Mike in the Wild

I remember the first time I snorkeled almost 30 years ago at Trunk Bay on the Island of Saint John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Of all the beautiful and colorful fish living on the coral reefs, no species impressed me more than the parrotfish.  Its pastel shades of pinks, blues and greens seemed more fitting in an Easter basket than in an underwater habitat. While researching the identity of the several parrotfish I've since photographed on snorkeling trips in the Caribbean, in the Sea of Cortez and off Maui, I've discovered some fascinating facts about this group of fish that comprises almost a hundred unique species.   Most interestingly is they're not named after the parrot because of the vibrant colors they share with those tropical birds.  Rather it's because of their beak-like set of teeth.  The parrotfish's many teeth are tightly packed giving the appearance of a single, solid bill and allowing them to scrape algae from coral and rocks for...

Every stop on a Caribbean cruise is an opportunity to explore a new island's unique culture and history.   The region's human story began with native peoples settling the wide-flung archipelagos in pre-Colombian times and continued more recently with Europeans settling them with colonists and African slaves.  And today many of us are able to visit these tropical gems via a short stay off a ship or on a longer lucky vacation, adding our own cultural dynamic as modern tourists. But beyond the gift shops and tiki bars, resorts and restaurants, there is a natural history story on a geological timeline of continental shifts, volcanic eruptions and coral reef formations.  Before man's footprint altered the landscape, a wide range of unique flora and fauna evolved on these islands.  The underwater life that lives just offshore in the shallows might have been less permanently altered by the millennia-long encroachment by humans.  At least I'd like to think th...

While the bays around Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico are currently welcoming spectacular humpback whales for their annual winter visits, the coral reefs in the area have a colorful array of tropical fish in residence year-round.  Two reefs easy to reach either from nearby beaches or by a short boat ride from Cabo's harbor are Santa Maria Cove and Chileno Bay.  I chose the latter means of transport to visit these Sea of Cortez gems, taking a fast Zodiac boat tour organized by my cruise ship's tour desk. Each site has calm, shallow waters and most importantly vibrant and healthy coral reefs.  With less than an hour at each reef, I wasn't expecting to see the abundant and vast array of fish I witnessed.   Having learned to identify a number of individual species in Maui, I was excited to see some new and unique specimens in the same families.  And thanks to that experience, I was able to distinguish surgeonfish from filefish, and to find a first t...

Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands was hit hard by hurricane Irma in late 2017.  Much of the island is still without power, and blue tarps still act as roofs on many homes.  But the island is nevertheless open for business, with main roads, shops and beaches welcoming shiploads of tourists for visits. Coki Bay's beach on the northeast side of the island is a good example of the island's fast recovery, where the beach side concessions are serving drinks and renting chairs to anyone that wants to enjoy the sand and surf.  And the dive shops are renting snorkeling masks and fins so visitors can witness the beauty and resilience of the nearby reefs up close. A number of shots of a large stoplight parrotfish that was especially active and colorful during a recent visit to Coki Bay's reefs follow. Stoplight Parrotfish off Coki Beach. The bright orange colors in its tail give the stoplight parrotfish its name. Stoplight parrotfish off Coki Beach,...

I remember the first time I snorkeled, almost 30 years ago, in the Caribbean, and being struck by the beauty and colors of the fish on the coral reefs.  No species stood out more than the parrotfish, with its pastel shades of pinks, blues and greens that seemed more fitting in an Easter basket than in an underwater habitat. While just recently snorkeling in Maui, I was able to reacquaint with the parrotfish's Pacific cousins, who are just as colorful and exotic as the ones I met so long ago.   And with descriptive names like stareye, redlip, bullethead and palenose, how could an encounter not be an adventure? Bullethead parrotfish. Bullethead parrotfish. Bullethead parrotfish. Palenose parrotfish. Palenose parrotfish. The parrotfish is related to the wrasse. Shown above is the Christmas wrasse, glowing brightly in the foreground.  Behind is the much larger stareye parrotfish, with a whitemouth moray to the left.   Christmas wrasse ...