Spotted Cleaner Shrimp and Anemone

Commonly found among the tentacles of the giant Caribbean anemone, as here, spotted cleaner shrimp wait for larger fish to stop by for, well, a cleaning.

The fish will hang motionless for a time as the shrimp, searching for parasitic morsels, climbs without fear all over the fish, even in its mouth.

Occasionally, fish will line up like yuppies at the neighborhood carwash waiting for their turn at the cleaning station. The spotted cleaner shrimp gets a meal and the fish gets rid of pests. Symbiosis!

Christmas Tree Worm on the Reef

I had a difficult time on the reef at Alice in Wonderland. There were so many beautiful Christmas tree worms I shot almost an entire roll of film on nothing but worms because each one seemed more extraordinary than the last.

When touched or approached too quickly, they instantly recoil into the coral, slamming their operculum behind them for good measure.

Spotted Cleaner Shrimp and Anemone

Here is another spotted cleaner shrimp in a giant Caribbean anemone.

These crustaceans were common on the Bonaire reefs but their tiny one-inch size required you to look closely among the anemone's tentacles to discover them.

And even then they didn't always cooperate for a portrait.