Muck Critter Footage

I received my new Olympus TG6 a few days ago! The old one had died after years of heavy use, and it’s such a good camera that I re-ordered one. The 3 months in-between cameras I spent editing old footage, and there was quite a lot I found. I put the main output of my editing binge on YouTube, but a few smaller videos I put on Twitter:

This is a collection of juvenile fishes. Check out the flathead – I had just caught an even smaller fish, and is chewing on it!

Juveniles: a ghost pipefish, a flathead, and a lionfish. Look closely, the flathead is chewing a prey fish!#muckDiving #scuba #marineBiology
My new muck diving documentary:https://t.co/TwBxdTA95y pic.twitter.com/MTCUsPLWQn

— Klaus Stiefel (@Pacificklaus) March 23, 2023

The high art of camouflage, peaked in these crabs which look like balls of filamentous algae:

Are there animals which look less like animals than these #crabs, exquisitely camouflaged as balls of filamentous algae? Filmed at night about 15 meters deep in the Philippines. @crabbymaxie @CrabDay @Rainmaker1973
Full #MuckDiving #documentary here: https://t.co/TwBxdTA95y pic.twitter.com/rCnEMcveAx

— Klaus Stiefel (@Pacificklaus) March 20, 2023

Muck diving – the art of finding rare and unusual critters in sandy, otherwise unsightly dive sites. What are the adaptations of the muck diving fauna to thrive in this feature-less habitat?

What are the specialized adaptations of the fauna seen during #MuckDiving? Camouflage, venom, poison & hiding under the sand are some successful strategies. #scuba #marineBiology
Full documentary: https://t.co/2jhT9Cu3Da@PADI @SeaExplorersPH @GoPro pic.twitter.com/bxwDhaEA1n

— Klaus Stiefel (@Pacificklaus) March 18, 2023