Images

An adult Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) bares his teeth.

Bright red Fire Sponges (Tedania ignis) can cause severe reactions if touched.

Spotted Trunkfishes (Lactophrys bicaudalis) feed mostly on Sea Squirts (Tunicates).

The beautiful yellow and black Rock Beauty (Holacanthus tricolor) is much less abundant than the other members of the Angelfish Family.

A queen angelfish peers through the safety of the mangrove roots across the rich colors and textures of corals, sponges, urchins, and algae. Queen angelfish feed almost exclusively on sponges, which are abundant in these mangroves.

Barracudas of all sizes, from the juveniles shown here, to adults over 3 feet long, are common inhabitants of the mangroves.

A Queen Angelfish peers through the safety of the mangrove roots across the rich colors and textures of corals, sponges, urchins, and algae. Queen Angelfish feed almost exclusively on sponges, which are abundant in these mangroves.

This colony of Mountainous Star Coral (Montastraea faveolata) is so large (about 3 feet across) that it must have been growing before the severe bleaching and disease episode in 2005/2006 that caused so much coral mortality on St. John's reefs.

Gray Snappers (Lutjanus griseus) are among the largest fish found in schools in the mangroves.

This Giant Caribbean Anemone (Condylactis gigantea) tucked in between mangrove roots.

Solitary Sea Squirts grow on prop roots and on the bottom in the mangroves. Tunicates are unusual animals that are classified along with humans and other vertebrates in the Phylum Chordata.

Pale-blue sponges and plate-like coral colonies (Agaricia agaricites) grow on mangrove prop roots.

This photo shows a mangrove ecosystem that may be unique in the Caribbean in terms of the abundance and diversity of corals.

This photo shows a mangrove ecosystem that may be unique in the Caribbean in terms of the abundance and diversity of corals.

This coral (Mycetophyllia sp.) is not abundant in coral reefs of the Virgin Islands. It most commonly grows in water deeper than 40 ft., and it is surprising to find it growing in the shade of the mangroves in 3 ft of water.

A large colony of Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans) has grown almost completely around a prop root.

Some of the corals in these bays are so large that they must have been growing here before the bleaching event in 2005. The Mountainous Star Coral (Montastraea faveolata) (background) is one of the largest colonies in these mangroves. In the foreground is the Flower Coral (Eusmilia fastigiata).

In Hurricane Hole, Red Mangrove trees extend from land into the water, anchoring the trees along the shoreline and creating a rich marine ecosystem.

Prop roots of the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) tree create thickets that harbor a wide variety of creatures both above and below the water.

A view of red mangrove trees and their prop roots above and below the water surface.

Prop roots extending into the water column are commonly colonized by a variety of colorful and bizarrely-shaped sponges.