Banded Coral Shrimp.
A red-and-white striped cleaner shrimp with long white antennae that runs a grooming station for fish on the reef.
The banded coral shrimp is one of the reef's busiest cleaning specialists. Its bold red and white bands and long white antennae act like a flag, advertising a grooming service to passing fish. Even predators like moray eels will hold open their mouths and let the shrimp pick parasites from their teeth without ever attempting to eat them.
The shrimp lives in monogamous pairs that stake out a permanent cleaning station, often under a ledge or in a small cave. The female is usually larger than the male, and the pair defends the station vigorously against rivals.
Banded coral shrimp are widespread across the tropical Pacific and easy to spot at night, when they emerge from their station to wave their antennae and announce that the cleaner is open for business.
More species in this group.
Day Octopus
A daytime hunter and master shapeshifter, Hawaiʻi's most commonly seen octopus can change color and texture in under a second.
Chambered Nautilus
A living fossil whose ancestors swam alongside dinosaurs, the nautilus drifts through deep reefs in a perfect spiral shell.
Hawaiian Bobtail Squid
A thumb-sized squid that hides in plain sight using bioluminescent bacteria to erase its own shadow under the moon.
Textile Cone Snail
A beautiful but dangerous predator that fires a venomous harpoon to paralyze fish — and whose toxins inspire modern medicine.