Below are several video clips that show off some of the spectacular variety of invertebrates (animals without backbones) that live in and around the sanctuary.

To view a video, simply click on play button (>) in the video controller at the bottom of the window. A brief description of each video is provided below the window.

Balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus)

The balloonfish, a type of porcupinefish, can inflate its body as a defense against predators. Once inflated, the spines that cover its body stand upright making it too big and spiny to swallow.

Here you see a balloonfish with spines flat against its body, swimming through a "snowstorm" of coral spawn at night. (0:33)

Credit: FGBNMS/Hickerson

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Fish of the Flower Garden and Stetson Banks

The fish species found at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary are a subset of those you would find elsewhere in the Caribbean. Although there are fewer species of fish represented in the sanctuary, it is still a balanced and healthy ecosystem.

This video provides a sampling of various species seen in the sanctuary: schooling jacks; a resting queen parrotfish; a juvenile jack hovering close to a coral head; a barracuda swimming a couple of feet above the bottom; a honeycomb cowfish; a large grouper; a yellowhead jawfish hovering above its den in the sand; two seaweed blennies in a standoff on top of a sponge; a seaweed blenny tucked down in the hole of a sponge; a golden smooth trunkfish swimming just above the bottom; a smooth trunkfish spitting streams of water at the bottom to uncover food; a scrawled filefish swimming nose down near the reef; a marbled grouper swimming in place just above the reef with a scrawled filefish on either side; a yellowmouth grouper staring directly at the camera; a tiger grouper swimming over the reef; a creole wrasse resting under a ledge; and, a small tiger grouper and a queen parrotfish tucked into a crevice in the reef. (2:23)

Credit: FGBNMS/Hickerson, Schmahl, DeBose

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