Flamingo Tongue feeding on a piece of soft coral underwater in the bahamas

Wildlife Wednesday : Flamingo Tongue

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Flamingo Tongue attached to a piece of coral
Flamingo Tongue feeding on soft coral.

This is an image of a Flamingo Tongue feeding on soft coral in the Bahamas. Flamingo Tongues (Cyphoma gibbosum) are commonly found on many of the coral reefs in the Caribbean and the tropical western Atlantic. They grow to about 1 inch.

I used a Sealife DC2000 compact camera – here’s a link to my underwater set-up.


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Comments

12 responses to “Wildlife Wednesday : Flamingo Tongue”

  1. ajeanneinthekitchen Avatar

    For whatever reason, I have the hardest time getting good shots of these. Maybe because we dive in a lot of heavy current waters. 🙂

    1. ScubaHankNYC Avatar

      For small things that don’t move that much. I shoot in aperture priority. It allows me to capture a better depth of field. Also, I ask dive guides to move slowly or just tell them I will trail the group while I take images so I’m not rushing.

      1. ajeanneinthekitchen Avatar

        I might need a better camera. 🙂

      2. ScubaHankNYC Avatar

        I shot this on a compact camera – Sealife DC2000. The camera sits on a track with 2 video lights. The extra light helps the camera focus… imho.

      3. ajeanneinthekitchen Avatar

        I have a Sea & Land micro. For the most part I love it, but I could use a bigger, better camera too. 🙂

  2. Theresa [Hey, Traveler] Avatar

    Whoa! That looks crazy!

  3. ScubaHankNYC Avatar

    They are pretty cool when you spot them in the reef.

  4. carolinehelbig Avatar

    Absolutely gorgeous. I love the small stuff. Is it a type of nudibranch?

    1. ScubaHankNYC Avatar

      Thanks!!!

      Nudibranchs and Flamingo Tongues are classified in the same phylum and class. However, a Flamingo Tongue is not a type of Nudibranch. Nudibranchs shed their shells after their larval stage. Flamingo Tongues grow and maintains their shells and reside on coral throughout their lifetime.

      1. carolinehelbig Avatar

        Thanks! I learned something new. Fascinating creatures.

  5. cindy knoke Avatar

    Whoa! Amazing.

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