Coral reefs are also known as the rainforests of the sea due to their species diversity. Large Marine predators, such as Barracuda and shark or present on these reefs where there are schools of brightly colored tropical fishes with sea turtles and other Marine animals that rested there to eat food or even spiritize up at a cleaning station. 

The most fascinating lifeforms of coral reefs are the tiny species which may complete their life circle without being detected by scuba divers. Let’s take a look at about 7 tiny species of coral reefs.

7 Tiny Species of Coral Reefs 

The underwater world is full of wonders to look for. The tiny species of coral reefs are considered one of them. Here are 7 of them to look for while scuba diving:

• Blenny.
• Nudibranch.
• Seahorse.
• Christmas tree worm.
• Harlequin shrimp.
• Cowry.
• Blue-Ringed octopus.

Blenny 

Bennie are considered one of the most common tiny species of coral reefs. There are about 833 species across 130 genera. They have elongated bodies having 1-5 inches in length.

They usually grow in the crevices within corals and abandoned shella. You can find them also burrowing into the sandy substrate.

Nudibranch 

Nudibranch are known as sea slugs. Scuba divers can find them in a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes and textures. Most of them only grows to a length of a few mm to one inch which is like the size of your pinky fingernail!

Seahorse 

Underwater, you can find some species of seahorse have a length of 14 inches, but actually many species have a length of a half inch to 2 inches. Pygmy seahorse is considered the smallest species, measuring 15 mm or less in length.

Christmas Tree Worm 

The christmas tree worm is considered from the fascinating tiny species of coral reefs. This is because its spiral of feathery tentacles looks much like the conical shape of a christmas tree. Scuba divers can find them in groups in coral heads having a few inches in length.

Harlequin Shrimp 

Herlequin shrimp is one of the tiny species of coral reefs that only measure a couple inches when fully mature but they are considered killing machines as they can feed on starfish which are 10 times their size and keep them alive while feeding on them in order to keep their meat fresh.

Cowry 

The length of the cowry can range from 5 to 7 inches and are usually found along the lower reaches of the reef and also on the substrate. The cowry’s shells are considered one of the most precious shells in many cultures around the world and even used as a currency in some places of the world.

Blue-Ringed Octopus 

Many scuba divers are deathly afraid of this marine creature, imagining a giant, tentacled beast and thinking it can swallow them easily.

On the other hand, an octopus doesn’t need to has a big body to kill you, for instance, the blue-ringed octopus that only measures about 5-8 inches in length can deliver a quantity of tetrodotoxin that can kill a human, so never touch it.