Marine invertebrate diversity

  

Hi, everyone!  Sorry for the short notice, but if you're interested in learning more about local marine invertebrates, Eric will be giving an online talk for Bay Nature magazine on Wednesday, September 3, from 12-1 p.m. Pacific Time (3-4 p.m. Eastern Time).  

Here's a brief description from the organizers and a link to register:

"Join Bay Nature Magazine and Bodega Marine Lab's Eric Sanford for a virtual talk about tidepool invertebrates of the California coast on September 3, from 12 - 1 pm. Although the vast majority of ocean animals lack a backbone, the diversity of marine invertebrates living in our local waters is often underappreciated. This talk will focus on some of the amazing, beautiful, and mysterious marine invertebrates of the northern California coast. Even popular coastlines are brimming with these intriguing creatures, including species that are new to science. So, tune in to learn more!"

Free for Bay Nature members, $5 for nonmembers.

Click here to register.

 

Pool of light

  

 Morning light in a tidepool with sea urchins (purple) and sea anemones (green).

Reflections on scale

 

 

We've been doing some surveys up in Mendocino County.  Today (11 September 2022) we came across this tidepool (shown above).  It might be hard to judge the scale at first, but if you can find Eric in the photo you will see that this is a very large tidepool!  (You can click on the image for a larger version.  Eric is standing on the left edge of the pool.)  The water was very clear today and this pool had many sea urchins and a few bat stars.

The eyes have it

Well, Eric had fun pulling out last night's fish photo, so he gathered a few more for your viewing enjoyment.  A selection of some of our local sculpins:

 

 

 

P.S.  Thanks again, Eric!

 

Rainbow-eyed

There are some nights when it's hard to decide what to post on this blog.  [But most of the time it's not, because something turns up during the day that really stands out. Honestly, I'm still somewhat surprised how often this is true.  When I first started the blog, I wondered if I would have enough material, but I quickly learned that there are more fascinating natural history observations in the world than I could ever post.]

While we discussed possible photos that we could share tonight, Eric thought you might enjoy this beautiful sculpin eye.  This fish was photographed hiding among some red algae in a tidepool.  A rainbow-eyed sculpin!  (That's our name for it, not an official name.) 

Personally, I'm drawn to the purple crescent at the lower edge of the fish's eye, but the entire combination is stunning, isn't it?  (And that's not a bad pair of lips, either.)  A marine rainbow just for you!

 

P.S.  Many thanks to Eric for sharing this photo! 

 

Amber eyes

 

The amber eyes of a sculpin, photographed in a tidepool on 6 February 2020.

 

Surfbird photo journal

Yesterday (20 January 2020), I spent a little time watching Surfbirds (Calidris virgata, formerly Aphriza virgata) along the rocky outer coast.  Here's a bit of a photo journal of Surfbird behavior:

 

Resting on the rocks after a large wave splash.

 

Feeding on a juvenile mussel. 

Bathing in a tidepool. 

 

Aggressive behavior, during which the two birds were very vocal.

I'm curious about this aggressive behavior.  The birds were bathing along the edge of a very large tidepool.  There was plenty of space for all of the birds in the flock, but aggressive interactions between Surfbirds seem fairly frequent in these situations (while the birds are bathing).  I wonder if the intense interactions could be more about social organization and relationships, rather than competition for space?

The birds splash, call loudly, spread their wings, raise their tails, rise up, or lean over, open their bills, jab at each other, and sometimes even grab each other's bills (Ouch!). 

 

 

Check out the serrations along the edge of the bill in the photo below.  The sharp edges are probably useful for grasping prey, but perhaps they're also helpful in these interactions:

 

 

Even though Surfbirds are generally seen walking on rocks in our area, this pool was deep enough that sometimes the Surfbirds would swim across it.  A different perspective!

 

I felt grateful for the opportunity to spend some time observing these Surfbirds.  There's always something to learn!

 

Sculpin diversity

 

A few more beautiful sculpins for you from the local tidepools.  (Someday I'll be able to identify which species they are.  If you can help, let me know!)

 

 

Amazing!

A perfect match

 

Another well camouflaged sculpin.  It's a perfect match for the surrounding coralline algae!

Here's a close-up (below).  I can't get over the beauty of their pectoral fins!

 

ADDENDUM (30 January 2018):  P.S.  A reader wrote to ask about the fish's pink coloration.  So I'm adding a close-up photo so you can look at some of the details:

 

Field of bubbles

This afternoon I was looking into a tidepool and was intrigued by all of the bubbles attached to the surfgrass (Phyllospadix sp.).  I decided to try to get a picture from an underwater perspective.  Here's the first shot:

 

That was pretty fun, so I decided to try another from a little further away to show the extent of this "field of bubbles."  [I was kneeling next to the tidepool, holding an underwater camera below the surface, so I couldn't quite see what was in the frame.]

 

Wow!  It worked pretty well...and there was a bonus!  A nice Surfgrass Limpet (Lottia paleacea) was in the center of the photo near the top.  This limpet is remarkably well adapted for life on a surfgrass blade.  [For an introduction to the limpet, see the post from 7 June 2012.]

I kept taking pictures from different positions, and I ended up with one more image of the surfgrass blades, the bubbles, and the limpet:

 

I'll definitely keep trying to capture this beautiful underwater scene in other surfgrass meadows!

A fish of a different stripe

 

Here's another nice little fish that we encountered in the rocky intertidal zone on 1 January 2018.  My best guess?  I'm leaning towards this being a Striped Kelpfish (Gibbonsia metzi).  But I don't have any experience with this group, so please let me know if you have a different opinion!

Eddies

 

Colorful eddies swirling on bubbles on the surface of a high tide pool.  Photographed on Bodega Head on 25 June 2017.

 

Celebrate the oceans

 

On World Oceans Day, there are so many reasons to celebrate.  Because this is a natural history blog, I'll mention two reasons related to that topic.  Tonight I'm choosing endless beauty and wonder.  

I'll always be thankful for the wonders of marine life.  I can't imagine ever visiting the ocean without being stirred to ask questions or being presented with a mystery to try to solve.   

And I couldn't be more grateful for the beauty of seascapes.  The oceans provide so many inspirations to carry with us — whether it's a seabird soaring over open ocean waves, colorful invertebrates and seaweeds in tidepools and on beaches, or storms and big surf crashing against the coast.  I'm so thankful for the oceans' gifts!

8/8

Well, this is for anyone who might have a birthday on 8/8:

 

And here's a nice example of where this eight-armed animal might like to live:

 

(The photo above was taken along the Big Sur coast, but there are similar settings in northern California.) 

Is there anyone out there with a birthday on August 8th?  If so, raise your hand (or arm), and celebrate with a cephalopod!  ;)