Hairy Norse Gods, Zebra Seahorses and Green Mood Shrimp..

It has been one of those weeks. One of those very special Lembeh weeks when you see things you’ve never seen (or heard of) before. And this is after nearly two years of diving here practically every day.

So, starting with the Hairy Norse God. I was pottering around at Nudi Falls, looking for interesting critters, when I happened to glance at a white bit of coral/sponge half hidden under a rock. I thought I saw some colour and had a closer look and, sure enough, there was a nudibranch I hadn’t seen before.

It was pretty distinctive, as it was a very pretty nudibranch. A white body, thin black lines and purple and yellow tipped lumpy protrusions coming out along it’s body (having a super macro lens on my video camera and a monitor on the back makes it much easy to see these tiny things!!!). Barb had a look too and took these lovely photos.

When we got back to KBR I looked it up and was delighted to find that it was called a Hairy Norse God!! Surely one of the coolest names of any critter!!!

The next amazing find was of this Zebra-stripped Seahorse. I must say that this is perhaps the most beautiful seahorse I have ever seen. And it’s easy to see with your naked eye!!

Apparently the last time one of these was seen was about 15 years ago, so it is very special. The guides call it a Zebra Seahorse, but after a bit of research, as it’s important to name these things correctly, it seems that Zebra Seahorses are endemic to Australia, and though similar to this one, are a bit different. This one turns out to be a zebra-stripped variation of a Longnose Seahorse (Hippocampus trimaculatus).

Whatever it’s true name it is undeniable that it is a truly stunning seahorse and a wonderful find.

Click to watch the video in a new window

The last critter I have rather presumptuously named the Green Mood Shrimp. They are an unknown shrimp that has been seen here in Lembeh for the last six months or so, but we had never seen one. Nothing is known about them and they might be common, but they camouflage themselves very well.

I’ll go into more detail next week, as I’ll have some great video of these little guys then. I’ll also explain why we came up with the name Green Mood Shrimp!! Until then enjoy Barb’s photos of them.

The rest of the week has been fantastic. We seen Harlequin Shrimp, Harlequin Crabs, Candy Crabs, Hairy Shrimp, elegant Squat Lobster, Hairy Squat Lobster, Squat Shrimp, Emperor Shrimp, Donald Duck Shrimp, Hidden Corallimorph Shrimp, Boxing Crabs, Mantis Shrimp with eggs, Bubble Coral Shrimp, Halimeda Crabs, Tiger Shrimp, Urchin Bumblebee Shrimp, Crinoid Shrimp, Snapping Shrimp, Skeleton Shrimp, Commensal Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Marble Shrimp, Decorator Crabs and many more. There have been Wonderpus, Mimic, Long Arm, Coconut and Reef Octopus, as well as Flamboyant, Pygmy, Giant and Broadclub Cuttlefish and Bobtail Squid. As well as the lovely Zebra Seahorse, there have been Thorny, Common and Estuary Seahorses, and there have been pink and yellow Bargabanti Pygmy Seahorses and Pontohi and Severn’s Pygmy Seahorses. We’ve also seen Ornate, Robust and Velvet Ghost Pipefish, and Winged, Orange Lined and Network Pipefish. And Lembeh Pygmy Seadragon and Pygmy Pipehorses. Frogfish have been good, with more Hairy, Painted, Warty, Coin Bearing (Occellated) and Crimson varieties. And there have been Ambon Scorpionfish, Stonefish, juvenile Pinnate and Zebra Batfish, Ribbon Eels, Pegasus Sea Moths, Bobbit Worms, Leaf Scorpionfish, Stargazers, Mandarinfish, Spiny Devilfish, Electric Clams and a Six Lined Soapfish.

Thanks to all our lovely guests from the UK, France, Russia and Italy.

Enjoy all of Barb’s photos this week. Just click on the top or bottom photo strip.

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