Throughout most of North America, it’s been hot. Really hot. Here in Florida, the mid-August malaise for all things sporting has begun, what with the completion of the Olympic Games, and our local big league baseball team struggling, (and not even doing that with much dedication,) to keep out of the cellar in the National League East standings. Things have been pretty slow here on Epic as well, and it’s been a while since I’ve visited regularly. However, I recently received the season’s first issue of Powder magazine in the mail, Splitter posted some great photos, and I believe that I’m closer to my next day on skis than I am from my last one, so things are looking up.
That being the case, I guess that it’s time for me to post another of my summer-ritual, non-skiing trip reports. Theme for this one is either “Snack Time,” or “Let’s Eat.” I’ll try and keep my verbiage to a minimum, (I know how much dookey67 likes brief explanations,) and though I could write literally pages and pages about most of the following photographs, I’ll try and keep the writing to the bare essentials. Of course, should anyone have any questions regarding the images, I’ll do my best to provide any details as regards the subjects, locations, proper latin binomial nomenclature, depth, camera settings, and etc.
A mother West Indian Manatee nursing her calf.
Filter feeding; A Two Spot, (or Crab Eye,) Goby takes a mouth full of sand, and filters out the organic particles that will be digested. Excess sand is expelled through the gill slits.
An Atlantic Manta strains plankton for a midnight meal.
Ambush predator; A Snakefish buries itself in the sand and lays in wait for something to come close to its mouth...
and snares a Moorish Idol, which will be slowly swallowed whole.
A Caribbean Reef Squid consuming a White Mullet.
A Bob Tail Squid with a captured shrimp nearly its own size.
Assorted shrimp and gobies cleaning various species of Moray eels.
A Pink Anemonefish makes a meal of the the parasites clinging to one of the tentacles of it’s host anemone.
A school of Princess Parrotfish clean the parasites from the top shell of a Loggerhead Turtle.
A Pallid Goby makes fast work of an unidentified segmented worm.
A Florida Fighting Conch uses it’s rostrum/mouth to suck up algae.
A Hungry Floridian nets a Caribbean Spiny Lobster.
Free diver Mitch Skaggs ascends with a speared Kingfish. Kingfish are fast, slender mackerel, and are exceedingly hard to shoot, with either a spear gun or a camera.
My Epic Ski buddy Snokat sends a lift bag to the surface following a dive. Note that he’s returning without having caught anything. We were going to have grilled fish for dinner, but had to make do with PB&J. I believe that I posted this shot in an earlier TR, but think that it’s a cool shot, and suits the narrative theme.
Luring a Great White Shark with a Tuna head.
A Koala chomping on a Eucalyptus.
Learning to use a spoon.
A minor disclaimer. It's been a little while since I've posted any images on Epic. While loading these files, I had to agree to the statement which claimed that none of the photographs were offensive, and that they were not copyrighted. Well, as to what's offensive, that's a matter of opinion. I don't find any of these images offensive, even though I do like Tuna. As to copyright, all of these images are in fact copyrighted and registered. However, as I am the original creator of all the photographs, and the registered owner of all rights, I see no problem in my posting them here for your enjoyment.
