Creature Travel Feature
Marshall Goldman Nov 19, 2020
Written By: Maya Armstrong and Marshall Goldman
Dive Trips, Dive Trips, and more Dive Trips. Divers love to travel to see unique animal life (in sea and on land!) that we can’t see in the Georgia mud holes! We also love to experience the cultures in the many places around the world that we visit; along with the unique underwater world, the surface intervals and the great friends that we meet along the way make for a great experience. We would love for you to join us and see some of these interesting animals listed below.
Whale sharks
First of all they are not whales they are a type of shark! They have no skeleton and have live babies. They can even live upwards of 100 years! These interesting creatures are the size of a school bus yet eat tiny creatures like plankton or crustaceans. The largest confirmed whale shark was 18.8 meters or 61.7 feet! It is the largest shark and fish species in the animal kingdom. You can see these guys on our upcoming Riviera Maya week-long experience, and perhaps as well when we visit Utila. Make sure to ask about our Dive with the Whale Shark Georgia Aquarium experience!
Swimming – PIGS!
The swimming pigs of the Bahamas are an interesting sight to see. There is an island full of pigs -obviously called Pig Island- that are super friendly and while they are not aquatic they definitely will join you for some water fun. They are always excited to see more people, after all they are stuck on an island-you would be excited to see new people too. You can see these guys on our Cat Ppalu liveaboard expedition with many more fun creatures to see along the way.
Giant Clams
They are considered a delicacy to eat but are often over harvested. Recent studies have found that they help clean up the Red Sea by eating shells with microplastics. They help filter and keep the water clean. They can live over 100 years also! They grow as big as 4 feet tall and weigh as much as 500 lbs! Once they find a place to rest they never leave! They become rooted to one spot the rest of their long life, talk about a couch potato. They are the largest mollusks on Earth and you can see them on our Red Sea trip. No two giant clams have the same coloration, everyone is unique.
Tapirs
Another land animal on this list but it is the largest mammal in the Yucatan area! They are large, strong and often are able to avoid predators like the jaguars or crocodiles. You can see them on our Riviera Maya trip. They are large herbivores and look kind of similar to pigs but with a short trunk like nose. They are usually 6 to 8 feet in length and 550 to 700 lbs. These are some big boys! Their lifespan is about 30 years. They are solitary creatures and while they may look slow they can pick up speed, they are also great swimmers.
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
The second largest living reef after the Australian Great Barrier Reef and it is the largest in the Western Hemisphere. This great reef system can be seen on our trip to Utila. Come see a large living reef before it disappears. It stretches over 600 miles from the Yucatán Peninsula to Belize. It is home to many varieties of turtle like the Hawksbill Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Green Turtle, and Olive Ridley Turtle.
We have many fun trips coming up for you and your family. There are many things to see no matter where you decide to go. Hopefully this outlined some of the creatures you could possibly see on our trips abroad. We would love to have you on any of our upcoming trips and if you ever have any questions feel free to call at 770-752-0002 and we would love to answer any questions about where we are going and what we are seeing.
