The Scallop’s Eyes

The iridescent blue eyes of the Doughboy Scallop, (Mimachlamys asperrima), are little optical marvels. They are in fact more like tiny Schmidt telescopes than conventional eyeballs. The back surface of the scallop’s eye is like a mirror which reflects the incoming light back towards the lens opening. The light sensitive cells of the retina are […]

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Headshot

This Leafy Seadragon headshot was taken during a recent daytime dive at Rapid Bay. This is another example of extreme separation normally associated with a night shot but instead done through strong strobes and removal of the blue luminance. I expect he’ll be wearing dark sunglasses next time I return. Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Headshot’, 1/200s […]

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Blue-Ringed Denizen

The Blue-Ringed Octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa, has one of the deadliest toxins of all sea creatures! Its venomous bite can easily kill a human despite its diminutive size of less than 12cm. Fortunately human deaths are very rare as long as effective treatment is close at hand. Edithburgh has a large population of these fascinating critters […]

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