Welcome to The SAMI Project - South African Marine Invertebrates

The SAMI project is an interactive and dynamic web based information portal aimed at everyone from marine scientists to everyday information seeking citizens. The goal of this platform is to house, collect, and disseminate information about South African Marine Invertebrates.

Marine invertebrates in South Africa have not been as widely studied as their vertebrate counterparts, but we hope to encourage change in that trend!

The South African environment is known for both its beauty and biodiversity. The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is an institutionalized network of departments, universities, science institutions and industrial partners. The responsibilities of SAEON rest on three mandates: observation, information, and education (http://www.saeon.ac.za/).

The South African Network for Coastal and Oceanic Research (SANCOR) is a non-statutory body that generates and communicates knowledge and advice in order to promote the wise and informed use and management of marine and coastal resources and environments (http://sancor.nrf.ac.za/default.aspx).

The SeaKeys Project is a large collaboration that aims to collate and increase marine biodiversity information and translate this information into products to support decision making and the development of new benefits for South African society (SeaKeys).

The SAMI project is proud to be affiliated with SAEON, SANCOR, and SeaKeys, as well as the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

All photographs, except where specified, are taken by the author of this page and have a CC BY license (see here for the legal stuff). All taxonomic information is obtained from printed field guides, expert opinions, and critical use of internet resources. Taxonomic information is then vetted through WoRMS (World Register of Marine Species). If I cannot identify something to species level I place it in the lowest taxanomic level possible, and label it as unidentified. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any comments, identifications, or questions!