Marine Life of Jamaica

For many travelers, Jamaica is a destination sought for its underwater attractions, offering excellent scuba diving, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing, along with a variety of marine life. Among the reefs, expect to see brilliant parrotfish, large-eyed squirrelfish, blue tang, stingrays, eagle rays, rock lobster and, if you’re lucky, a turtle. Blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, shark and wahoo reside in the deepest waters.

Among the reefs live brilliant parrotfish, large-eyed squirrelfish, blue tangs, stingrays, eagle rays, rock lobsters and turtles. Blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, shark and wahoo reside in the deepest waters.

Bermuda chubb. A very social schooling fish. Mobay Undersea Tours often takes people to places where the chubb can be seen, such as Chubb Reef.

Caribbean spiny lobster. These shy marine creatures have no claws like their northern relatives.

Common seahorse. These can be seen by divers beneath piers, hiding in soft corals.

Conch. You’re probably familiar with this mollusk because of its shell: a beautiful pink curl nearly a foot long that, when blown by those in the know, can produce a whistle. The shell covers a huge piece of white meat with a rubbery texture, as well as a “foot,” the appendage used by the conch to drag itself along the ocean floor in search of food. For years, the conch was believed to be an aphrodisiac, filling men with passion and vigor in bed. Many Jamaican men still believe this to be true.

Eagle rays. Most often spotted along undersea walls, eagle rays are wary of people. Like stingrays, they are white-bellied with patterned topsides, with spots and circles in a white or beige color against a dark gray or brown background. These rays have angular pectoral fins and can reach up to eight feet across.

Four-eyed butterfly fish. This one is easy to spot: just look for a small yellow, gray, white and black fish with what appear to be four eyes! (Two are actually fakes, located near the tail, meant to throw off a predator.)

French angelfish. This gray fish, left, has light, moon-shaped markings. If you swim up slowly, you can get quite close to these lovely inhabitants.

Green moray eel. Eels are often seen under rock crevices during the day and are frightening to look at, constantly opening and closing their mouths. Don’t be afraid, though; the eel is just breathing and is generally harmless unless harassed.

Green sea turtle. These turtles have been observed to remain underwater for several days without surfacing for air. They are a protected species. Birds, animals, humans and other marine life are all considered to be a threat to these little guys. Only one turtle out of 10,000 eggs laid reaches maturity.

Hawksbill turtle. These active turtles, another endangered species, are often seen in the waters surrounding Jamaica.

Spiny puffer fish. The light beige puffer fish (also known as a balloon fish, and one look tells you why) resembles a little puffed-up ball scooting through the water by using its micro-fins. It inflates itself with water as a self-defense mechanism.

Southern Atlantic stingray (Dasyatis americana). This is the most common type of stingray. It is found in shallow bays near the sandy bottoms where it feeds on mollusks and crustaceans. Stingrays are considered a choice meal by sharks. They have a barbed tail for protection and, much like a scorpion’s tail, the barb is brought up to defend the ray from attack from above. The Southern Atlantic ray is either dark gray or brown with a white belly and can reach up to six feet in width.

WARNING

When snorkeling or diving, watch out for fire coral. There are many varieties, all of which are edged in white. If you accidentally brush against the coral, it will defend itself and burn you.