Scuba and Chill

What marine life hides under the Caribbean Sea in the Dominican Republic?

República Dominicana conserva una vida marina muy variada y abundante. En esta entrada te contaremos lo que podrás encontrar bajo del mar

Fortunately, the Dominican Republic preserves a very varied and abundant marine life. We can find a great variety of colors and different species. We are going to comment on some of the fauna that it houses:

First of all the coral reefs. They are definitely the protagonists of marine life. At each dive point we can see different corals with different shapes and colors. Likewise, they serve as shelter for many species.

Soon in another blog we will give more detailed information about coral reefs.

But in addition to the coral reefs and their associated fauna, the Dominican Caribbean Sea has many other submerged species. Below we describe some of them:

Parrotfish (Scaridae sp.). We can find numerous species of parrot fish in the seas of the Dominican Republic. They are so called because they have numerous teeth grouped in a structure that resembles the beak of a parrot. 
Trumpet fish (Aulostomus maculates): Its name says it all. They have long, thin bodies with trumpet-shaped mouths. We find them in many colors: brown, blue, red, yellow…
Turtles: We find up to five species on the Dominican coasts. The Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nests on Saona Island and Catalina Island. These turtles can measure up to 1.70 m (5.6 ft) and weigh more than 300 kg (660 lbs).
Manatee: (trichechus manatus): It is a large mammal with a rounded, spatula-shaped tail fin. They can weigh more than 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs) and measure more than 4 meters (13 ft). 
Starfish: We must point out that starfish are not fish, but are echinoderms (from the same family as sea urchins or sea cucumbers). We found many species of starfish, and it is one of the main attractions of our excursion to Saona, since the natural pools are full of Oreaster reticulatus.
Lionfish (Pterois volitans): This is an invasive species that reproduces at high speed. It should be noted that it is a fish made up of poisonous spines.
Nurse shark (ginglymostoma cirratum). Although it is not very frequent, sometimes we can see these specimens. These are completely harmless sharks that are usually found in caves and can measure up to 4 meters (13 ft).
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The bottlenose dolphin or bottlenose dolphin has a gray or black coloration on its back with a whiter tone on its belly. We can see groups of 10 or 12 dolphins of this species. 
Cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis): These fish can be easily recognized due to the horns located above their eyes. They are totally peaceful species. 
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). It is the largest animal with teeth in the ocean. They can measure more than 20 meters (65 ft) and weigh more than 50 tons. 
Puffer fish or hedgehog (Diodon Hystrix). We find this multi-colored species fascinating. Being able to measure almost 1 meter (3 ft), this inhabitant has developed incredible strategies to protect itself from its predators, swelling up and using its body covered in thorns in its defense… Well, we love that!
Eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari). They belong to the shark family. They are easy to distinguish as they have numerous white dots on their blue backs. They can measure up to 3 meters (9 ft) and weigh more than 200 kg (440 lbs)
Langosta
Lobster (Panulirus argus). They have a long and cylindrical body. They are covered in thorns and do not have pincers. It has cream and yellow spots. It has two pairs of antennas. The first pair is thin and dark in color. The second pair are antennae that are longer than the body and point forward. 

These are some of our favorite species, but the Caribbean Sea in the Dominican Republic has many more species. Giant crabs, moray eels, octopuses, cuttlefish, squid, barracudas, tuna, swordfish, urchins, nudibranchs, seahorses, gorgonians, sponges, angelfish…

Tortuga marina

Stay active and follow us on our social networks to find out about our next publications with more curiosities about the pearls of the Caribbean Sea.

You can write to us for any information you need.

See you in the next blog!

Good blue!

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