Tim Grollimund: 31 books

"Classified as a “nuclear” species, goatfish truly play a leadership role. Other species are attracted to the substratum-disturbing foraging. And when several goatfish are involved in the fray, the groupies increase in number and diversity.Single goatfish usually have up to three “follower”...

When I’m on the reef and I want a chuckle, I look for a fish in a box. Not a cardboard box of fish like you find in the bait shop, but a body box that fits perfectly and is color matched to its occupant. I bet I have seen some sort of fish in a box on every dive. On some occasions we find juveniles,...

"While the vast majority of observations during the day are while eels are resting or on a cleaning station, a few times I have seen an eel coupled with a grouper. The first time I saw this was on the Winch Hole. A graysby came to a stop on a pile of rubble, and a goldentail came out from its lair....

Cleaning stations are an essential element in reef ecology. All three parties - cleaners, clients and parasites - are part of a big matrix that runs the gamut from mutually beneficial to intrusive or harmful. When I first began my research, I thought this would be a no-brainer. A fish or turtle pulls...

"Hogfish got their name because they root around the sea floor, like a hog roots around the barnyard. They are opportunistic feeders, like their barnyard counterparts, but feed mostly on crabs and mollusks. We have three species here: Spanish, spotfin and the big kahuna, Lachnolaimus maximus.I...

"As Dr. Kelble points out, the variability of salinity levels in Florida Bay is incredibly important to the food chain. What does this have to do with minnows? Well, everything. He examined the relationship between mesozooplankton, salinity and bay anchovies.What follows is a massive oversimplification...

"As I stood on the boat with my morning coffee and watched the people pile in the boats and head out to the whale sharks, my immediate reaction was “we are in a whale shark theme park”. Pop in a roller coaster and a hot dog stand and we have an instant attraction for the entire family. An Imax...

I want to spend more time watching redlip blennies. They mate beginning at first light in two week cycles that start ten days before the full moon. The mating sessions last about three hours each morning, and males generally have female visitors every day. Sometimes the same females come back, but...

"Puffers are a group of species I like to shoot, especially the larger varieties. They have a shy, but jovial personality. At least they always look like they are smiling. Sometimes they won’t turn around to face the camera, and sometimes they don’t seem to care. They are not exactly speed demons...

Lots of reasons are given for the collective behavior of schooling. There is a whole host of scientific literature to study on the topic. Schooling occurs in up to eighty percent of species at some point in their lifetime. Protection from predators, breeding and searching for food are the top reasons...

Today’s thoughts are primarily for all the folks I see with compact camera systems on dive boats. If you are new to underwater photography, I applaud your entry into the submerged imaging realm. It’s your efforts shooting photos that help spread the wonder, beauty and splendor of the ocean treasures...

Don’t get me wrong - there are many, many places I’d love to see. But coming home to the Florida Keys is an exotic destination in itself. Just look at our statistics. Millions of visitors a year come here to see the third largest barrier reef system in the world. Not too shabby. So when I got...

"Spadefish are the only species of its family that reside in the Western Atlantic. In the Pacific there are at least six species of spadefish, where they are also commonly known as batfish. While they are common in the Keys, in other parts of the Caribbean they are not as prevalent. I’ve seen schools...

Trumpet fish are part of the Syngnathiformes family. Don’t fret, I can’t pronounce it either. It’s actually quite a large group. Cousins include seahorses, pipefish, sea dragons, shrimpfish, and sea moths. Bony exteriors and small tube-like mouths are characteristics of syngnathids. Like seahorses,...