Cool creatures on Manta Sandy dive, Raja Ampat

Manta is Spanish for cloak which refers to their large blanket-shaped bodies; unlike other rays, mantas do not have a spine on their tail for defense

Devil scorpionfish; this species is a bottom-dwelling fish and is sometimes partially covered with sediment; it is an ambush predator and feeds on passing prey such as invertebrates and small fish

Manta Sandy has a low stone wall that divers kneel behind to watch the mantas come by their cleaning station; it was very crowded with diminished visibility so I can see why the mantas stayed away

My diving buddies suggested what this creature might be but I'm not sure exactly what it is; it looks like a tunicate but they typically have two holes and I only saw one here

It was only after we left the usual manta sighting spot that we actually saw some; there was a boat with lots of Chinese divers making this one of the most crowded Raja Ampat dive sites

Cool upside-down jellyfish; this species has a flattened bell so it can easily rest on sediment (hence the name); they have a mild sting since they are primarily photosynthetic

Pulsing Xenia coral is an interesting invertebrate in that each extension has small, feathery-like polyps that will contract (pulse) together; the reason for why these corals pulse is still a mystery (thanks Gary for identifying!)

Giant clam; the small Indonesian island of Mioskon is known for its giant clams that can be 5 feet across and weigh more than 450 lbs; unfortunately, since they are edible, they are being harvested

Sponge-eating nudibranchs concentrate the chemical defenses from their prey in their bodies, rendering themselves distasteful to predators; so they don't have to worry about their bright colors making them stand out

Blackblotch lizardifsh; they are small and may look innocent but their jaws have one or more lines of needle-like teeth; they grab their victims with lightening speed often taking quite large prey

Like some whales, mantas will occasionally breach (I saw it happen!) but scientists don't know why; they have a large brain relative to their body size in comparison to other sharks and rays

Clove polyps are a beautiful fast-growing soft coral that are often sold for saltwater aquariums (thanks Mike for identifying this!)

Eightband butterflyfish; this species feeds exclusively on coral polyps; not to be outdone, there is the nine-banded armadillo found in Texas and a few lesser places