UC Davis Math professor (emerita) Abby Thompson sends some (mostly) intertidal photos, but from Hawaii rather than California. Abby’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.
We got to spend ten days before Koynezaa in Kauai, thereby missing some torrential northern California rains. So here’s a little Hawaiian wildlife:
A not-great iphone photo: This drama played out on our hotel walkway. We came across a father explaining to his son that this was a momma snail taking care of her baby, a charming but inaccurate description. In fact the “baby” is the voracious and carnivorous Rosy Wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea) which was introduced to combat the “momma” African Giant Snail (Lissachatina fulica), also an introduced species. The result has been the extinction (by the wolfsnail) of some 8 species of endemic Hawaiian snails. The Giant Snails (well, perhaps not this one in particular) are thriving. The road to hell, etc.:
Cellana sandwicensis (yellow-foot ‘Ophi):
Arakawania granulata (Granulated drupe; [a gastropod]):
Actinopyga varians (Pacific white-spotted sea cucumber) Not the most attractive creature- and there are a lot of them. They’re about 8” long and seem to just lie about.:
Colobocentrotus atratus (Shingle urchin). These very cool urchins make it look like a fleet of miniature spaceships have landed on the rocks:
Exaiptasia diaphana (pale anemone):
Gyractis sesere (colonial anemone):
Monetaria caputophidii (Hawaiin snakehead cowrie). Not sure where the snakehead part comes in:
Sunset behind the palm trees (iphone photo):
Most photos were with an Olympus TG-7, in microscope mode.
Lucky you. I lived in HI as a teenager and exploring the tide pools was one of my favorite things to do. The sunset pic is just breathtaking.
Thank you Abby. Great photography and these are true monsters of the deep!
D.A.
NYC