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The marine wildlife of Baa Atoll consists of marine species living in a circular archipelago in the Maldives, inside the administrative division of Baa Atoll, which is the southern part of Maalhosmadulu Atoll. Baa Atoll was named a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2011. [1]
The whole is approximately 38 km by 46 km, covering a surface of 1,127 km2. [2] However, the atoll shelters only 5.5 km2 of emerged land, consisting of sandy islands not higher than 3.19 m, and of which half do not exceed an area of 10 hectares. The administrative subdivision of Baa, shelters 11,910 inhabitants, distributed on 13 of the 75 islands, 8 other islands being island resorts; the capital is Eydhafushi.
The archipelago has been located inside the UNESCO Biosphere reserve since 2011. [1] Its shallow waters, particularly rich in coral and fish as well as turtles and dolphins, madk a favored place for seaside and underwater tourism. [1]
The ecosystem is characterized by a very high rate of coral cover, highly diverse and dominated by table, digitate and branched corals of the genus Acropora . The shallow waters of this atoll and its particular richness in corals and fish have made it a destination for underwater tourism. [1] The presence of huge animals such as manta rays and whale sharks add spectacular encounters to the beauty of the place. [3] Scientific studies suggest that the faunistic composition can vary greatly between neighbor atolls, especially in terms of benthic fauna. [4]
All of the images illustrating this article, except for the satellite view, were taken in the waters of Baa Atoll.
Since 2020, all species of parrotfishes are strictly protected in Maldives. [5]
Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular in aquaria.
A yellowtail may be any of several different species of fish. Most commonly the yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi is meant. In the context of sushi, yellowtail usually refers to the Japanese amberjack, Seriola quinqueradiata. Other species called simply "yellowtail" include:
Aulostomus maculatus, the West Atlantic trumpetfish, is a long-bodied fish with an upturned mouth. It often swims vertically while trying to blend with vertical coral, such as sea rods, sea pens, and pipe sponges.
Kuramathi at 2 km (1 mi) long is the largest of six islands that belong to the small natural atoll, located a few miles off NE Ari Atoll, known as Karaa, Thoddoo, or Thoddoo Atoll, which administratively belongs to Alif Alif Atoll.
The wildlife of Maldives includes the flora and fauna of the islands, reefs, and the surrounding ocean.
Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds of species can exist in a small area of a healthy reef, many of them hidden or well camouflaged. Reef fish have developed many ingenious specialisations adapted to survival on the reefs.
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small archipelagic state in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) from the Asian continent's mainland. The chain of 26 atolls stretches across the Equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. The land area is roughly 298 square kilometres. Malé is the capital.
In the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus described the Pisces as:
Always inhabiting the waters; are swift in their motion and voracious in their appetites. They breathe by means of gills, which are generally united by a bony arch; swim by means of radiate fins, and are mostly covered over with cartilaginous scales. Besides the parts they have in common with other animals, they are furnished with a nictitant membrane, and most of them with a swim-bladder, by the contraction or dilatation of which, they can raise or sink themselves in their element at pleasure.
Temple Reef is an artificial reef off the coast of Pondicherry, India. It was constructed of fully recycled materials such as concrete blocks, rocks, trees, palm leaves, and iron bars by the Temple Adventures team starting from October 2013. Temple Reef Foundation currently maintains and monitors the reef.
Taganga is a traditional fishing village and corregimiento of Santa Marta, located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at about 10 minutes or 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of Santa Marta. Both Santa Marta and Taganga were founded by Rodrigo de Bastidas on July 29, 1525, making them two of the oldest remaining colonial settlements in present-day Colombia.
A corallivore is an animal that feeds on coral. Corallivores are an important group of reef organism because they can influence coral abundance, distribution, and community structure. Corallivores feed on coral using a variety of unique adaptations and strategies. Animals known to be corallivores include certain mollusks, annelids, fish, crustaceans, flatworms and echinoderms. The first recorded evidence of corallivory was presented by Charles Darwin in 1842 during his voyage on HMS Beagle in which he found coral in the stomach of two Scarus parrotfish.