It's been a while

  

It's been a while (about 6 years!) since we've seen Purple Sea Snails (Janthina umbilicata) in Bodega Bay, but some have appeared on local beaches this week.  

The last time we observed large numbers of this species was during the 2014-2016 marine heatwaves (which included a significant El Niño).  Smaller numbers also appeared in 2017 and 2018. 

Although there is a significant El Niño this winter, we haven't observed too many biological signs of it in Northern California — i.e., in terms of marine invertebrate occurrences — at least not yet.

I don't know if these Janthina observations will be isolated or if we will continue to see them during the next several months.

The post I shared back in 2016 is a good introduction to Purple Sea Snails, so if you're interested in learning more about them you can check that out here.

These snails are pelagic — usually found offshore.  They're fragile — they don't live in an environment where they need a thick shell (they float upside down with a bubble raft at the surface of the ocean).  And they're small — most of the individuals I saw this morning were ~5 mm long (with some smaller, some larger).  The purple color is eye-catching!  I'd love to hear if you come across any in Northern California.  Watch for them washed up in the wrack line, especially perhaps on south-facing beaches, and after strong southerly or westerly winds.

 

 

P.S.  Quite a few pyrosomes have also washed up this week, along with Diphyes (a siphonophore).  I'll post some more photos soon.