Hawksbill Sea Turtle

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Hawksbill Sea Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

Hawksbill turtles were once widely hunted for food and for their beautiful shells (often referred to as tortoise shell), which were made into combs, eyeglass frames and jewelry.

	Hawksbill turtles are found in tropical and warm temperate seas worldwide.  Like other sea turtles, hawksbills nest on tropical sandy beaches.
	Primarily found on coral reefs, but also found in the open ocean, lagoons and estuaries.
	Primarily sponges, but occasionally jellyfish, anemones, mollusks, crustaceans and algae.
	Hawksbills have peculiar feeding habits, and are able to consume food that other animals would find difficult to digest.  Many of the sponges on which they feed are highly toxic, and would be lethal to humans; others are filled with sharp, glass-like structures called spicules.  Hawksbills are even known to eat the dangerous Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), whose stinging cells are unable to penetrate the turtles' tough scales.
	- Animal Diversity Web - NOAA - Moorea Biocode Database

Coral Guard Crab

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Trapezia Crab or Guard Crab
(Trapezia serenei)

Photo by Hannah Stewart. Text by G. Bergsma and H. Stewart.

Trapeziid crabs actively defend their coral hosts from predators, and are known to drive away predatory Crown-of-Thorns Seastars by snipping off their thorns and tube feet. Trapezia live only on Pocillopora corals, and feed on their mucus.

	Crabs of the genus Trapezia are found throughout the Indo-Pacific. T. serenei has been reported from Western Australia, Taiwan, Guam, the Tuamotu Islands and the Society Islands.
	Shallow tropical reefs, reef flats and lagoons where Pocillopora corals grow.
	Coral mucus.
	Trapeziid crabs clean sediment off their host corals, enabling small corals to survive in high-sediment areas where they would otherwise be smothered.
	Coming Soon - Moorea Biocode Database

Reef Octopus

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Reef Octopus
(Octopus cyanea)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

Octopuses possess complex eyes and well developed brains, and are extremely intelligent and inquisitive.

	Throughout the tropical Indopacific, from Africa and the Red Sea to Polynesia
	Exposed reefs and reef flats
	Crustaceans, mollusks and fish
	Reef octopuses are masters of camouflage and hiding.  Lacking shells or bones, they can squeeze into impossibly small holes and crevices, and can change their color and skin texture to match almost any background (sand, coral, algae).  If provoked, reef octopuses may flatten themselves and turn white to appear intimidating.  If all else fails, octopuses can use jets of water to quickly propel themselves away from danger, and squirts of ink to confuse predators that might chase them.
	- Animal Diversity Web - Shedd Aquarium - Moorea Biocode Database

Pineapple Cucumber

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Pineapple or Prickly Cucumber
(Thelenota ananas)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

Cucumbers feed using specially modified tube feet to bring food to their mouths.

	Throughout the Indian and West Pacific, including eastern Africa, India, Japan, Australia and French Polynesia
	Reef flats and sand patches
	Algae (esp. Halimeda sp.) and detritus
	Pineapple Cucumbers are known to host pearlfish, symbiotic fish that live in the cucumber's gut.  Pearlfish have long, slender bodies and are able to enter and exit their cucumber home through the cucumber's anus.  It is thought that they may feed on parts of the cucumber's digestive tract, as well as hunt for small crustaceans and fish outside the cucumber.
	- Echinoderms - Moorea Biocode Database