The Shady one – Roman spider @ Sibaya -Sodwana Bay – South Africa

By Sodwana Bay

Solifugae is an order of animals in the class Arachnida known variously as camel spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders, or solifuges. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 153 genera. Despite the common names, they are neither true scorpions (order Scorpiones) nor true spiders (order Araneae). Much like a spider, the body…


Thorns of the Sea – Sea Urchins @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Sodwana Bay Sea Urchins Sea urchins (/ˈɜːrtʃɪnz/), are typically spiny, globular animals, echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft; 2,700 fathoms).[1] Their tests (hard shells) are…


The Spotty Ghost – Blue-spotted Ribbontail Ray @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Blue-spotted Ribbontail Ray The bluespotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. Found from the intertidal zone to a depth of 30 m (100 ft), this species is common throughout the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans in nearshore, coral reef-associated habitats. It is a fairly small ray, not…