Caribbean Sea Marine Life

The banded coral shrimp is truly unique with long, white antennae, and its body and legs are red or violet (the red bands) with white stripes.  Known as a cleaner shrimp, the banded coral shrimp hangs around openings in the reef and around sponges as it waves its long white antenna to attract fish, and ...

The Blue Tang boasts a vibrant electric blue body dressed with bold black markings. In fact, the black that begins at the eyes, traces the dorsal line down to the tail, and circles back above the pectoral fin to create a unique shape reminiscent of a painter's palette. This marking is why the Blue Tang ...

The bottlenose dolphin is perhaps the most familiar of the sea mammals.  In Belize, it is a blessing to see these creatures at play.  Their gentle nature has endeared them in our hearts. These highly social animals have actually been known to rescue humans from danger.  Most sightings occur at the Tres Cocos site off ...

The Christmas tree worm gets its name from the Christmas tree shaped arrangement of its gills. This is also a tubed worm. Christmas tree worms are usually found in colonies encrusting rocks & corals, and they come in nearly every imaginable color, which you can see first hand snorkeling and diving in Belize.

If you see a long line of dark blue to violet fish swimming over the reef, two to three abreast, in a long line, you are most likely amongst a school of Creole Wrasse.  Rarely seen alone and often in huge marauding schools, the Creole Wrasse is a very pretty fish, ranging in size from ...

The Yellowtail Damselfish is gorgeously colored and is considered the ultimate damselfish.  A stunning combination of colors against any backdrop of corals, damselfish dwell in the barrier reef feeding on crustaceans, plankton, and algae.  Damselfish are also known to cultivate red algae, making it the only fish known to engage in farming.

A gorgonian, also known as sea whip or sea fan, is a beautifully formed soft coral abundant in the waters of Belize.  They may grow several feet high and across but are only a few inches thick.  Many are brightly colored purple, red, or yellow.

Considered one of the most popular marine animals to spot while diving in Belize, the green moray is really brown.  The yellow tint of the mucus that covers its body, in combination with the drab background color, gives the fish its characteristic uniform green color.  With flattened bodies, the green moray finds its prey through ...

A joy to pet and swim with, the nurse shark is a very docile and passive species. It is a sluggish bottom feeder, and it uses its pavement-like teeth to crush shellfish. The Nurse Shark is commonly seen lying motionless on the ocean floor. It grows to an average length of 8 feet. Although any ...

Parrot Fish come in gorgeous colors, with their scales sparkling in the underwater sunlight.  Pictured here is the Rainbow Parrot Fish.  Named for their parrot-like mouths, they feed on a wide variety of reef organisms.  And with their teeth they grind up coral rock that the fish ingested during feeding. After they digest they excrete the rock ...