Images

A curious manatee calf encounters a snorkeling scientist as the USGS Sirenia Project conducts fieldwork at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

A Cushion Sea Star (Oreaster reticulata) moves slowly along the bottom near some bright green algae (Caulerpa racemosa).

A juvenile Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) feeds on sponges with French Grunts nearby.

Juvenile Four Eye Butterflyfishes (Chaetodon capistratus) find protection in the prop roots and feed on coral polyps.

Sediment can smother corals, but Hurricane Hole has no sediment-bearing freshwater streams. Its clear waters are habitat for an entire community of marine life, including Montastrea corals and squirrelfish. Photo: Caroline Rogers, USGS, 2009

The seedlings of Red Mangrove trees germinate from fruits while still attached to the trees. Here many are growing within the roots of adult trees.

At high tide, the red bark of the Red Mangrove Trees is submerged, creating a brilliant reflection at the water's surface. Flat Tree Oysters (Isognomon alatus) grow on the upper portions of the roots.

Sponges, such as the blue, green and orange ones growing on these prop roots, provide much of the color in the Hurricane Hole mangroves.

Small corals have settled and begun to grow on the prop roots (Finger Coral, Porites sp. on the left; Lettuce Coral, Agaricia sp. on the right).

Giant Caribbean Anemones (Condylactis gigantea) display a wide range of colors but often have bright pink or purple tips.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.