Miami Living Magazine features the best Miami has to offer. Click on any magazine below and enjoy. You can download our free app on iTunes. Ideal for iPad and iPhone users.
Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/992510
In the open ocean, there are very few places to hide, and even fewer surfaces to hold on to and rest. Floating plants of fer a place of refuge for small crabs and shrimp, and a place to find food for many fishes. The most prolific floating plant off of Florida is sargassum, a type of brown algae or seaweed. Generally, sargassum mats stay far offshore, floating around in the currents of the Atlantic. But when strong winds blow from the east, the sargassum (along with all of its associated species) gets pushed up against Florida's beaches. Offshore winds may be bad news for boating and diving around Miami, but they are great conditions for finding interesting critters. Most of the animals associated with sargassum are very nicely camouflaged, clad in copper and ochre tones to match their seaweed homes. Both predator and prey use this camouflage to hunt and evade each other, but also to remain hidden from gulls and terns above. Another offshore community of organisms is called the Blue Community, so-called because of the animals' gorgeous shades of blue and purple. In the Blue Community are gelatinous animals, such as the infamous Portuguese Man-o-war, that float along and use the wind to guide their movements. A small cousin of the man-o-war known as the Blue But ton is also common offshore, and both of these beautiful blue animals can be found along Miami's beaches after sustained winds. The next time the forecast calls for strong winds blowing towards shore, tr y taking a stroll along Key Biscayne or Miami Beach. Bring a bucket or jar with you, scoop up some water and a handful of floating sargassum, and see what you can discover. A Pygmy Filefish the size of my fingernail hiding in the sargassum