Search
Dark shyshark
These sharks are often confused with puff adder shysharks but can be identified by their broader, more bluntly rounded snouts and depressed heads, and their large, light spots on a dark body.
Puffadder shyshark
These shysharks are similar in colour and markings to puffadder snakes, hence their name.
Beaked sandfish
Beaked sandfish use their hard-pointed snouts to burrow in the sand, where they hide out during the day. At night they come out to hunt.
Note how big their eyes are – this is a sign that they are nocturnal hunters.
White steenbras
These large, silvery fish are prominent members of our Kelp Forest exhibit. White steenbras (Lithognathus lithognathus), also sometimes known as pignose grunters, occur in both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They grow up to a length of about one metre and can weigh up to as much as 30 kilograms, making them popular targets for anglers.
According to A Guide to The Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa by Rudy van der Elst (Struik, 1985), white steenbras prefer shallower waters to deeper seas, and are also often found in estuaries – they can survive for extended periods in almost-fresh water.
They have pointed noses and tiny teeth at the front of their jaws, with larger molars towards the back. Their diets are varied, and can include molluscs, crabs, shrimps and worms.
In their natural habitat, these fish are fairly solitary, though at certain times of year, there can be large runs of them, for example up the east coast of South Africa.
These fish mature at about five years, and are commonly bisexual.
Palmate sea fan
Palmate sea fans are related to soft corals.
They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan.
Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles. When the polyps come out to feed they give the ‘branches’ a fuzzy appearance.
Although they only grow 15mm per year, these sea fans can reach 2m in height.
Divers may be lucky to discover underwater “forests” of palmate sea fans.
Large colonies are often over 100 years old.
Sinuous sea fan
Sinuous Sea fans are related to soft corals.
They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan.
Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles.
When the polyps come out to feed they give the “branches” a fuzzy appearance.
Sinuous sea fans are flattened with all the “branches” on the same plane.
Small spider crabs can often be spotted hiding among the branches.
Nippled sea fan
Nippled Sea fans are related to soft corals.
They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan. Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles.
Cape sea urchin
Cape sea urchins live in vast numbers on shallow reefs, where they graze on kelp and algal debris. In 1994, the urchins did a mysterious disappearing act – vanishing almost completely. In just two years they were virtually extinct in certain areas.
Cape mantis shrimp
Mantis shrimps are so named because of their similarity to praying mantises. Twenty-five species of mantis shrimp occur off southern Africa, mostly in tropical waters. They live in burrows or in rock and coral reef crevices and aggressively defend their territories against intruders.Mantis shrimps are highly specialised predators, either ‘spearing’ or ‘smashing’ prey with large grasping limbs. ‘Spearers’ hunt by ‘spearing’ soft-bodied prey e.g. shrimps and small fishes with a swift upward lunge of a barbed ‘finger’ on the grasping claw. ‘Smashers’ strike and disable their prey e.g. crabs and molluscs by using the reinforced heel of the grasping limb. The force behind the strike is similar to a small-calibre bullet and can easily crack the glass of an aquarium!The Cape mantis shrimp is the only species to occur off the West Coast. These shrimps live in burrows which they hollow out in soft sediments. They often occur in large swarms near the surface where they are preyed on by seals, hake and other fishes.Cape mantis shrimps are ‘spearers’ and have 6-8 teeth on the finger of the grasping claw. They grow to 20cm in length.Red-chested sea cucumber
Red-chested sea cucumbers live in great numbers on shallow reefs. According to Two Oceans: A Guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa (Struik Nature, 2010), the “young are brooded in pockets in the skin and can often be seen clinging to the surface of the parent”.
Blue-cheek goby
This monogamous fish is found in the Indo-Pacific on outer lagoons and seaward reefs, over hard bottoms, as well as over sand and rubble.They are usually seen in pairs, hovering near their burrow.The blue-cheek goby feeds on small bottom-dwelling invertebrates, fish and fish eggs, by sifting through sand.Blue hottentot
Blue hottentot are plentiful off the coasts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Because they prefer deeper offshore habitats they are not caught by shore anglers, but by ski-boat fishermen.