Deadliest Marine Fish of the Ryukyu Islands by Shawn Miller

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Admin11

The reef stonefish is the most venomous fish found on Okinawa. The stonefish resembles an encrusted rock and sometimes has algae growing from its skin. The reef stonefish is an ambush predator and spends its day patiently waiting for a fish to pass by. The stonefish is not aggressive at all. It is extremely dangerous because it doesn’t show any flashy warning signs. The spines deliver an extremely painful sting with strong venom injected into the body.

Reef, rock, sponge or fish?

If you spend any time exploring the ocean, I encourage you to look at these images and get familiar with these deadly facial features.

The reef stonefish will also bury itself in the sand. Does that make it a sand stonefish?

The false stonefish is much smaller and is usually found in shallow water. Its a master of concealing itself from visual detection.

The false stonefish is more active than the reef stonefish. It generally gives predators a warning sign by displaying its brightly colored pectoral fins.

Most of the false stonefish and scorpionfish will fluoresce beautifully under blue light.

Ways to avoid injury

- Be respectful and avoid harassing, touching and feeding marine life

- Maintain good buoyancy control

Wear exposure protection- felt bottom booties

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.

If you would like to use any of my photographs, please contact me directly.

Have a great day!

The benefits of changing your colors by Shawn Miller

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Admin11

How cool would it be to have the ability to change colors in a matter of seconds? In the beautiful waters of Okinawa, we have a few fish that are capable of changing color quickly.

The Arrow Bulleye (Priacanthus sagittarius) is a stunning dark ruby red when its hiding from predators. It stays close to the coral reef and blends in well.

Red Bigeye ( Pricanthus sagittarius )

When the Arrow Bullseye is threatened, it flees into open water and changes to a lighter color.

Red Bigeye ( Pricanthus sagittarius )

It eventually changes to silver in a matter of three seconds

Red Bigeye ( Pricanthus sagittarius )

Another example of color change happens at the cleaning station. A cleaning station is a designated location where fish come to get their skin, fins, eyes, mouth, teeth, and gills cleaned by cleaner fish. This is an example of Mutilism. The cleaner fish gets fed fresh parasites and the client gets cleaned. All fish swim into the cleaning station and patiently wait to get cleaned.

The blue-lined surgeonfish and rabbitfish (video below) pull into the station and immediately turn dark in color. The purpose of this is so the cleaner fish can spot the parasites easier and speed up the process.

Fish cleaning station

They naturally change back to their lighter color when the exit the cleaning station.

Nice and clean

Check out this rare event in nature, that few will ever see in the wild.

Could the increase in tourism contribute to fish disease and parasites? Is it possible the cleaner fish can’t keep up?

Isopods and copepods are bloodsucking parasites commonly found at Maeda point. In the recent years, tourism has increased and some days thousands of snorkelers enter the water. Parasites occur naturally but with the increase in tourism, I believe they are becoming more abundant.

One possible reason is due to guided fish feeding tours. They often feed the marine life large amounts of fu (harvested wheat rolls) and other manmade items. In the past, it was popular to feed the fish processed sausage. I have been diving Maeda point since 1992. I have observed a decline in healthy coral colonies and other marine life. I have also seen more fish with skin disease and parasites in recent years. Below are some fish with parasites photographed at Maeda point.

Isopod- Renocilla bollandi

Rhabdamis sp

Filefish with tiny parasites

Twin spot lionfish and parasites

Pennantfish and parasite

Firefish with parasites

Butterflyfish and parasites

Parasite infestation

Damselfish with parasite

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 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

When The Red Tractor’s Arrive The Egrets Will Thrive

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Admin11

Reflections of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

On Okinawa, we have six species of Egrets (Great, Intermediate, Cattle, Little, Chinese, and Pacific Reef Egret). Egrets spend most of the day foraging on food in the grasslands. They are opportunistic hunters and have learned a new behavior. They follow a tractor as it plows the field and food rewards are given in large amounts. The tractor plow exposes insects, worms, snakes, eels, mice, and frogs. The payoff is great, a large amount of food in a short period of time.

Plowing the field © Shawn Miller

Farming on Okinawa © Shawn Miller

These specialized birds are beneficial for local farming fields. Egrets also feed on grasshoppers and caterpillars that can devastate farmers crops in a matter of days.

Egrets feeding © Shawn Miller

One of the egret’s favorite food is the Japanese marsh frog. The last wave goodbye.

Goodbye © Shawn Miller

All you can eat buffet © Shawn Miller

Frog legs © Shawn Miller

Egrets can also be found huntings in wetlands and the shorelines on Okinawa. Here they spend many hours patiently hunting with small rewards of food.

Wings spread © Shawn Miller

Striking a pose © Shawn Miller

I have observed these birds hunting for hours on many occasions and the majority of the time they miss their prey in the wetlands.

The miss © Shawn Miller

Nature and waste © Shawn Miller

The sad truth is our waste is a serious problem for all animals worldwide.

That’s not food © Shawn Miller

Let’s work together to make a difference.

Birds in motion © Shawn Miller

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

The Good, the Bad or the Evil – The Crow’s of Okinawa

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Admin11

The Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) is found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. They are abundant here and can be found all over Okinawa. Populations have increased due to the readily available food, left on the side of the road and in dumpsters. It’s important to keep your trash enclosed in cages to prevent the crows from getting to it.

Scientific name: Corvus macrorhynchos
Local name: Jungle crow
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Farms, cities, forests and grasslands.
Diet: Eats almost everything
Average size: 50cm body length
Color: Black

The farmers in Onna village put up this deterrent to keep the crows from coming back.

Crows can be vicious predators. They often harass other birds, showing off their strength.

These intelligent birds work as a team to get what they want. I have personally seen them raid baby birds from the nest. I have seen them fly away with juvenile woodpeckers, rails and swallows.

Crow taking the okinawa woodpecker from the nest

The mother duck worked hard to protect her young from this vicious predator.

Spot-billed duck and ducklings

To control the population of jungle crows in northern Okinawa, they use large traps to catch them in. One way in and no way out!

Possibly a strange growth that occurred from an injury (broken beak). Could this be one of the few crows that made a successful escape from a trap?

As much as we dislike the crow, they do have a purpose in the ecosystem. They clean the dead animals (road kill) off the road, keeping our environment clean from rotting carcasses. I often see them feeding on cats, snakes, lizards, birds, and rats dead in the road.

On several occasions, I have observed crows eating dead animals on beaches and river banks. Met EEL-Zilla, a huge freshwater eel that washed up at Nagahama dam.

They also feed on the large green caterpillars that destroy the farmer’s taro (Taanmu) crops in Kin village

Mutualism of Commensalism?

I believe this is Mutualism. Both animals possibly benefit from each other. The crow cleans the parasites on the boar’s skin and also acts as a warning system when threats are in the area. The wild boar uproots the ground, which gives access to insects, grubs, and worms for the crow. This was my first time observing this behavior in the wild.

As soon as the boar spotted me it fled the scene. The crow attempted to stay mounted but could not keep up with the boar.

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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

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: animal behaivor

Deadliest Marine Fish of the Ryukyu Islands by Shawn Miller

The benefits of changing your colors by Shawn Miller

When The Red Tractor’s Arrive The Egrets Will Thrive

The Good, the Bad or the Evil – The Crow’s of Okinawa