Life Along the Seashore of Trinidad and Tobago

Science name: Ocypode quadrata. This sand-coloured crab with white claws is familiar to all who visit sandy beaches as it scurries about foraging for food at the tideline. It lives in holes on the beach and creates its burrow by the constant digging motion of...

A highly conspicuous worm with red gills and toxic white bristles on each segment. It feeds on the soft tissue of corals and sea anemones and is readily observed on reef rubble in shallow water, under stones, and on the coral reef. Though slow moving...

The genus Caulerpa belongs to the Chlorophyta (green algae) of which twelve species have been recorded for Trinidad and Tobago. Members of the genus consist of one cell only with many nuclei, making them among the largest single cells in the world. They are characterized...

Science name: Cocos nucifera A common sight along the seashore worldwide, the slender, leaning trunk grows to a height of 25m. The leaves arise in a crown at the top, each leaf approximately 5m in length with many leaflets. The flowers grow among the leaves...

Scientific name: Mucuna sloanei The brown seed known as ‘Donkey eye’ begins life in inland forests borne on a climbing vine with bright yellow flowers, which overgrows other vegetation. The plant produces seed pods about 18 cm (7 in.) long. If the overgrown tree is...

Science name: Cerithium lutusom Menke. Small beautifully sculptured ceriths occur in clusters and inhabit a range of habitats from intertidal areas to coral reefs. You may also like