Marine Little 5 is a new term, so before we get into it, let’s look at the history of this idea. South Africa has coined the term Big 5. It relates to our beautiful, game, land animals. The Big 5 includes the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, buffalo, and elephant. The Big 5’s strong marketing led to the formation of the Little 5. Their shared names and slight physical resemblance played a role in their selection. These include the ant lion, leopard tortoise, rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver and elephant shrew. Here in False Bay, we explore the Great African Sea Forest to find our version of the Big 5 and Little 5.
Expanding the term ‘Big 5’ to consider marine animals led to the creation of the Marine Big 5. It consists of the great white shark, the bottlenose dolphin, the southern right whale, the Cape fur seal and the African penguin. You can even see some of these visiting False Bay on our Ocean Safari’s, snorkel trips, and SCUBA dives. I have seen some of South Africa’s Marine Big 5 while on a boat trip and during snorkelling. I was lucky enough to encounter the Cape Fur Seal, African Penguin and the Southern Right Whale. These encounters are special to me. We should always treat all animals with respect, so maintain a safe distance from them to keep yourself and the animal safe.
All these majestic animals deserve their spotlight, but it is also important to recognize our smaller marine life. Here at Cape RADD, we have nominated five individuals to represent the False Bay Marine Little 5. Most of these animals are endemic to our waters, besides one clever individual whom we all love. Just around the corner from our base of operations, they made a documentary about it.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
Unlike the other members of False Bay’s Marine Little 5, which are specific to the region, the common octopus is found all around the world. We often see this octopus along our coast. You can usually see them whilst you are diving and even snorkelling. If you are lucky, you might even encounter one by just exploring tide pools. The common octopus is an intelligent creature and a master at camouflage. You can learn more about these wonderful animals by watching the Oscar-winning Netflix documentary ‘My Octopus Teacher’. A documentary filmed right here in False Bay, at Miller’s Point.
Tuberculate cuttlefish (Sepia tuberculata)
Cuttlefish are extraordinary creatures. Like their octopus relatives, their camouflaging abilities are unparalleled and can fool anyone’s eyes. They can change their colour and texture faster than you can blink! Tuberculate cuttlefish are endemic to southern Africa and are unique for their textured upper surface. Reaching a size of approximately 80 mm, if you want to spot them then you need to look carefully or you might just miss them.
Gas flame nudibranch (Bonisa nakaza)
Endemic to South Africa and one of the most commonly seen nudibranchs in False Bay, gas flames are a sight for sore eyes. The fiery flame-coloured cerata of the gas flame nudibranch stands out against the greenery of False Bay. Dr. Terrance Gosliner was the first to scientifically describe them in 1981, and he named them after his wife, Bonnie. These little sea slugs are approximately 100 mm long. It is quite large, and because of its bright colour, it is usually the nudibranch we see.
Cape dorid (Hypselodoris capensis)
The cape dorid was the first nudibranch I saw in my life. I spotted it while snorkelling at Seaforth Beach. This nudibranch is found only along the South African coast and adds to the region’s unique marine biodiversity. Finding a nudibranch while snorkelling is reason enough for me to brave False Bay’s cold waters. This uniquely striped and spotted nudibranch is approximately 50 mm long. Cape dorids have less cerata than gas flame nudibranchs but are just as colourful. Decorated with white strips, and red and purple spots.
Everyone loves nudibranchs, so it was quite a challenge to nominate only two individuals. These little sea slugs are majestic, so a False Bay resident, Lisa Beasley went on to protect tidal pools from harmful cleaning methods. So a huge thank you to Lisa, because now we can explore tidal pools and hopefully spot some sea slugs.
Longsnout pipefish (Syngnathus temminckii)
When we think about ocean life, the first that comes to mind are fish. The False Bay Marine Little 5 recognizes this unusual fish. This group has another ambassador found only along the coast of southern Africa. This slender fish stretches to approximately 32 cm in body length and displays 54 to 64 ring-like plates covering its body along its entire length. During our SCUBA dives, we frequently spot longsnout pipefish. Much like its seahorse relatives, the longsnout pipefish males carry the fertilized eggs until it hatches.
Let’s go hunting for our little five!
If you want to be a part of finding False Bay’s marine little five, come explore the Great African Sea Forest with us. You can do so by booking a citizen science snorkel trip or SCUBA dive. If you want to spot some of South Africa’s marine Big 5, you can join our Ocean Safari’s.
And if you are like me, and want to be more involved in learning all about the science and learning new research techniques, join us for a Marine Science field course.
References
Branch, G., Griffiths, C., Branch, M. & Beckley, L. (2016). Two Oceans: A guide to the marine life of southern Africa. 4th ed. Cape Town: Struik Nature.
Gosliner, T., Jones, G., Beasley, L., Claasens, L., Fraser, V., Herbert, D., Jonker, K., Liltved, W., Ogden, C., Ogden, M., Pretorius, V., Pritchard, D., Scott, R., Sellick, B., Sherry, K., Snyman, E., Southwood, P., Strömvoll, J., Thornycroft, R., Tibiriçá, Y., Toms, J., van der Colff, C., van Jaarsveld, C., van Jaarsveld, P., Walne, H. & Zsilavecz, G. (2023). Southern African Sea Slugs. Cape Town: Southern Underwater Research Group.
Koch, R.J. (no date) Syngnathus temminckii Kaup, 1856. Available at: https://www.fishbase.se/FieldGuide/FieldGuideSummary.php?GenusName=Syngnathus&SpeciesName=temminckii&sps=&print= (Accessed: 12/09/2024).
Tailormade Africa: The Big Five of the Sea. Available at: https://www.tailormadeafrica.com/stories/the-big-five-of-the-sea/ (Accessed: 12/09/2024).
Zsilavecz, G. (2007) Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. Cape Town: Southern Underwater Research Group.