There must be something in the water as love is in the air in Lembeh. The waters have got slightly colder around the Lembeh Strait and it appears to have got many of the creatures in the mood! Over this past week we have been lucky to see Nudis mating, Pygmy Squid mating and the quite spectacular show of Long Arm Octopus mating!
If you’ve never seen what special time for an octopus is like then it can be quite alarming! Head over to our Facebook page and Instagram page to check out the spectacular video! There will also be a short video of the pygmy squid coming up shortly!
It may look as if they are fighting but these octopus dances around each other before coming together and then releasing and going their own way. Nudibranches can also be easily confused as to whether or not they are being very friendly or very aggressive to each other. Nudibranches are cannibalistic and will climb on top of each other to consume them.
However, it is quite simple to tell what is happening. If the Nudibranches are of the same species and if they are side by side, facing opposite directions then they are probably mating. Fortunately for Nudibranches, they are all hermaphroditic and therefore don’t have to be too choosy. They can mate with any Nudibranch of the same species they come across.
Also, this week we have seen both hairy frogfish and giant frogfish sitting together in pairs. Hopefully there will soon be lots of little frogfish around! We aren’t so sure about this as Frogfish commonly also eat each other so who knows whether they were waiting to mate or waiting for dinner!
Either way, it offers great subjects to photograph when there are two at the same!
Even though the water has got a little colder (a chilly 27 degrees!) it seems to be the perfect time for all the critters to be showing their faces. There have been a lot of sought after subjects showing themselves to us this past week, Wonderpus, Blue ring octopus, Pygmy squid, Pygmy Seahorses, Ornate and Robust ghostpipefish a plethora of Nudibranches to name but a few!
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