A short walk

  

Pretty cute, huh?  Eric filmed these two juvenile marine snails tonight.  They're only ~1 mm long.  He put together a nice video clip of them, too — see below.  [If you're reading this in an e-mail, click on the title of the post to see the video on the NHBH website.]

These snails are a little unusual in that they look quite different in this stage vs. how they look as adults.  

We thought we'd post the footage first to let you explore and wonder about which species this might be.  Any guesses?  I'll share more info about them tomorrow!

Grainy

 

 

I'm running out of time tonight, but here's a mystery close-up for you.  We found this washed up on a Point Reyes beach this afternoon.  Can you tell what it is?

 

Emerging from the sand

  

Ready for a mystery photo?  Can you guess what this might be?  The answer will be revealed tomorrow night!

Colorful mystery

  

It's been a while since I've posted a mystery close-up photo, so here you go!  Can you tell what type of organism this is?

Feel free to let me know if you have a guess.  (And if you want a hint, or have a question, I'll try to respond.)  I'll reveal the answer tomorrow night.  :)

Lions, porpoises, and a mystery

  

Several Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) swimming by while we were offshore on 21 August 2022.  

And although we saw several small groups of porpoises, here's the only photo that came out of a Dall's Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli).  They're incredibly fast:

 

 

P.S.  In part I thought I'd show these marine mammals tonight because I also had an interesting observation from shore today.  Around midday it's possible I saw a group of Risso's Dolphins (Grampus griseus) swimming south past Bodega Head towards Point Reyes.  I'm not 100% certain, but I feel that it's likely, so if you're near the coast, keep your eyes open for tall, curved fins.

P.P.S.  And I'll add a few more photos to this post.  This is just for fun, and also in case anyone can help provide input re: an identification.  During the boat trip I turned to see an animal at the surface that I couldn't identify.  I thought I saw a somewhat bumpy back and then a gap and a bulbous head.  At sea I thought through the mammals it could possibly be, even something like a Pygmy Sperm Whale.  I snapped a few quick photos in the area, and I did capture something, but it was just a glimpse (a "Loch Ness" view?).  I won't bias you, but I'll tell you what I'm thinking below the photos.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

This is the same photo as the last one, but showing a wider view:

 

 

Although I don't think the photos are good enough (at least for me), my best guess right now is a Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).  In the first mystery photo, it's possible that's one or two of the bumpy ridges along a Leatherback's shell.  And in the third mystery photo, perhaps that's part of the head and maybe the top edge of a flipper?  I'm not at all sure, so if you have more experience with Leatherbacks or small cetaceans, let me know what you think!  (And for better photos of a local Leatherback Turtle, you can review Doug Wilgis's photos from 2015.)

Upward projection

  

A close-up mystery photo!  

Can you guess what it might be?

[You can click on the image for a larger view.]

Those clusters of pink, finger-like projections are called papulae.  They extend above this animal's skin and are sites for respiration (gas exchange).

And the answer is...

 

 

The first photo was an extreme close-up of the upper surface of a Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata).  Photographed 15 July 2022.

Fringed

  

Okay, I haven't posted a mystery close-up photo in a while, so here you go!

 This one might be a challenge, or maybe not.

 Can you guess what it is?

I'll share more info about it tomorrow night.

Coastal palette

  

A bit of a mystery photo for you to ponder.  I know this will be hard, but I thought you might be intrigued.  I took this photo on the beach yesterday.  Any guesses what it might be?  (I'll reveal more tomorrow.)

This way and that way

I haven't shown a mystery close-up photo in a while, so here's a fun one.  Can you guess what created this pattern?  (The answer will be revealed tomorrow.)

 

 

The little one with long tentacles

Here's one for you to wonder about overnight.  Can you guess what type of animal it is?

 

Mystery at the bottom of the pool

 

Okay, so this is mystery close-up, but one that I don't know the answer to yet.  Abby spotted this organism with beautiful spreading tentacles in a very shallow, high rocky tidepool.  Our best guess at this time is that it's a species of worm (perhaps in the family Oweniidae?), but we're not sure about its identity yet. 

Just in case you're wondering, there are large pieces of sand and a piece of white shell surrounding the tentacles of the mystery worm.  There's also a tubular organism with black-stripes in the bottom center of the photo that's not associated with the mystery tentacles — that's part of a different animal, a peanut worm.

If these tentacles look familiar to you, let me know!

Striped mystery

I haven't shared a mystery close-up photo in a while, so here's one (or two) to ponder.  Can you guess what type of organism this is? 

 

 

(I'll reveal the answer tomorrow night!) 

New Bohemian?

Ready for a mystery close-up?

Can you tell what type of organism this is?

[You can click on the image for a larger version.]
 

 

I'll show the entire organism below, so if you're not ready, don't scroll down quite yet.

Or, if you're ready for the answer, see below!

 

The first photo was an antenna of this moth, Neoterpes edwardsata.  (Photographed on Bodega Head on 23 March 2019.)  I haven't seen a common name for this species, but here's a fun proposal.  "Neo" means "new" and as far as I can tell "terpes" might translate as "delight."  The species name "edwardsata" is after Henry Edwards.  So perhaps the moth could be known as Edwards' New Delight?

I hadn't known much about Henry Edwards before researching this moth.  He was an English actor, writer, and entomologist with an interesting history.  And there's a local connection, as he was one of the founding members of the Bohemian Club in the 1870s and active at the California Academy of Sciences.  You can read more about him in this Wikipedia entry.

Another fun fact: The larval foodplant of Neoterpes edwardsata is California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica).

 

Gold-rimmed

A mystery close-up for you...can you guess what this is?

   

Splashes of white

 

I'm running out of time tonight, so here's a mystery for you.  I found these feathers a few days ago.  Can you guess what type of bird they are from?  I'll reveal the answer tomorrow night.

Little trumpet

A mystery close-up from 22 January 2019.  Can you guess what it is?  I'll reveal more about its identity tomorrow night!

Pattern in the sand

A couple of weeks ago we encountered this interesting pattern in the sand:

 

We followed it and eventually found what was responsible, but I thought I'd give you a chance to guess.  

If you need some sense of scale, the width of the pattern (measured across the markings from top to bottom) is ~3.5 cm (~1.5 inches).   

The answer will be revealed tomorrow night!

 

Friday night special

 

I'll reveal more tomorrow night, but for now...enjoy!

 

Mystery on the beach

Whew, it's been busy lately.  So, here's a mystery photo for you (below).  Note that this photo is a bit graphic — it's a dead animal that's bloody because birds have been pecking at it.  If you're not interested in seeing something like that, don't continue reading this post.  

This animal washed up near Salmon Creek on 7 August 2018.  

It's rare to see one, so I thought it would be helpful to document it for the record.  I'll reveal more about its identity tomorrow night.

 

 

Retro mystery

A close-up mystery photo.  Can you guess what type of animal this is?

 

What an amazing pattern!  What beautiful colors!  

I'll reveal more about it tomorrow night.