Tag Archives: pufferfish

I got really scared by an eel (Day 5)

Hi all, it’s Faith with Day 5 updates from the 2022 Belize trip!!!

DISCLAIMER: I just wrote this whole blog, and then the draft didn’t save, so here is an abridged version of what got deleted since we wake up at 6am and its almost 11 and I’m really tired 🙂

Today we woke up and continued collecting data to answer our research question. We did two snorkels on MPA reefs ( we called them MPA reefs 1 and 2, boring I know). These reefs had more cover than the non-mpa protected areas; however, they also had a lot of algae growth. Because these reefs were deeper and the tide was calmer, it was easier to measure the % live and dead coral. We also were way more successful at catching urchins. We caught about 113 total with the majority being E. viridis. However, we also saw 3 pencil slate urchins E. tribuloides, a west indian sea egg Tripneustes ventricosus (We had a bond. He latched onto me with his tube feet and held on for dear life, so I named him Fuzzy), and a super special live Clypeaster rosaceus sea biscuit. (We usually find them dead so we got very excited).  Lastly, but not least the Marine sea offcicers found some brittle stars for me since I can’t ever find them. We saw a common spiny brittle star Ophicoma echinata and a O. cinera, a banded brittle star. They were both found under rocks and coral. We only found one Diadema antillarium today and he was under some coral. We did see a nice eel on this reef (pictured below) he didn’t scare me. I decided to call him Floyd.

After the boat drove us back, we watched 3 presentations on crustaceans, green algae, and climate change’s effects on coral. Then we enjoyed some relaxation before out next dive.

Our final dive of the day was at the seagrass beds and barrier reef behind our dorms. I noticed big differences between the two areas even though they were right next to each other! The seagrass beds were extremely warmer with ample algae and a greenish water color. Meanwhile, the barrier reef was freezing cold with a pretty aqua color. It had dead coral piled up the the surface,  but sea urchins and other small creatures made their homes in the rubble. I didn’t see any echinoderms in the seagrass beds, but we saw a an eel, a stingray, 3 lionfish, 3 lobster, a white anemone, spaghetti worms (which are very fun to mess with), and a pufferfish. The pufferish and eel scared the living daylight out of me because I found them by being directly above them (which made them very upset). The eel snapped at me, but the pufferfish just stayed in place. It was scary… I named the scary eel Jade, and he has no picture.

We came back to watch 2 presentations: 1 by the coast guard and 1 by the island manager. I learned lots of interesting facts about how they keep the island “human-free.” But the most interesting fact to tell all of you is that I’m too short to join the Belizean coast guard. You have to be 5’3″ to apply as a girl and 5’5″ to apply as a guy!!!

Till tomorrow!

QOTD: “It’s commiting crabicide!” … “Did you just say crab-i-cide?”

“What does TBF mean?” (TBF, aka Tropical Field Biologists, aka what we have been called since our first meeting in March)

Banded Brittle Star O. cinera
Live Sea Biscuit Clypeaster rosaceus
The puffer that scared me terribly. I was chasing after a stingray, and next thing you know I’m in a pufferfish’s personal space
Floyd, the nice eel

Day 5: More Taxa Sightings & Reef Conservation

In the morning, we traveled by boat to more marine protected areas to continue our coral health research project and conduct more sea urchin gathering/counting (I discovered that it is very fun to hold sea urchins and not scary at all :D).  We also caught our second lionfish of the day! Yay!

I also noticed a beautiful and healthy branching fire coral (millepora alcicornis). It dawned on me that despite a few stag horn corals in the area that it was one of the only branching hard coral left healthy on this reef. I could see fish and sea urchins all around it! It’s so important to our coral reef ecosystem!

I also saw my first star horse-shoe worm (pomatostegus stellatus)! It was bright orange and very sensitive to my water movement, but I finally managed to get a picture! You can tell it’s a star horseshoe worm by it’s U-shaped crown radiole, but it’s hard to see in this picture.

Below is another cool Christmas tree worm!

Later when snorkeling just off of Glover’s Atoll for our optional snorkel, I saw a pufferfish (pictured below) and a stingray with my snorkel buddy Faith. I also spotted a lionfish and alerted the group, but unfortunately we could not catch this invasive species.

I also saw some a new species of worm called spaghetti worms (eupolymnia crassicornis)! They usually live in holes in the sand or in coral and they have long (< 18 inches) thin noodle-like tentacles which help them to catch food! I was surprised to see so many since they usually live on or under the sand which makes them hard to see. If you lightly touch their tentacles it will retract which is so cool to see. I love annelids.

Later that night, we had a guest lecture from the manager of Glover’s Research Station, Rafael. He told us that this was one of the only places in the Caribbean that is dedicated to preserving pristine reefs. There is not commercial fishing in this area, and fishermen willing to break this rule face these thousands of dollars in fines- some can even face jail time. If a large amount of fish that is illegally caught and dead, all the fish will eventually be donated to humanitarian nonprofits such as orphanages. There has only been 4 infractions in 2022 so far. Three people are stationed on Glover’s Atoll which include the manager, ranger, and marine biologist and these people enforce the laws. Since there is limited staff, some times the  Coast Guard will also assist when there is trouble. The Glover’s Reef Staff has maintained good relations with the local fishermen and some of these fishermen will report illegal fishing that they see.  Rafael told us he saw a shift of thinking towards sustainable fishing for the local people as although fishing is a necessity for providing for their families they also want to preserve their reefs. Glover’s Reef Research Station has assisted the Wild Life Conservation Society in many surveys such as:  turtle egg surveys, lobster surveys, stony coral tissue loss disease surveys, and conch surveys.

It’s very cool to see these conservation efforts and I hope I can contribute in any small way! Peace and love from Belize.

~ Maegan

(this is such a beautifully cut mango that I felt needed to be highlighted :p)

Day 7: Introspection (05/22/2017)

Today began with at 4:45 with a sunrise – the first I’ve actively watched in years. I watched it alone, some much needed time to reflect. I felt sheer gratitude to witness such a glorious sight at such a special location.

Later in the morning, my class and I boated out to three different reefs. The boatrides were spectacular, displaying discrete shades of blue. There was a crisp turquoise above sand patches, a deep muted turquoise above patch reefs, a dark royal blue across the horizon, and an electric, almost synthetic looking cerulean a short distance from the boat.

Each reef we visited had it’s own character and noteworthy residents. The first (“The Channel”) had mounds of corals in deeper water. A notable sighting was a cluster of three large gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) that moved in tandem.

The second reef (“The Aquarium”) consisted of shallow depths and very active fish. Two noteworthy sightings were a flounder under sand and a stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) that burped up algae.

Today’s final reef was the same patch reef we visited yesterday and on our fist day snorkeling. The reef appeared more visible and felt easier to navigate. The most unusual animal seen there was a pufferfish (Family Tetraodontidae).

I searched all three reefs for echinoderms. On the seafloor, I found a couple urchin skeletons, maxing at about two-inches in diameter, but nothing significant. Today’s lack of echinoderm encounters is likely because I did not overturn any rubble to look for them.

The afternoon was spent dissecting lionfish our instructors caught during earlier reef visits. It was interesting learning about how invasive species, like the lionfish, have had such harmful effects on ecosystems. It is truly astounding how many ecological and environmental issues humans have created.

Pterois spp. about to be dissected

The world is so big, and I am just one of seven billion humans, which belong to one of six million animal species. Gazing at the sun inch its way across the horizon compels me to think about my place in the world. What issues do I regularly encounter? Do I choose to intervene? How?

Only time will tell how I will respond to the world’s future issues, but until then, I can take time to think. Today, it took a sunrise to force my to take time to introspect. Ordinarily, I constantly look and listen and study, but it is rare that I pause and think critically about the world’s issues and my role in their causations and solutions.
That is something that I want to change.