You never know what you might see walking along the tidepools. On a recent excursion I got lucky and spotted a California brown sea hare (Aplysia californica) in a little pool of water tucked amongst the rocks. My first sighting of one in the wild! I watched it eat for several minutes. It was easy… [read more]
What makes a green sea anemone green?
What makes a green sea anemone green? It’s not green with envy, it’s green with algae! Single-celled algae living in the tissue of this sea anemone contribute in an indirect way to its brilliant green color. Green sea anemones or Anthopleura xanthogrammica enjoy the nutritional benefits gained from hosting algae through photosynthesis. In return, algae… [read more]
Giant plumose anemone: Now you see it, now you don’t!
The first time I saw this giant plumose anemone I thought, What the heck is that? Most of the sea anemones I’ve seen have their tentacles out in all their colorful glory ready and waiting for an easy meal to swim by. So I started asking around and it turns out that sea anemones do… [read more]
Ocean fireworks in a sand-rose sea anemone
For some brilliant color, ocean sparkle and pop, look no further than the sand-rose sea anemone or Urticina columbiana. This beauty lights up the sandy ocean floor in depths of 40 to 150 feet and lives as far north as British Columbia to as far south as Baja California. The diameter of a sand-rose anemone’s… [read more]
Ringing in the New Year with new wildlife books
I spent the last week of 2011 in book heaven! It was a wonderful way to wrap up the year and start the New Year with new wildlife books to read and more fascinating information to absorb. Book heaven happens to be Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon. If you love books, you have… [read more]
Sea jellies have quite the life cycle
Sea jellies (aka jellyfish) have a very interesting life cycle. The first part is somewhat old-fashioned, adult male sea jellies release sperm into the water and adult female sea jellies release eggs and the eggs and sperm meet up and join together Biology 101 style. But the details on how eggs and sperm find each… [read more]
Jellyfish are now sea jellies
Starfish are now known as sea stars and jellyfish are now known as sea jellies. Sometimes jellyfish are referred to as just jellies, but I prefer sea jellies, this name better orients the mind. Why the switch? Jellyfish aren’t fish, making the name sea jellies more accurate, but the new term is having a tougher… [read more]
Black jellyfish what’s your story?
This is a photo of a black jellyfish that appeared close to shore near the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California. Excited staff members trapped it in the hopes of better understanding this mysterious creature. Apparently, little is know about the black jellyfish and they are rarely seen by humans. According to Programs Director… [read more]