The Natural History of Bodega Head: Sea serpents

Well, I had a tough time making a decision about what to post tonight. I promised an answer to a mystery photo from last night, so I'll address that first. But I took a few nice wave photos today, so I'll include those, too, as a bonus!

First, the mystery close-up from last night:

Someone guessed trout, and that was an excellent guess!

This is a small fish that washed up on Salmon Creek Beach. Below is the entire fish — it was only ~7 cm (~2.75 inches) long.

I'm not 100% sure which species this is. The eel-like shape is distinctive, as is a basically continuous fin (dorsal/anal/ventral) running around the body, and note the "overhanging snout." My best guess is a juvenile Spotted Cusk-eel (Chilara taylori). They live in burrows on sandy bottoms, so the habitat off of Salmon Creek Beach is appropriate. If you're familiar with this species and can confirm or correct the identification, please do! [P.S. Cusk-eels are in the family Ophidiidae. "Ophis" means "snake" and refers to the eel-like or snake-like appearance.]

I think you know that I can't resist big waves. So here are a few shots from 17 January 2018. Pick your favorite!