Underwater level

Rocky reef
The Portuguese shoreline typically consists of rocky bottoms. Here, organisms find protection amongst seaweed, rocks and within crevices. Some of the animals are masters of camouflage and remain hidden even from the most attentive predators.

Flat-fish
During their larval stage flatfish have symmetrical bodies with one eye on each side, exactly like "other" fish. However, during their early development one of the eyes (right or left, depending on species) migrates to the opposite side of the head. The body suffers a simultaneous compression and becomes flattened. At this point these odd looking creatures leave the water column and live on the bottom , with their eyes turned upwards.

 

Schooling fish
Many species school together and swim in vast numbers. This ensures protection against larger predators. Once in a group, they move together in, often beautiful, synchronized patterns thanks to their lateral line, an elaborate organ which provides the brain with detailed information on the surroundings of the body.

Moon Jellyfish
The moon jellyfish is a gelatinous animal whose body consists of 90% water. It swims horizontally using pulsing movements of the saucer-shaped dome, which forms the top of its body. Although it has many tentacles, the four longest are the arms that encircle its mouth. The rhythmical contractions of the gelatinous bell and the movement of the tentacles allow it to capture small planktonic organisms. In Japan, it is very important in the food and pharmaceutical industries. It is also particularly admired by visitors to aquariums for its naturally calm and delicate movements.

Seagrass beds
These plants, which are adapted to live underwater, provide a safe home for many invertebrates and fish. In their midst, cuttlefish and seahorses display their amazing ability to camouflage and hide from potential predators.

Azores
Warm waters from the Gulf Stream, enriched in nutrients by upwelling, are key features for the seas around the Azores. Under these conditions comes an extraordinary diversity of living creatures. Some of the wrasses are so incredibly colourful you would think that you're diving in the Caribbean! And watch out for those scorpionfish and their very toxic (and painful!) dorsal spines.

Life near the bottom
Anemones are animals with a unique cylindrical body and a crown of tentacles around their mouths. Although firmly attached to the substrate, they can slip around using their heavily muscled foot. Sea stars typically have 5 symmetrical arms which radiate from the centre. Their numerous and tiny ambulacraria feet, on the underside, allow them to move about also.

South Australian fish
The cold waters from the Southern Australian reefs host some of the most fascinating fish in the World! Male Port-Jackson sharks, for example, spend the whole year away from females and will swim over 800 km during breeding season to mate.

Seadragons
Seadragons are endemic to the waters of Southern Australia. These fish of unusual beauty are extremely well camouflaged for their seaweed habitat.
Seadragons are very sensitive animals, so please, respect them and do not use flash photography.

Rocky Reef of the Pacific
Grunt sculpins are unusual fish... They either jump, crawl or hop around the bottom and rarely swim. This species emits a grunt like sound once out of the water.
Unlike most fish sea-horses do not have any scales. They have bony plates under their skin which look (and feel) like a medieval armour! This is the reason why their delicate fins twirl gracefully while moving their rigid bodies.
While courting females, male blue-banded-gobies flash their fully extended dorsal fin. Males will not cease doing this until females give up and lay their eggs.

Deep-sea Animals
Giant spider crabs are the largest crustacean known. Imagine a crab with a leg-span of 3.6 m and weighing 18 Kg!
Chimaeras gently swim along the sea floor and are cartilaginous fish, like sharks, their relatives. These animals have a spine on their dorsal fin, which can inflict a very painful sting.

Wolf Eels
Wolf-eels are monogamous fish. Male and female occupy the same cave for years, unless they are driven out by larger animals.
Like the wolf-eel, kelp greenlings remain inactive throughout the day. The name decagrammus, meaning "10 lines" in Greek, refers to the impressive total number of lateral lines on the kelp greenling!
Usually a loner, the kelp bass will form groups to prey on smaller schooling fishes.

Giant Pacific Octopus
The giant Pacific octopus is the largest of all octopuses and can grow to really impressive dimensions: measuring more than 9 m between arms (from tip to tip) and weighing up to 250 kg! This invertebrate life cycle, however, rarely extends beyond 2 years.

Purple Striped Jelly
This jelly is quite impressive, with its bell of up to 70 cm diameter, usually streaked with a radial pattern of purple stripes. In young adults the tentacles can be as long as 4 to 5 meters. The tentacles are well armed with nematocysts and can produce a relatively painful sting.

Invertebrates
Invertebrates lack a backbone (i.e. dorsal spine) and usually display interesting survival strategies. Giant-green-anemones have photosynthetic algae in them and, much like other anemones, their tentacles are armed with poisonous cells. Did you know that those innocent look sea-stars can force a bivalve shell open with their powerful arms? And how about those sea-urchins, which avoid excess light by covering themselves with rocks and shells? Both sea-stars and sea-urchins are voracious predators.

Living Coral Reef
Magnificent colours, exuberant shapes and exotic creatures are abundant in coral reefs and inspire thoughts of wonder and aw. A coral is an animal constituted by individual polyps, which form a colony. Coral reefs are made from hundreds of different coral species and, as far as diversity and magnificence, can only be compared to tropical forests on land.

Fluorescent Corals
It has been known for some time now that some coral species are fluorescent but he reason for that phenomenon only recently was found. Apparently, these fluorescent pigments protect them from excessive solar exposure, acting as "sun screen"!

Symbiosis
Clownfish and anemones live in harmony. The venomous cells from the tentacles do not harm the fish, which become immunised while they are young. Anemone tentacles are a safe haven for clownfish to hide from predators. Interestingly, the daring clownfish will actually leave the safety of this environment and will face its predator out in the open! This, of course, is nothing more than a "cunning plan" to lure the predator closer to the anemone's tentacles.

Bioluminescent Fish
The flashlight, or lantern-eye, fish are nocturnal and have a large light organ below each eye, which they control through a rotating mechanism or by blinking.
As in pinecone fish, whose light organs are located on the lower jaw, phosphorescence comes from symbiotic luminous bacteria.

Morey eels
Morays are a unique fish due to their long body shape, scaleless skin and large mouths with strong sharp teeth. Although they may appear threatening, their mouth remains open so they can force water over their gills to breathe.
Though one might think they are dangerous, most human bites occur accidentally or when the eel is intentionally provoked.

Mangrove Forest
Mangrove forests are some of the most important biological communities along tropical and sub-tropical bays, estuaries and seashores all over the world.
Mudskippers are typical mangrove dwellers. These peculiar fish are able to spend extended periods of time out of the water while breeding a mixture of air and water stored in their gill cavity. With specially modified fins, they can walk and jump all over the mud and even climb up the mangrove roots.
Scats are also typical mangrove inhabitants and can tolerate extreme fluctuations in salinity.

Adaptation
Pipefish are among the most fascinating examples of adaptation to nature. These long tubular bodied fish are seahorse relatives and have adapted to specific niches in reef or algal habitats.