Marine life you might meet.

Protected

Green sea turtle

Tortuga verde · Chelonia mydas

Grazes on seagrass and algae, and often lets divers watch from a respectful distance.

Protected

Hawksbill sea turtle

Tortuga carey · Eretmochelys imbricata

Look for the narrow, pointed beak and overlapping shell plates. It feeds on sponges on the reef.

Nurse shark

Tiburón gata · Ginglymostoma cirratum

Rests under ledges during the day and hunts at night. Calm, but it can bite if grabbed or cornered.

Green moray

Morena verde · Gymnothorax funebris

Opens and closes its mouth to breathe, not to threaten you. Keep your hands out of holes in the reef.

Caribbean reef shark

Tiburón de arrecife del Caribe · Carcharhinus perezi

A calm, curious shark of the outer reefs. Give it space, stay still and enjoy it.

Protected

Antillean manatee

Manatí antillano · Trichechus manatus manatus

A gentle giant that grazes on seagrass. Never touch, chase or feed one, and give it room to surface.

Spotted moray

Morena pintada · Gymnothorax moringa

Speckled black on white. It hides in holes by day and hunts in the open at night.

Southern stingray

Raya del sur · Hypanus americanus

Rests buried in the sand with only its eyes showing. Watch where you put your hands and fins, and never step on or grab one.

Tarpon

Sábalo · Megalops atlanticus

Big, silver and prehistoric-looking. It often hangs around piers and structures, especially at night.

Hogfish

Capitán · Lachnolaimus maximus

Named for its long snout, which it uses to root in the sand for shellfish. The first dorsal spines are long and trailing.

Spotted scorpionfish

Rascacio · Scorpaena plumieri

A master of camouflage with venomous spines. The best reason to watch where you put your hands.

Porcupinefish

Pez erizo · Diodon hystrix

Big eyes for hunting at night. It puffs up when threatened, which is stressful for it, so never provoke it.

Porkfish

Catalineta · Anisotremus virginicus

Yellow stripes and two black bars across the head. Often hangs out in small groups near ledges.

Yellowtail snapper

Colirrubia · Ocyurus chrysurus

A bright yellow stripe runs to its forked tail. Curious, and often follows divers around the reef.

Blue tang

Barbero azul · Acanthurus coeruleus

Young ones are bright yellow; adults turn blue. They graze algae in schools, which helps keep the reef healthy.

Parrotfish

Pez loro · Scaridae

Scrapes algae off dead coral, and the ground-up rock comes out as sand. At night many sleep in a mucus “sleeping bag”.

French angelfish

Pez ángel francés · Pomacanthus paru

Adults often swim in pairs. Juveniles are black with yellow bands and clean parasites off other fish.

Squirrelfish

Candil · Holocentrus adscensionis

Big eyes and red color for hunting at night. By day it waits under ledges.

Red hind

Cabrilla · Epinephelus guttatus

A small grouper covered in red spots. It rests on the bottom and waits for prey to come close.

Spotted trunkfish

Chapín · Lactophrys bicaudalis

Its body is a hard, boxy shell covered in black spots. It swims slowly, sculling with its fins.

Spotted drum

Payaso · Equetus punctatus

Long, flowing fins and black-and-white stripes. Shy, and usually found under ledges.

Seahorse

Caballito de mar · Hippocampus spp.

Small, slow and well camouflaged on sand, seagrass and structures. Move slowly, don’t touch, and keep your fins off the bottom.

Flamingo tongue

Lengua de flamenco · Cyphoma gibbosum

A small snail that lives on sea fans. The spotted pattern is its living skin. The empty shell is plain, so please don’t collect them.

Cushion sea star

Estrella de mar cojín · Oreaster reticulatus

A big, thick sea star found on sand and seagrass. Never lift it out of the water.

Common sea fan

Abanico de mar · Gorgonia ventalina

A soft coral that grows across the current to filter food. Don’t touch or kick it.

Batwing coral crab

Cangrejo de coral · Carpilius corallinus

A big, heavy crab that comes out at night. Look, but keep your hands to yourself.

Caribbean reef squid

Calamar de arrecife · Sepioteuthis sepioidea

Travels in small groups and changes color in a blink. Hover still and they often come to look at you.

Octopus

Pulpo · Octopus spp.

A master of disguise that changes color and texture. Look for piles of empty shells at the entrance to its den.

Christmas tree worm

Gusano árbol de Navidad · Spirobranchus giganteus

Tiny, colorful spirals that live in coral. They vanish in a flash if you get too close.

Protected

Pillar coral

Coral pilar · Dendrogyra cylindrus

Grows in tall, fuzzy columns. It is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.