The month of September (2024) in the Bat Galim reef began with the return of the members of the betaim family (cartilaginous fish).
Their skeleton is made of cartilage. Most of them are carnivores (the cousins of the shark). Their mouth is located in the lower part of the body and their eyes in the upper part of the body and they can fly very fast and disappear in a second. They have a developed sense of sight and smell, which allows them to identify their prey from a relatively large distance. All cartilaginous fish in Israel are defined as a protected species.
A beautiful gray racket
The first one I saw this month was a beautiful gray racket. It was relatively small, about 40 cm in diameter, the beauty feeds on crabs and fish.
Bull mill
Last Saturday (21/9/24) I met a bull rider who was friends with another bull rider, maybe a female, she was bigger than him, estimated to be about one and a half meters. At some point they separated and I continued to swim a little longer with her, an elegant animal and for some reason none of them were excited by my presence when I dived in to photograph them. The female's pregnancy lasts 6-8 months, they feed on oysters, crabs, snails and small fish. are a critically endangered species in the Mediterranean Sea.
A pair of bull mills ► Watch
Trigon point
Last Wednesday (25/9/24) I met a beautiful trigon point, relatively small, I estimate about 40-50 cm in diameter.
The spotted trigon is a migrant from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, the female's pregnancy lasts about a year, it feeds on shellfish, crabs and small fish.
Trigon point ► Watch
Trigon has a sharp nose
Right next to it I noticed a really sharp-nosed trigon, it was easy to miss it, you can see it in the video and understand what it looks like. The female's pregnancy lasts 3-4 months and their lifespan is about a decade.
Trigon has a sharp nose ► Watch
Green sea turtles
Many familiar sea turtles (such as I have been documenting for several years), green turtles: Cleopatra, Diana and Shanty, and brown sea turtles that I have not yet identified, also returned to Bat Galim Reef.
The sea turtle community in Bat Galim Reef.
The green sea turtles are much rarer than the brown sea turtles and unfortunately they are all classified as endangered.
I will continue to share from my marine bubble and take you with me to the magical dimension of our sea in Bat Galim Reef.
Wishing us all a happy new year, health, peace and good news, Amen!
Thank you very much for beautiful pictures and an interesting lesson
What a beauty!