Gelatinous assortment

I always have mixed feelings about finding gelatinous animals washed up on the beach.  They belong in deeper water and it's sad to see them pushed up onto the sand by the surf.  But it's also an opportunity to learn about these animals that we wouldn't otherwise get to see unless we were on a boat or diving under water.  And it's a chance to document which species are present in nearshore waters right now.

Here are a few species washed ashore on Salmon Creek Beach after yesterday's big waves.

Representing the Cnidaria —

 

A large purple Moon Jelly (Aurelia sp.)

and

 

A Giant Bell Jelly (Scrippsia pacifica)

Representing the Ctenophora —

 

A small Sea Gooseberry (Pleurobrachia bachei)

Representing the Mollusca —

 

The gelatinous pseudoconch of the pelagic snail Corolla spectabilis

I've written about all of these species before, so if you'd like to learn more about any of them, click on the appropriate name: Moon Jelly, Giant Bell Jelly, Sea Gooseberry, Corolla spectabilis.