Marine Life
Pie Crust Crab
This large crab can be found in large numbers in sheltered parts of the Otago Harbour and local inlets. It can crush cockles and other shellfish easily using its strong pincers.
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Painted Prawn
The Painted Prawn has a colour pattern of longitudinal bands of green and red. It hides by day in dark rocky crevices and can be found in tidal pools on rocky shores.
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Ridgeback Nudibranch
This nudibranch sometimes appears circlular in shape because its mantle is much larger than its foot.
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Reef Starfish
This large sea star can be lavender grey to orange in colour and has 11 arms. It is found from low tide to below the water and is common around mussel beds where it plays an important part to stop their expansion.
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Sandpaper Doris
This nudibranch looks and feels rough like sandpaper. Its colour is variable and may be reddish brown to creamy pale and even have a spotted leopard appearance.
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Salp
Many different species of Salp frequent our waters. A Salp is a barrel-shaped, Planktonic Tunicate. It moves by contracting and pumping water through its gelatinous body.
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Sea Anemone*
A large anemone with a smooth short column that is streaked with red and white. Tentacles are dull grey and may have purple or pink tips
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Sea Anemone
This anemone has a bright orange or salmon coloured smooth column, it is endemic to New Zealand and only known to be in the Otago region.
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Sea Centipede
Sea centipedes have long bodies that consist of 8-10 plates. They live on seaweeds in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zone.
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Sea Hares
Sea hares come and invade our local dive site Wellers rock throughout the warmer months of the year and then disappear again after laying large egg Masses all over the place.
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Sea Cucumber
It is the most common sea cucumber in New Zealand. They appear mottled grey-brown to black in colour and have small soft spikes along its length.
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Sea Spider
Spiders will follow you every where, yes even on a dive! How ever sea spiders are not true spiders even though they resemble the same shape.
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