• Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

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Monthly Archives: February 2009

Pygmy Killer Whale

Pygmy Killer Whale RADuring the last several days, not only has another Whale shark delighted divers but a rarely seen Pygmy Killer Whale (Feresa attenuata) made an appearance. Distinguishing features include the white color of its lower lip proceeding down towards the chin, white scarring especially around the head and a rounded head without a beak. This one was about two meters in length, which is about midsize for an adult. Miguel’s Diving continues to inform cetacean researchers about the many sightings in Gorontalo.

A Meeting of Ghosts

Harlequin ghost pipefish RANot to be out performed by the recent cetacean sightings, macro finds in Gorontalo the last few days have impressed visiting divers. At one muck sight seven harlequin ghost pipefish of various patterns and color combinations were gathering around a colony of fire coral. They have since paired up and separated to adjoining coral clumps with one still looking for a companion. The same site also produced a baby Bonaparte eel, two dark frogfish including a fingertip sized baby, several cockatoo waspfish, a robust pipefish, a black Ambonion scorpionfish, Tozeuma shrimp and a family of Helmet conchs, rare in many places in the world. A harlequin ghost pipefish found at another dive site has since been replaced by a smiling lionfish that presumably has eaten it. However, the transparent baby Mimic octopus is likely to escape notice of predators for some time to come.

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