Marty’s photo of the day #4955: In my quest to show you life-forms that you’ve likely never seen before, here is some beautiful soft coral. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Stunning Soft Coral
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Month: January 2026
More Feather Stars
Marty’s photo of the day #4954: These are feather stars. Despite their plant-like appearance, they are a free-swimming animals related to sea stars and sea urchins. They use their feathery arms to filter food from ocean currents and can crawl or swim by undulating their arms. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Honeycomb Grouper
Marty’s photo of the day #4953: This is a honeycomb grouper. They are protogynous hermaphrodites that start out as females and change into males later in life. Living up to 50 years, they spawn on nights surrounding the full moon, with eggs released into open water. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
The Versatile Longfin Emperor
Marty’s photo of the day #4952: This is a longfin emperor. These fish can shift their coloration from a pale to dark depending on their mood. They also start out as female before becoming male. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Who Are You?
Marty’s photo of the day #4951: This is a school of blackspotted snappers. The apparent attitude of one near the bottom, looking directly into my camera, cracks me up: “Who are you, and what is that thing in your hand?” (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
An Uncommon Parrotfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4950: There are approximately 90 species of parrotfish in the world. I couldn’t find this one in any of my ID books or on-line searches. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
The Changing Golden Spadefish
Marty’s photo of the day #4949: Golden spadefish undergo significant physical changes as they age. Juveniles have long, crescent-shaped dorsal and anal fins, while adults have shorter, rounded fins and a spade-like body. An interesting behavior is that juveniles sometimes float sideways, mimicking dead leaves, to hide from predators. Adults, like the one in this […]
Flagtail Triggerfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4948: This is a flagtail triggerfish. There are about 40 species of triggerfish. They get their name because they can lock their main dorsal spine into an upright position using a second, smaller spine, allowing them to wedge themselves into tight, rocky crevices to prevent predators from pulling them out. […]
The Stick Insect Find
Marty’s photo of the day #4947: Sooner or later—at least for me—every visit to a tropical forest or rainforest produces some sort of stick insect. Here’s the one I found while visiting the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea last November.
Bluespotted Cornetfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4946: This may be hard to see if you are viewing on a small screen. You are looking at a bluespotted cornetfish. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Raja Ampat Art
Marty’s photo of the day #4945: My photo yesterday featured ancient Raja Ampat artwork. Today’s Raja Ampat artwork was created last November. When Deb and I visited a school in a tiny, remote village, several boys showed off their sand-drawing skills. The boy in this photo was particularly talented. It took him only a minute […]
Sumalelen Rock Paintings
Marty’s photo of the day #4944: These Sumalelen Rock Paintings are located on the limestone cliffs of an island in the Raja Ampat. They are estimated to be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
In-Your-Face Type of Fish
Marty’s photo of the day #4943: While reef fish are often wary around people, three-striped whiptails are more of an in-your-face kind of fish: “Hi! What are you? Whatcha doin’?” (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
No Match Found
Marty’s photo of the day #4942: I don’t have a positive ID for this butterfly. Many of my ID sources featured butterflies with markings close to this one, but not an exact match. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Unlike Their Parents
Marty’s photo of the day #4941: One thing posting all these photos from the Raja Ampat has done is make me very good at ocean species identification. This juvenile black damselfish was particularly difficult to ID because the adults are either solid black or dark blue. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Feather Stars
Marty’s photo of the day #4940: These are feather stars. Despite their plant-like appearance, they are a free-swimming animals related to sea stars and sea urchins. They use their feathery arms to filter food from ocean currents and can crawl or swim by undulating their arms. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Orange-Lined Triggerfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4939: This is an orange-lined triggerfish. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
This Is An Underwater Scene
Marty’s photo of the day #4938: This is an underwater scene. You are looking at green barrel sea squirts. Cool, eh? (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Thinking About Minneapolis
Marty’s photo of the day #4937: Thinking about Minneapolis, my former hometown and favorite large city. If I was there today, I’d be out on the streets with a whistle. Today’s photo is of a torch ginger in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
The Royal Angelfish Photo I Didn’t Know I Had
Marty’s photo of the day #4936: A while back, I posted a mediocre photo of a royal angelfish, explaining my failed efforts to capture a quality image of a species that seemed determined to thwart me. Then, while going one more time through the thousands of photos I took last year in the Raja Ampat, […]