Hexaplex trunculus

Attacking a Callista chione bivalve shell.

The hatching of the eggs doesn't happen at the same time as you can see from this photo.

One common gastropod of the Mediterranean Sea is the Hexaplex trunculus or Banded Murex. This snail was very popular through the ancient times because it was used to produce purple dye. It is also used as bait for long-lines. A hunter with great success against bivalve shells (photo)but it also likes dead fishes. It is powerful enough to make holes in bivalve shells. Fishermen attract them by throwing dead fishes and crabs. Over its shell can grow weeds, asbestolithic weeds and sponges. The most impressive point in its life is its reproduction. It has separate sexes and a lot of individuals spawn over the same place making that strange group of eggs that we can find in the shallow water (photo). The first nymph stages of his life passes inside the egg and it hatches as a crawling shell. It lives in polluted areas and sometimes this results in finding female animals with male genitals.

Intertidal hermit crab.

Clibanarius erythropus is famous for a variety of reasons such as his funny name, the big range of shells and his usage as a bait. The last reason happens because it is very easy to trap him in the rockpools where it uses to sit. It has a foraging behavior and it selects substrates where there are a lot of filamentous algae and corticated macrophytes to eat. It moves big distances per day and research showed that the type of shell that it uses influences the extent of movement. In the video you can watch a strange meeting of hundreds of hermit crabs under a rock. Probably this happens for the reproduction. I made it in very shallow water (o,5m).

Octopus - the magnificent 8

Everyone who visits the Greek islands is familiar with the picture of the hanging bodies of the octopus. Famous for his tasteful meat octopus is the most popular food for the summer. Fortunately the population of the octopus doesn’t seem to be endangered because of the fishing. If it lives in good conditions with plenty of food can grow up to 10kgr extremely fast. It is very famous for his skills and abilities that make it one of the most impressive marine animals and a very good hunter. During the day he hunts near his nest but on the other hand in the night makes long walks searching for food (video) It can camouflaged near the rocks and burry himself in the sand (photo) in order to do ambush his victims. Also it seems to be very clever as it can open cans and glass jars if it wants to take the containment. It has been proven that it can learn and remember tricks for a long time. Octopuses are territorial animals and usually in the area you will find individuals of the same size. Some of them are very good builders and make a well style nest using rocks over the sand. They also use rocks to block the entrance of the nest (video). When the octopus is afraid it makes a red and white coloration ring around his eyes and ejects ink (photo).

A night excursion! filmed by Michalis Adamtziloglou

An octopus trying to mime the color of the sand

Burried alive to ambuscade the enemies.

Reproduction time, one of the male tentacles has the hectocotylus which is the tentacle that carries the spermatophores. The female gametes are inside the mantle. These two animals seem to be afraid of each other.

Ejecting ink to have more time to run and hide.

A well style nest.

Octopus uses rocks to hide and block the entrance of the his nest.

After mating come the eggs some species can lay up to 500.000 eggs. The female guards the strings of eggs for about a month. She is a very caring mother!, this time however she left her nest for a little sea stroll.

Octopus is a usual issue for ancient Greek amphoras (this from the Minoan civilazation)

Octopus also can be protagonist or inspire some very funny situations

sex in the sea

-This is the time of loving in Marmaras Harbour-Chalkidiki, orgies of Bursatella leachi to be seen everywhere in different colorations.
-We dived in every corner of the harbour, but they seemed to prefer the muddier-dirtier parts.
-Dirty sex!!!!
-Loving World Ocean Day-June 8th

a Pendulum count the time for resurrection?

I lived almost three years by the sea of the southern part of North Euboic gulf. Although Euboic may means something like “nice living” for a snorkeler is not a good “nice living” area. Probably polluted as no other place n Greece the area is adrift of the careless citizens for environmental matters that live there. Some species had succeeded to survive and reproduce in these hazardous waters. Like this sponge (probably Chondrosia reniformis) by hanging reminds me the time that passes. Counting in that the picture takes beyond one of the most popular places of the area (politika lighthouse) makes a big symbolic icon to me. I hope and to you.