The Red Coral of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Admin11

One of my favorite types of coral is the red knotted sea fan ( Melithaea ochracea ). Mainly because of the color and the branching pattern. The vibrant red coral, white polyps and the blue water compliment one another. There are many small marine animals that thrive on the red tree of life. This beauty was photographed in the blue waters between Izena and Iheya Island.

April 4th 2019, I stumbled upon some colorful micro flatworms that I have never seen before. Leslie Harris informed me that these fast moving slugs were potentially undocumented benthic ctenophores.

Name: Coeloplana sp
Benthic ctenophore
Size: 8mm-10mm
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Depth: 40feet

Can you see how well the benthic ctenophore blends in with its host? This is a great example of mimicry.

Look close at the tiny chamber mounds. These mounds hold the stinging tentacles that are used for catching food and possibly for protection.

I found this strange benthic ctenophore (Coeloplana sp) on a dive near Ikea Island. When I first saw the ctenophore, the long stinging cells were extended out in hunting mode.

Some benthic ctenophores live on starfish (Echinaster luzonicus), look close and you can see the stinging cells.

A blue starfish (Linkia laevigata) infested with benthic ctenophores

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Testing the Nauticam NA-D500 Underwater housing

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Admin11

It’s been a blast shooting with the Nikon D500 DSLR combined with the Nauticam Na-D500 housing. I am pleased with the superior quality and design of the entire system. My underwater rig is setup for shooting macro with two Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes and a variety of Sola lights. I customized it slightly by mounting a Light & Motion Sola compact tray and loc-line arm kit to the bottom of the housing. This allows me to easily attach other Sola lights underwater based on my vision.

Nauticam NA-D500 shower

My favorite features of the Nauticam NA-500 Underwater housing

Internal camera lock-to prevent movement
Vacuum and leak detection system, Green is good!
Port lock system and audible housing lock latches
Super responsive optic flash system
Comfortable hand grips

I tested the Nikon D500 system with the Nikon AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED lens and the Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens. Both are responsive and quality pieces of glass. The great news is that they 40mm is compatible in the NAU-18701 port as well.

Below are my favorite fourteen photographs taken with the D500 underwater in the beautiful waters of Okinawa.

Bobtail Squid – D500|40mm

Hermit crab – D500|40mm

Reef squid D500|60mm

Nudibranch D500|40mm

Chromodoris hintuanensis D500|60mm

Paintpot cuttlefish D500|60mm

Dinahs Goby D500|60mm

Flatworm D500|60mm

Ryukyu Eyes D500|40mm

Pontoh’s Pygmy Seahorse D500|60mm

Fluorescence Nikon| 60mm

Bobtail squid D500|60mm

Eyes of Okinawa D500 | 60mm

If your planning on buying a Nauticam underwater housing online, I recommend Bluewater Photo, they are extremely knowledgable and have outstanding customer service.

I want to thank Black Fin Grouper, Light & Motion and Nightsea for all their continuous support over the years. Thank you!

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Hermit Crabs Living In Glass Bottles By Shawn Miller

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Admin11

Trash, treasure and the beautiful beaches of Okinawa.

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to go beach walking. Over the years, I have seen a significant increase in the amount of marine debris washed ashore. The trash is from all over the world, but majority of it washes up from Korea, China and Japan

Maeda flats

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines.

Iheya beach

Majority of the glass bottles that wash ashore will eventually break. The resourceful blueberry hermit crabs take full advantage of any broken bottles and twist top caps. They eventually move into this valuable real estate and use it as a protective mobile home until they find a better option.

Marine debris

Broken glass Iheya Island

Hermit Crabs prefer to live in a natural seashell. The most durable home on Okinawa is the silver mouth turban shell.

Hermit crabs feeding

Due to a decline in the number of seashells, the hermit crabs have to adapt with our trash to survive. Below are photographs of hermit crabs found naturally adapting with metal twist caps and broken glass bottles.

Energy drink home

Energy drink home

Glass top Crab

Hermit crabs – real-estate

Metal cap

Hermit crab in a glass

The hermit crab is one of the few animals that can successfully adapt with our waste. If you would like to learn more about hermit crabs adapting with our waste please check out my post on “Crabs With Beach Trash Homes” by Shawn M Miller.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

The Eyes of the Underwater World by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Admin11

Okinawa offers some of the best Scuba-diving in the world. I really enjoy the art of underwater macro photography. Macro subjects can always be found, it just takes some imagination and good framing to create beautiful underwater abstracts. Animal eyes are challenging and exciting areas to focus on. Below are some of my favorite photographs of vision taken on the Island of Okinawa.

Longsnout flathead © Shawn Miller

Crowned puffer © Shawn Miller

Leopard flounder © Shawn Miller

Reef squid © Shawn Miller

Coral scallop © Shawn Miller

Crowned puffer-fish © Shawn Miller

Pufferfish © Shawn Miller

Hawk fish © Shawn Miller

Stareye parrotfish © Shawn Miller

Broadband cuttlefish © Shawn Miller

Crowned puffer © Shawn Miller

Fire fish © Shawn Miller

Hawkfish © Shawn Miller

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Amami Woodcock- The Birds of The Ryukyu Islands

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Admin11

The Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) is considered a prefectural bird of Amami Island. They are a rare species mainly found on Amami and Tokuno islands. These ground dwelling birds are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list of threatened species.

Scientific name: Scolopax mira
Distribution: Amami, Tokuno and Northern Okinawa
Habitat: leaf littered forests
Diet: Beetles, crickets, moths, spiders, and worms
Average Size: 34cm – 36mm
Threats: Habitat loss and the introduced mongoose.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

The Amami woodcock is a master of camouflage. It crouches down low and limits its movements in the leaf litter. When predators approach the woodcock will fly away in most cases.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

In this case the female has chicks that she has to protect.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

We managed to see one sub-adult, it quickly followed its mothers lead and fled the scene.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

The mongoose is the biggest threat to the wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands. It was introduced to the Ryukyu Islands in the1900’s In order to reduce the venomous habu populations. All the islands are still battling this never ending problem.

Mongoose ( Hepestes javanicus ) © Shawn Miller

All the photographs of the Amami woodcock were taken from the car through the back seat window. In the beginning, I had difficulty with the cameras auto-focus system. I adapted by mounting a Light&Motion GoBe light with a 500 search head to my tripod collar. This allowed the auto-focus system to be extremely responsive using the Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM.

Amami night adventures setup © Shawn Miller

People often ask me what is the purpose of conservation photography? Having the ability to affect some form of positive change in the environment and make a global difference with the photographs. Hopefully, the images will inspire people to care more about nature and make a positive difference in the environment.

Learn more about the Light&Motion GoBe Exploration light https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/gobe

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Parasitic Isopods of the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Admin11

Scorpionfish, lionfish and stonefish all belong to the family Scorpaenidae. They all are well camouflaged and highly venomous. Their defensive spines can deliver a painful sting. It’s best to wear exposure protection and maintain good bouncy control to avoid getting envenomated by these ambush predators.

In the 1980’s Robert Bolland stumbled upon an interesting underwater find. He found a tiny undescribed isopod hitching a ride on a scorpionfish. 1984 the parasitic isopod Renocila bollandi from Okinawa was named after him.

Over the years I photographed a dozen of these orange Isopods (Renocilla bollandi)

I have always wondered,

What is the relationship between the two?
Is the relationship mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism?
Why does the isopod only prefer venomous fish (scorpionfish) as its host?
Why does the isopod always stay close to the eye?

See why they call it the bearded scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis cirrhosa).

Learn more about the hazardous marine life of Okinawa.

Learn more about Robert Bolland and his research at The Okinawa Slug Site.

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Earth Day 2019 Okinawa

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Admin11

Happy Earth Day 2019,

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines.

As you can see our trash is a serious problem on our shorelines. Some organizations are doing great things making a difference but its not enough, We must all work together worldwide to attack this problem.

We all have the ability to make a difference by reducing the amount of single-use items we use daily. Change can be difficult but I challenge you to Make The Switch for Nature

Three items that can make a huge impact are:

Reusable thermos instead of single use
Reusable bag instead of a plastic bag
Metal utensils instead of single use plastic

I also recommend volunteering in a community beach cleanup at least once a year. Its important to see the amount of trash for yourself!

Hopefully this post will inspire you to make a positive change.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

Mission

To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Ryukyuan Pygmy squids and hydroid-eating nudibranchs

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Admin11

In the summer of 2018, I documented some exciting animal behavior underwater. While searching for the blue-ringed octopus in a shallow reef cut, I stumbled upon the elusive pygmy squid (Idiosepius sp). I first photographed the Ryukyuan pygmy squid back in 2012 and was excited to see another one. This undescribed pygmy squid is only 10mm-14mm in size. It can be difficult to get an acceptable photograph of it free-swimming through the water.

Its amazing how fast squid can change color to blend into the sounding background. Look at that camouflage.

The pygmy squid has defined white nodules on the posterior end of the mantle used for attaching to seaweed and rocks.

I took a few photographs of the tiny squid and it eventually retreated into fireweed (Aglaophenia cupressina).

The fireweed looks like a harmless piece of seaweed but its actually a dangerous stinging hydroid. The fireweed delivers a painful sting causing redness, irritation and infection.

I returned to the exact location a few days later in search of the pygmy squid. I found the fireweed but it was much smaller, as if it was purposely cut down. These fireweed colonies have been in the same reef cut for over six years. What could have caused this devastation? Was it possible that a Scuba Instructor cut down the fireweed colonies for the safety of their students? I mention this because the hydroids are in a high-traffic swim-through area, and some days literally hundreds of divers swim through this reef cut.

My first thought was someone cut down the fireweed but I was wrong. It was actually a brightly colored nudibranch named Tenellia yamasui (Hamatani, 1993). The fireweed was infested with juvenile nudibranchs feeding on it.

You would think that the nudibranchs would be conservative and keep some food for the future. The sea slugs devoured the entire fireweed.

Ever wonder what this stinging hydroid can do to your skin? To learn more about the dangerous animals and treatments, check out my post on The Hazardous Marine Life of Okinawa.

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Searching for Cephalopods by Shawn Miller

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Admin11

Lately, I have been getting out a lot more on night dives. The conditions have been great for Scuba diving and underwater macro photography. Diving at night is exciting because you never know what you will find. My last dive I stumbled upon a few new brightly colored nudibranchs and an undescribed pygmy cephalopod known as the pharaoh cuttlefish.

Could this pygmy cuttlefish be an undescribed species or just a clever juvenile broadband cuttlefish resembling the sand?

Scientific name: Sepia sp
Common Name: Pygmy or Pharaoh Cuttlefish
Found: Kin bay, Okinawa
Habitat: Sand bottom @ night
Depth: 35feet
Size: 17mm

More than likely this pygmy cuttlefish is Sepiella inermis. The pharaoh cuttlefish is absolutely stunning. I found this large specimen sand-dwelling during a night dive.

If you have never been night diving I highly encourage you to try it. If you want to learn more about Cephalopods of Okinawa, check out my post on the beautiful Blue-ringed octopus.

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Cowrie Shell Eating Octopuses of Okinawa

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Admin11

In 2010, a friend sent me some beautiful cowrie shells from Hawaii. I noticed that a few specimens had tiny pin holes between the teeth on the underside of the cowrie shell. I asked him what caused this and he stated an octopus. So I decided to test this, I collected a small octopus and placed it in aquarium with no other marine life in the tank.

I placed only live cowrie shells in the tank to see if this octopus would eat the mollusks. I was completely surprised to find out that he was 100% correct.

The tiny drill holes are difficult to see without a magnifying glass.

Strangely, two of the cowrie shells had a drill hole on the top and another on the bottom side. The other eight specimens only had one drill hole on the bottom side. Is it possible that the octopus learned a new behavior? Did it it figure out the most efficient way after the two previous attempts?

All octopuses have a two-part beak used to immobilize and feed on their prey. The beak looks fragile but it one of the toughest and most durable substances made by marine animals.

Cephalopod Beak

My curiosity led me to the questions below Why does the octopus have to drill a hole when there is already a large aperture to feed from? Does the octopus use venom to paralyze the mollusk inside the shell after it drills the hole? If so, does the venom narcotize the mollusk which could allow the octopus to suck out the animal from the shell aperture like a shotgunning effect?

Have you ever wondered how the Okinawans catch small octopuses? Below is a colorful handmade lure made from cone shells and beads. I found it years ago at Awase flats.

My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations

If you would like to help me make a difference Please check out my Patreon Site https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

The Red Coral of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Testing the Nauticam NA-D500 Underwater housing

Hermit Crabs Living In Glass Bottles By Shawn Miller

The Eyes of the Underwater World by Shawn Miller

Amami Woodcock- The Birds of The Ryukyu Islands

Parasitic Isopods of the Ryukyu Islands

Earth Day 2019 Okinawa

Ryukyuan Pygmy squids and hydroid-eating nudibranchs

Searching for Cephalopods by Shawn Miller

Cowrie Shell Eating Octopuses of Okinawa