a cleaning fish and remove external parasites from surgeon fish, grunts and parrot fish.
    P4100115-2-Edit-banded-butterfly-fis...tif
  • A Blue Striped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) passes over a head of Brain Coral (Diploria strigose) 45 feet (14 m) below the Gulf of Mexico off the Riviera Maya.  The Blue Striped Grunt was first described by the English naturalist George Shaw in 1803 and is native to the western Atlantic Ocean ranging from Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean down to Brazil.  The Blue Striped Grunt can travel in schools of up to 1,000 individuals.  The fish commonly grows to a length 10 inches (25 cm,) attaining a maximum recorded length of 18 inches (46 cm) and maximum reported age of 12 years. These grunts can weigh up to 1.6 pounds (750 grams).   The name Blue Striped Grunt is derived from its blue stripes and its habit of grunting underwater by grinding its pharyngeal teeth and having the swim bladder act as a resonator which amplifies the sound.  Its diet consists mainly of shrimp, annelids, bivalves, and crustaceans.
    P4100296-2-Edit-vlue-striped-grunt-f...tif
  • A Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) extends its two “crowns” 49 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Riviera Maya. Christmas tree worms are widely distributed throughout the world's tropical oceans, residing from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific.  The two Christmas tree-shaped multicolored spiral “crowns” per worm that protrude from the tube-like body are mouth appendages highly specialized for both feeding and respiration. These animals possess a complete digestive system, a well-developed closed circulatory system, and a nervous system with a central brain and many supporting ganglia.  The worms have two eyes that can detect light which are tucked under the crowns.  These adaptations allow Christmas tree worms to rapidly retract their crowns into their burrows at any sign of danger.  Interestingly, the nerves from these eyes do not go to the usual section of the brain associated with vision, and the light-sensitive proteins in the eyes called opsins are not the typical eye variety.  Christmas tree worms come in a wide variety of bright colors and are generally about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in length.
    P4131263-2-Edit-christmas-tree-worm-...tif
  • The spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa) is a medium sized moray eel also referred to as conger, spotted eel, red moray, speckled moray, white cong, white-jawed moray, and white-chinned moray. Spotted moray eels are commonly 24 inches (60 cm) in length but can grow to more than 6.5 feet (2 m) and weigh 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg).  They inhabit the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are also found around the mid- and eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena.   Although spotted moray eels have been reported as deep at 660 feet (200 m), this individual is hiding 54 feet below the surface off the Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted morays are solitary animals, and usually hide in narrow crevices and holes in reef structures with only their heads peeking out as shown here.  They have double rows of teeth and are active during the day, feeding on crustaceans and fish at or near the sea bottom. Their bite can cause damage due to the rearward slanting teeth and potential toxins that may be released into the wound.
    P4110582-2-Edit-spotted-moray-eel.tif
  • A Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis) peers from his hiding place in the reef 47 feet below the surface off Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico.   Rock Hinds are widespread in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Bermuda, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and southern Brazil. The Rock Hind attains an average length of 14 inches (36 cm), although they have been reported to 24 inches (61cm) and a maximum weight of 9 pounds (4 kg).
    P4100075-2-Edit-rock-hind-fish-mexic...tif
  • A Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis) shows a toothy grin as he peers from his hiding place in the reef 47 feet below the surface off Riviera Maya in the Gulf of Mexico.   Rock Hinds are widespread in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Bermuda, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and southern Brazil. The Rock Hind attains an average length of 14 inches (36 cm), although they have been reported to 24 inches (61cm) and a maximum weight of 9 pounds (4 kg).
    P4100073-2-Edit-rock-hind-fish-mexic...tif
  • A Blue Striped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) passes over a head of Brain Coral (Diploria strigose) 45 feet (14 m) below the Gulf of Mexico off the Riviera Maya.  The Blue Striped Grunt was first described by the English naturalist George Shaw in 1803 and is native to the western Atlantic Ocean ranging from Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean down to Brazil.  The Blue Striped Grunt can travel in schools of up to 1,000 individuals.  The fish commonly grows to a length 10 inches (25 cm,) attaining a maximum recorded length of 18 inches (46 cm) and maximum reported age of 12 years. These grunts can weigh up to 1.6 pounds (750 grams).   The name Blue Striped Grunt is derived from its blue stripes and its habit of grunting underwater by grinding its pharyngeal teeth and having the swim bladder act as a resonator which amplifies the sound.  Its diet consists mainly of shrimp, annelids, bivalves, and crustaceans.
    P4100295-2-Edit-blue-striped-grunt-f...tif
  • A Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) buried within Brain Coral (Diploria strigose) extends its two “crowns” 45 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Riviera Maya. Christmas tree worms are widely distributed throughout the world's tropical oceans, residing from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific.  The two Christmas tree-shaped multicolored spiral “crowns” per worm that protrude from the tube-like body are mouth appendages highly specialized for both feeding and respiration. These animals possess a complete digestive system, a well-developed closed circulatory system, and a nervous system with a central brain and many supporting ganglia.  The worms have two eyes that can detect light which are tucked under the crowns.  The eyes can be partially seen in this image as two brighter red oblong structures between the crowns at their base.  These adaptations allow Christmas tree worms to rapidly retract their crowns into their burrows at any sign of danger.  Interestingly, the nerves from these eyes do not go to the usual section of the brain associated with vision, and the light-sensitive proteins in the eyes called opsins are not the typical eye variety.  Christmas tree worms come in a wide variety of bright colors and are generally about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in length.
    P4120992-2-Editchristmas-tree-worm-b...tif
  • A Yellowtail Damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) challenges the photographer 51 feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Riviera Maya.  The juveniles, as shown here, are often called "Jewelfish" because of their neon blue spots. When very young, their tails are without any color at all. Adult males will turn yellow during courting. The small neon blue spots never go away but get smaller and fade as the fish gets older. One of the most aggressive of all damselfish, it grows to a size of 8.5 inches (21 cm) in length.  Yellowtail Damselfish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from northeastern Florida south along the U.S. coast, Bermuda, the Bahamas, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, and along the Brazilian coast from Manuel Luis Reefs to Abrolhos including Trinidade Island.
    P4100307-2-Edit-juvenile-yellowtail-...tif
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