My squishy

Yesterday the Tropical Ospreys ventured into a mangrove forest. Armed only with our oars, we kayaked through a canopy of red and black mangroves, Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans. At some points, it became so tight we restored to swinging from branch to branch, propelling us through the crystal-clear waters. While we channeled our inner Tarzan, we took time to marvel at the beauty contained within the mangroves. 


Some were easy to spot. Like giant Atlantic spadefish, Chaetodipterus faber, meandering through the narrow channels. Various grunts splashed about as they fought for a female’s attention, love was in the water. We could hear anhingas, Anhinga anhinga, in the distance, as if guiding us the lagoon that lied ahead. They were helped by manatees, most likely a west Indian manatee Trichechus manatus, that greeted us at the beginning of the trail.


Some species were harder to find. Mangrove tree crabs, Aratus pisonii, hid among the drop roots of red mangroves. Curly tailed lizard, Leiocephalus carinatus, ran away so fast only rustling trees gave away their presence. Upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana, hid in turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum, covering the lagoons. In the phyla Cnidaria and family Scyphozoa, they share qualities with other true jellyfish. They have radial symmetry and on their tentacles are cnidocytes/ nematocytes that sting/ stun prey. However, there in their own right a very unique species. 

Unlike other jellyfish species, these orient themselves bell down and while mobile are relatively sessile. Upside-down jellyfish are one of the few species that photosynthesize. Similar to corals, zooxanthellae bond to the tissue of the jellyfish, giving protection to the plankton and food to the jellyfish host. Also, instead of having a central mouth, each of its eight arms has ridges covering openings that lead to its stomach. 


Earlier in the day we saw what its cousin could be. While diving we came across a comb jellyfish, or sometimes referred to as a sea walnut. From afar the are nearly impossible to identify, but up close they look almost like a lantern lined with multi-colored lights. Most likely a lobed comb jelly, Bolinopsis infundibulum, they belong to the phyla Ctenophora and order Lobata. While they have poor mobility, they use their tentacles to collect and consume plankton in the water column. 

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cassiopea_xamachana/

https://www.britannica.com/animal/lobed-comb-jelly

https://cflas.org/2015/05/13/comb-jellyfish/