Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sea Turtles
Other marine life often associated with the Cayman Islands are sea tur-
tles. There's no missing the importance of this marine creature in the
Cayman Islands. Sir Turtle, the islands' peg-legged turtle “mascot,” is
seen on every brochure you'll find, and the most popular land attraction on
this island is the Cayman Turtle Farm.
The
green sea turtle
(
Chelonia mydas
), which is such an integral part of
Cayman culture, is found in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mediter-
ranean Sea, Pacific and Indian Oceans. These turtles have been observed
to remain underwater for several days without surfacing for air. Even in
its current protected state, the turtle does not lead an easy life; only one
out of 10,000 eggs laid reaches maturity. The hazards are many: birds, ani-
mals, marine life, humans. Everything's a threat to these little guys. Nev-
ertheless, the turtle thrives in Cayman waters.
Other Underwater Creatures
Sharks:
The deeper waters around these islands are home to Caribbean
reef sharks, bull sharks, and hammerhead sharks.
Barracuda:
These long, silver fish are easily spotted by their toothy grin.
A favorite with anglers, they can also often be seen by snorkelers.
Caribbean spiny lobster:
These shy marine creatures have no claws
like their northern relatives.
Common sea horse:
These can be seen by divers hiding in soft corals.
Conch
: You're probably familiar with this mollusk because of its shell: a
beautiful pink curl nearly a foot long that, when blown by those in the
know, can become an island bullhorn of a whistle. The shell covers a huge
piece of white meat with a rubbery texture, as well as a “foot,” the append-
age used by the conch to drag itself along the ocean floor in search of food.
Many Caribbean men swear conch is an aphrodisiac.
Four-eyed butterfly fish:
This one is easy to spot: just look for a small
yellow, gray, white and black fish who looks like he has four eyes! Two are
actually fakes located near the tail, meant to throw off predators.
French angel fish:
This gray fish has light moon-shaped markings.
They're not very shy and, if you swim up slowly, you can get quite close to
these lovely inhabitants.
Green moray eel:
Often seen under rock crevices during the day, the
moray looks frightening as it constantly opens and closes his mouth. Don't
be afraid, though; the eel is just breathing and is generally harmless un-
less harassed.
Spiny puffer fish:
Like his name suggests, the light beige puffer fish
(also known as a balloon fish, and one look tells you why) looks like a little
puffed-up ball scooting through the water with its micro-fins; it can inflate
itself with water as a defense.
