Night shift on the reef

Colonial anemone (Nemanthus annamensis)There are nocturnal animals in the sea, just as there are on land. Many marine animals hide all day and only come out at night to hunt, feed, or mate.

The colonial anemone pictured here (Nemanthus annamensis) is one such nocturnal marine animal -- part of the underwater 'night shift' that begins shortly after sunset and lasts until dawn. The only way to see these nocturnal marine creatures is to dive at night.

The anemones in these colonies open as soon as it gets dark. During the night they look like pretty flowers, with their tentacles extended to feed. When morning comes they fold their tentacles inward and each one of the 'flowers' turns into a tightly shut fist. While they are closed during the day they look like nondescript lumps, their nighttime beauty obscured.

The photo was taken during a night dive in the Red Sea, near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. If you click on the photo it will enlarge.

16 comments:

  1. Bobbie & Jerry, take a look at my post for tomorrow (it's up now) about the Great Barrier Reef.

    I enjoy your blog so much...t's beautiful and informative.

    Work of the Poet

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  2. beautiful photo, beautiful subject!

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  3. hi Bobbie,

    How dare you say my underwater pictures are nice while your underwater photo's are so excellent ! ;) ;) ;) I still have a lot to learn :P

    Thanks for the compliment !

    Rick Wezenaar
    photographer (not underwater, hehe :P)

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  4. @ Mary (the teach) - Nice post about the Great Barrier Reef on your blog. Thanks for sharing.

    @Ankush - Thanks very much for stopping by. I like your photos, too.

    @ Rick (rwez) What I said -- and what I meant -- was that taking photos while snorkeling, as you did, is very difficult. Your result was quite worthy of praise. ;-}

    Bobbie

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  5. Hi Bobbie, that's another great work from your UW photography! :)

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  6. Hi CK -

    Thank you. I'm glad to see you visit The Right Blue.

    Bobbie

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  7. Again another great picture! It's simply amazing -- how you guys manage to take these stunning shots and make it look so easy, like it was done in a studio.. hats off!

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  8. Thanks for sharing this, great info on the subject and the images are wonderful, very nice Bobbie.

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  9. Hi Jos and Bernie,

    Thanks to both of you for visiting so frequently and for cheering us on. We appreciate it.

    Bobbie & Jerry

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  10. Wow, this is stunning! I'm just speechless at all these fantastic piccies of your water world... mesmerising! You must have such wonderful adventures!

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  11. They are so delicate looking - great job!!

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  12. Hi Charlotte and Kathy - Welcome back, and thank you.

    Bobbie & Jerry

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  13. Hey Guys,
    just back from Antibes, catching up on mails. Thanks for posting a comment on my Blog. Your images are fantastic, you will have a blast in Lembeh if you ever get out there.

    Strongly suggest diving with Two Fish Divers. Basic but incredible guide service. I dived there for a onth and had my own full time guide. It was down to me to tip him as there was no fee for that service. Very cool.

    Best Fishes.
    Mark 'CamDiver' Thorpe

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  14. Hi Mark -

    Thanks for stopping by. If and whenever we do make it to Lembeh, we definitely will follow your advice.

    Congratulations on your award. We can't wait to see the film.

    Bobbie & Jerry

    Note to everyone else: Mark Thorpe just won the "Prix du Public" at the 34e Festival Mondiale de L'Image Sous Marine" (34th World Festival of Underwater Images) for his film The Majesty of Muck. Go on over to his blog and congratulate him:

    Mark Thorpe a.k.a. CamDiver

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  15. That picture is amazing. I love this blog, it's so beautiful. I can't swim but I love the water, I've never even considered the possibility of diving but I would love to take photos underwater, everytime I look at this blog, I get the longing on me :)

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  16. Claire, we strongly urge you to learn to swim. Then you can put on a mask and snorkel and see some of these wonders for yourself.

    Bobbie & Jerry

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We welcome your comments and invite your questions. Dialogue is a good thing!

Bobbie & Jerry