by Barry Brown | Jul 1, 2017 | Fish, Reef, Science, Travel
Good morning out there, sorry for the no-blogs the past few days have been doing a bit of traveling and in doing so met some of the greatest folks in the world! Someone had asked me the other day about our three island dogs and how they are doing and other than a little hip problem with Inca they are all doing great, especially Joy! I have another super tiny fish for you all today called a Palatogobius grandoculus or for those of us not in the science world, a goby! This was yet another tiny little thing about an inch in length covered in bright neon stripes and a wild looking neon yellow eye, this is such a cool little creature! Many of these tiny gobies will perch themselves on top of an object and sit there motionless for a long period of time giving your truly plenty of time to take a few shots by Barry Brown | Jun 30, 2017 | Fish, Reef, Science
Hi everyone, I have an odd looking fish for you today called a Brotula Barbata found deep off the coast of St. Eustatius by the Smithsonian and Substation Curacao. I know it’s hard to tell from the photo but this fish is only around five inches in length. These weird looking fish swim non-stop in an eel-like fashion making them very hard to photograph so what I had to do was to make a cave of sorts (which they love) for him or her to swim into and stop swimming long enough for a shot, I guess it worked! I don’t know a lot about these fish or the depth we found it but I will try and get this info soon and update this and all the rest of the posts. Be safe out there… Please put the phone down while driving, I was almost in a wreck yesterday from someone texting. by Barry Brown | Jun 28, 2017 | Invertebrates, Reef, Science
Good morning out there, I have something a bit different for you all this morning, something other than a crab or fish for once.. This is a super tiny, very fragile deep-sea nudibranch, one of only two we found on the whole trip to St. Eustatius. And when I say one of two, that means we found this one above and another that is completely different which I will get posted as well in the coming days. by Barry Brown | Jun 24, 2017 | Invertebrates, Reef, Science
Good morning, I have another wild looking deep-sea crab for you all this morning found by our favorite scientists from the world famous Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The red you see under the belly could be eggs but don’t quote me on that, I just remember hearing that in the lab as everyone was watching observing her. This crab was close to 6 inches wide and most likely even longer with those crazy claws extended. Most of you already know my love for any and all crabs which must come from the insane amount of hours spend either underwater or with the Smithsonian observing them, they are so cool and they come in every shape and size one can imagine. Sorry so short, I’m so busy with so many weird things these days, have a great day out there.. Barry NEWER POST: by Admin | Jun 21, 2017 | Fish, Reef, Science
I have a tiny one inch or less Varicus cephalocellatus, goby for you all today found by our world renowned scientists from the Smithsonian Institution using a deep sea submersible from Substation Curacao (yes where I used to work). For any ichthyologist finding these deep sea fish is about as good as it gets and from what I have observed working with the Smithsonian, finding new species of gobies is better than finding a ship full of gold! When these fish get brought up and are actually seen for the first time there is yelling and excitement in the air not to mention an occasional high-five for a job well done and for finding a possible new species of fish. I have to say, anyone who ever said “scientists are boring” hasn’t met the group from the Smithsonian Institution, they are anything but boring and when their not holding a fish they are out doing something else fun. Have a great day..
