Lofthus

Caribbean Spiny Lobster – The Caribbean Spiny Lobster can be identified by the shaded areas of brown and tan along the body. The back of the body often has a few dark spots while the abdomen has a few light spots. This type of lobster inhabits the reefs and hides under shipwrecks and other debris in the water.

Cubbyu – This Cubbyu is in the Juvenile stage. As juveniles, they have a predominantly black dorsal fin that sticks almost straight up and a black stripe running horizontally along the body. The body shape of the Cubbyu is almost identical to a Highhat.

Filefish – These oddly-shaped, colorful fish are often misleading. From the front their bodies appear thinly compressed but from the side they look like a normal full-bodied fish. Filefish often stay near the seafloor and tend to hide inside holes or cracks in the reef.

Grunts – The common family name, Grunt, comes from the sound the fish make when they grind their teeth together which becomes amplified by their air bladder. Most of the fish in the Grunt family come in various colors and sizes. The fish tend to drift in schools throughout the shallow reefs during the day and feed at night.

Jacks – Jacks are silvery fish that like to swim in schools but can occasionally be found alone or amongst other schools of fish. You can often find them in open water over reefs and shipwrecks or feeding amongst the goatfishes.

Porcupinefish – These fish have small, dark spots all over their bodies. These fish are very shy and often swim away when approached. They are also commonly referred to as puffers.

Porgy – Porgies, commonly referred to as a pinfish, are silvery fish with a black spot on the upper base of their tail. They are often found in inshore sea grass beds and inshore reefs.

Porkfish – Porkfish are distinguished by their bright yellow-gold striped bodies and two vertical bold black diagonal bands on their head. They can often be found around southern Florida.

Sergeant Major – Sergeant Majors are part of the Damselfish family. Their common traits include five black body bars with a hint of yellow along the top of their bodies.

Snapper – These schooling fish come in a variety of colors: gray, red, yellow, etc. Two distinguishing features of Snapper are their sloping heads and tapered bodies. You will often find them drifting above the sea floor, most commonly over sand, but also above other sea bottoms.

Spadefish – Spadefish have a body shape that resembles a “spade,” hence its name. These fish are generally silvery-grey in color with numerous black stripes running vertically along their body.

Stingray – Stingrays are thin, flat, winged creatures with a long thin whip-like tail. They vary from brown to gray to black, with white undersides. They usually lie motionless on the bottom, often covered with a thin layer of sand.

Toadfish – Toadfish often have branched fleshy tabs hanging from their lower lips, like whiskers. These fish often tend to camouflage their bodies in what ever sea bottom they rest in. Most often their bodies are made up of blotchy shades of brown and red-brown. You will often find a Toadfish lying motionless in a hole or living within rocky rubble.

Triggerfish – Triggerfish are easily recognizable by their elliptical, thin body with two erect dorsal spines that stand up when alert. These fish are curious creatures and are known to get up close and personal with divers.

Wrasse – Wrasse’s usually live in shallow water habitats such as coral reefs, rocky shores, and shipwrecks. These fish come in a variety of colors, typically bright, and usually swim with their pectoral fins. They also have a dorsal fin that runs almost the length of their entire body.