Chek Jawa

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Tongue Sole (Family Cynoglossidae)

These fishes are flattened and live on the sandy bottom. They are born with eyes on both sides of the head, but as they mature, one eye wanders to the upper side of the body!

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Carpet eel-blenny (Congrogadus subducens)

These well-camouflaged, eel-shaped fishes lurk among the coral rubble and snatch at other smaller fishes that may pass by,

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Leatherjacket (Family Monacanthidae)

These fish are slow moving and often rely on their camouflaged patterns to avoid detection.

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Leatherjacket (Family Monacanthidae)

These fish can change their patterns to match their surroundings. They have a rigid dorsal spine above the heads which they can lock upright to wedge the fish in crevices, safe from predators and from being swept away in the currents.

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Leatherjacket (Family Monacanthidae)

This one was trapped in a pool with some seaweeds and had turned green to match the surrounding seagrasses perfectly!

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Leatherjacket fish (Family Monacanthidae)

These fish are named after their tough, rough skin. They are sometimes also called Filefishes. Juveniles, like this one, may be hardly bigger than a seagrass leaf.

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Grouper (Family Serranidae)

This one was trapped in a pool in the middle of the seagrass lagoon. It kept very still and was hard to spot. We left it alone to avoid stressing it.

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Three red Swimming Crabs

Crabs are important scavengers and an important food source for sea creatures, both as a larvae and adult. They are also eaten by land creatures like birds and mammals. Humans, of course, relish crabs as a delicacy.

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Spider crab (Family Majidae)

They are called Spider crabs because of their spider-like legs. These tiny well camouflaged crabs are often overlooked.

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Mud Crab (Scylla sp.)

A common, popular food crab, they feed on any animals they can find, preferring shelled molluscs which they crush with their powerful claws. Their last pair of legs are paddle-shaped, but these are used to burrow rather than swim. They can stay out of water for a long time.

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Elbow Crab (Family Parthenopidae)

A tiny crab with distinctive long pincers, it is usually found near seagrasses. It feeds on small creatures that wander within reach of its unusually long pincers. Because it is so well-camouflaged and slow moving, it is rarely spotted.

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Myriad tiny crabs are found among the seagrass and algae.

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A crab with a well camouflaged body, but brightly coloured appendages.

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Swimming Crab (Thalamita sp.)

These bright red crabs swim well with their paddle-shaped last legs. Very aggressive crabs, they even wave their vicious-looking pincers at people. But they rarely actually pinch anyone.

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Swimming Crabs (Thalamita sp. or Charybdis sp.)

In crabs, mating occurs when the female has just moulted and her new shell is not yet hard. Thus males may protect a female just before she moults, so he can have first access when she is able to mate, and may continue to protect her until her shell hardens.

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Flower Crab (Portunus pelagicus)

A common popular food crab, they are more active at night, hunting small fish and other animals, swimming quickly with their last paddle-shaped pair of legs.

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Flower crab (Portunus pelagicus)

The males are blue with long pincers and colourful markings, while the females are duller brown or green. During the day, they hide in sand, mud or sea grass. Their empty shells are often seen on Chek Jawa, but these are mostly moults.

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Mating Flower Crabs (Portunus pelagicus)

The bright blue male is on top of the duller coloured female.

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Purple Climbing Crab (Metapograpsus sp.)

These colourful crabs squeeze into the tiniest crevices. They use their pincers to scrape off algae which is their main food. But they will eat anything else they can get hold of and manage.

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Volute (Voluta nobilis)

We often come across this shell, but usually, hermit crabs have taken over. Volutes are carnivorous. They prey on bivalves, enveloping the victim completely with their foot forcing the bivalve to finally open from exhaustion and lack of oxygen. They can grow to more than 20cm and used to be common. The local name is 'kilah' and they are sometimes eaten.

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