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The Flower Garden corals grow
on top of geological structures called salt domes,
or salt diapers. Millions of years ago, when the
Gulf of Mexico click image for
more...(photo: Dr. Tom Bright)
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This photograph depicts the
landscape of the West and East Flower Garden Banks.
It illustrates the high coral coverage (around
50%), click image for more...photo: Frank
and Joyce Burek)
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At night, corals compete for
space by reaching out to their neighbors with long
filaments which literally dissolve the coral tissue
next door, click image for more... (photo:
Frank and Joyce Burek)
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An example of the reefscape
at the Flower Gardens - brain coral (Diploria
strigosa), exposed reef rock, branching tube
sponge click image for more... (photo: Frank
and Joyce Burek)
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Many mushroom shaped
projections, such as this one, occur naturally at
the Flower Gardens, and other coral reefs. This is
a natural process called bioerosion, where reef
organisms (sponges, etc.) slowly remove the reef
rock underneath living click image for more...
(photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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Great star coral
(Montastraea cavernosa) is easy to identify
because of the size of the polyps - as large as the
end of a person's thumb. It is one of four species
of Montastraea found at the Flower Gardens. It is
one of the participants in the mass click image
for more... (photo: Dr. Stephen
Gittings)
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This picture clearly
illustrates the two different species of brain
coral found at the Flower Gardens. In the
foreground is boulder brain coral click image
for more... (photo: Frank and Joyce
Burek)
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Platforms in the Gulf of
Mexico are a favorite dive site for adventurous
SCUBA divers. This production platform (HI389A),
located just one mile east of the East Flower
Garden Bank, is home to a diverse and rich
biological community - more so click image for
more... (photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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Tesselated blenny
(Hypsoblennius invemar), left and a seaweed
blenny (Parablennius marmoreus) right -
these are often seen poking click image for
more... (photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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Stetson Bank is lined on one
side by a row of high relief pinnacles - a couple
of which are covered with ten-ray star coral
(Madracis decactis). click image for
more... (photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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Another view of Stetson Bank.
Intermingled in between the coral colonies are the
many sponges found at Stetson Bank, click image
for more... (photo: Frank and Joyce
Burek)
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Stetson Bank is dominated by
fire coral (Millepora alcicornis), algae,
and many species of sponges. The front side of the
pinnacles drop down steeply to depths beyond scuba
diving click image for more... (photo: Frank
and Joyce Burek)
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Stetson Bank is dominated by
fire coral (Millepora alcicornis) and
sponges, including this branching tube sponge
(Pseudoceratina click image for
more... (photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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The fire coral is a mustard
color tipped with white, and is definitely on every
divers list of what not to touch. The stinging
cells, called click image for more...
(photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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A colorful assortment of fire
coral (Millepora alcicornis) and sponges are
a photographer's dream at Stetson Bank. Some
species of sponge represented here are the
black-ball sponge (Ircinia strobilina), a
type of red encrusting sponge, and click image
for more... (photo: Frank and Joyce
Burek)
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This french angelfish
(Pomacanthus paru) is in a intermediate
stage between juvenile and adult - the stripes from
the juvenile stage are still very visible, as are
the yellow outlines of the individual scales of the
adult. click image for more... (photo: Frank
and Joyce Burek)
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The marbled grouper
(Epinephelus inermis) is always a treat to
see during a trip to the Flower Gardens. They are
usually rather shy animals, and are often found in
deeper areas click image for more... (photo:
Joyce and Frank Burek)
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This creole-fish
(Paranthias furcifer) stops and spreads its
fins out, and sometimes opens its mouth and puffs
out its (photo: Frank and Joyce Burek)
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