Pics of the tough-to-spot, tough to find and the rare.

[Gdog]

@cobra269,
Your second photo is a basket star. They are normally closed, curled up during the day, and open up to feed at night. These are VERY photo sensitive. Just a bit of light is enough for it to call it a day and ball up till next time.
There is a tiny fast moving shrimp that lives inside a basket star. I don’t know if it’s a parasite or it’s actually a simbiosis type of affair, but nevertheless, If it’s hosting one, they are known as Basket Star Shrimp.
I took this photo in Bonaire. Not easy to spot, not easy to photograph but incredibly rewarding to see. I can’t say it’s rare, it’s just not the kind of critter that one encounters every day.
Cheers
Ricardo

View attachment 457066

Wow, awesome shot of the basket star and especially the shrimp! Nice work!

 

[Gdog]

View attachment 454513

Not exactly "rare" but found on a macro dive playing around in the sand for an hour up North a little past the ferry pier.

Very cool, love it!

 

[uncfnp]

Wow, Ive never seen a sea hare in Cozumel! Nice find!

Well I really can’t take credit for it since he was pointed out to me in about a foot of water at the boat ramp for the marina. But I was on my way to a dive and I did have to wade in and put the camera underwater so it kinda counts.

 

[Ricardo V.]

Oops... just realized this is a Cozumel thread. Sorry for throwing Bonaire critters to the conversation.

Anyhow, this next one is very rare. Yes, it’s from Cozumel. I have seen them in the Caymans and Bonaire too, but this Peppermint Basslet (aka Swissgard) I was able to photograph under a deep ledge, around 120’ or so... about 2 years ago. These guys are very skittish and you’ll probably get one, if lucky 2 shots and they quickly go into hiding. I’m thinking Lionfish probably are impacting regular populations of these types of Basslets, which I understood were considered rare prior to the invasion.

Cheers,
Ricardo

 

[cobra269]

Don't know what it is. But tough for me to find. Exposed part less than an inch long.

[

 

[ggunn]

One more for the group. This one is rare, at least to me. I’ve only seen one, it’s an American Conger Eel. We spotted this one in Bonaire during a night dive. Unfortunately I did not have a wide angle lens on, and the critter was 6’ or so in length. I took the photo knowing it was not going to turn out great, but to later go back and see if we could figure what that critter was.
Cheers,
Ricardo
View attachment 457069

I don't think that's a conger eel. I'm pretty sure that conger eels are actually air breathing salamanders (they have tiny vestigal legs) and I have never seen one in salt water. When I was a kid we'd find them in temporary ponds in fields after a heavy rain. They bite.

 

[deepsea21]

Reviewing Splendid pics again and think I found the tiniest juvenile hidden in them yet. See it?

The pic isn't so great as I zoomed and cropped the mother and then zoomed and cropped further. Pretty sure that's another one.

 

[deepsea21]

Filefish...

 

[deepsea21]

A few more since this thread got resurrected ... Well camouflaged and can be somewhat tough to spot but most have seen them. Beauty is certainly in the the eye of the beholder for them face-to-face.

 

[Ricardo V.]

Nodose Crab, Cozumel.