Category: invertebrates

Readers’ wildlife photos

February 10, 2025 • 8:15 am

Today we have installment three of Robert Lang’s photos of the family trip to the Pantanal in Brazil. Robert’s IDs and captions are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.

Readers’ Wildlife Photos: The Pantanal, Part III: Reptiles and Invertebrates

Continuing our mid-2025 journey to the Pantanal in Brazil, while most of the wildlife were mammals and birds, reptiles and invertebrates did not entirely escape our notice. Among the latter, we found this nymph shell of a cicada (family Cicadidae) on a tree trunk. I have no idea what the species was; to my untrained eye, it could have been one of the Magicicadas we picked off the trees when I was growing up in Georgia and Ohio:

Night-time brought out some shy critters. This tarantula was spotted by one of our guides as we drove back to camp after dark. No idea what species it is. (I have a note that says it’s a “curly-haired tarantula,” but the rest of my notes from that trip are now contributing to global warming.):

The most common animal we saw anywhere there was water was the caiman (subfamily Caimaninae). Because we were well into the dry season, the water holes were drying up, and caimans congregated massively in the few shrinking pools that were left:

Sometimes so dense that it looked like you could walk across the water on them without getting your feet wet (a la a memorable scene from the James Bond movie Live and Let Die.):

Here’s a close-up of one. A toothy grin:

We also saw a few red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonarius), one swimming across a river (!), another just plodding along beside the road:

Also kids, when a Daddy Tortoise and a Mommy Tortoise love each other very much, he gives her a special kind of hug, and soon the Tortoise Stork brings little baby tortoises! Or something like that:

A black and white tegu lizard (Salvator merianae):

And finally, a yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), which was curled up under the dock where were embarked on our boat trips:

Next: lots of birds.

Readers’ wildlife photos

January 20, 2025 • 8:15 am

Today’s photos come from mathematician and Hero of Intellectual Freedom Abby Thompson of UC Davis, whose avocation is photographing California tide pools and their invertebrates. Abby’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.

New year’s tidepool pictures from Dillon Beach in northern California, plus a few older photos.  It’s not that much colder during the winter here- August can be freezing, December delightful.   To see much in December you have to be willing to go out after dark, which is a little spooky, but has the advantage that you often get to see racoons foraging on the rocks.    Sadly the only pictures I get of them look like two red dots (their eyes) on a black background.

As usual I got help with some of the IDs from people on inaturalist.

Schuchertinia milleri (tentative):

This is through a microscope, taken with my iphone.  In the tidepools it appears as a small very pink blob stuck to a rock. These are hydroids, closely related to jellyfish, unlikely as that seems.

Kelp crab:

These crabs are one of the few things you should be cautious about in the tidepools here- they are reported to have a strong bite with their claws (I haven’t tested this), and they’re not shy.

The next four pictures are all nudibranchs. As you can see, their coloration is quite varied, but nevertheless they are all the same species. Keep this in mind for when we get to pictures 7,8 and 9.

Triopha maculata 1:

 

Triopha maculata 2:

 

Triopha maculata 3:

 

Triopha maculata 4:

 

Ok, the next two pictures are two distinct species of nudibranch.    To my eye, the difference in coloration here is a bit more subtle than for the Triophas; H. crassicornis has white “stripes” on the frilly stuff on its back.

Hermissenda opalescens:

Hermissenda crassicornis:

And the next picture is of these two local species of Hermissenda hanging out together.  Not exactly in flagrante (nudibranchs spend an awful lot of their time mating and laying eggs), but still, looking pretty friendly. Maybe Jerry will chime in with some info on delimiting species?  and how exactly it is done, for us non-experts. [JAC: two different forms copulating doesn’t resolve their species status!]

Hermissenda opalescens and Hermissenda crassicornis:

Clam siphons:

There is not enough appreciation of bivalves in the world, except as dinner,  Their siphons can be lovely (I admit this may be in the eye of the beholder).

Coryphella trilineata:

A pretty nudibranch. There are lots of this species at the moment.

Pycnogonid stearnsi:

There are several species of “sea spiders” locally.   They’re small (this one was less than an inch across), and lively.      This is the most common here.

Anthopleura artemisia (Moonglow anemone):

You may remember from earlier pictures that this is another species with many dramatically different color variants.

Camera info:  Mostly Olympus TG-7, in microscope mode, pictures taken from above the water.

Readers’ wildlife photos

January 2, 2025 • 8:15 am

Today we have a second batch of underwater photos from reader Peter Klaver (first batch here). Today we have underwater wildlife (corals). Peter’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

Here is the second batch of photos from scuba diving around San Pedro, Belize earlier this month.

Apart from many animals, the coral reefs there also have a rich abundance of underwater vegetation.

Most of the sea floor in the reefs is covered with various kinds of soft corals.

There are also some hard corals:

. . . including brain corals:

. . .And there are various cylindrical or tubular species whose names I don’t know.

Readers’ wildlife photos

December 12, 2024 • 8:15 am

Wildlife photos return today, but I have precious few batches in the tank. If you got ’em, please send ’em, lest this feature disappear.

Today UC Davis mathematician Abby Thompson, who survived cancelation, is back with pictures of California tide pools. Abby’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

November-December tidepools (Northern California).  The weather at the coast over the Thanksgiving weekend was spectacular- sunny, warm, with no wind; perfect for poking around in the tide pools.    As usual I got help with some of the IDs from people on inaturalist.

Mussel-covered rock (probably Mytilus californianus); I liked the pattern made on the sand as the tide retreated:

Calliostoma ligatum (blue-ringed top snail):

Eupentacta quinquesemita (stiff-footed sea cucumber) Probably; it’s a little hard to tell with sea cucumbers. This one was a couple of inches long.

Hemigrapsus nudus (Purple shore crab). This is one of the most common crabs on this stretch of shore.   This one was small (maybe 2” across the back) but testy, apparently ready to take me on:

Dendronotus subramosus (nudibranch). Nudibranchs are often scarce at this time of year, but the calm sea seems to have brought them out:

Phidiana hiltoni (nudibranch) Posing for the camera:

Anthopleura artemisia (moonglow anemone). I’ve posted a few pictures of this species.   The color varies so much that they all look quite different.   I’ve never seen one that’s blue before; it was striking next to the brilliant orange sponge:

Hermissenda opalescens: (nudibranch):

Cervus canadensis nannodes (Tule elk) from tiny creatures to large (although this species is small for elk). This picture is from Point Reyes National Seashore, where there’s a reserve.    A short, highly recommended hike takes you to where the elk can be found wandering about:

Tomales Point at sunset, as the tide was beginning to turn:

Camera info:  Mostly Olympus TG-7, in microscope mode, pictures taken from above the water.    The last two pictures were taken with my iphone.

Readers’ wildlife photos

November 2, 2024 • 8:30 am

Today’s photos are from California tidepools and were taken by UC Davis math professor Abigail Thompson, a recognized “hero of intellectual freedom.” Abby’s notes and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

September-October tidepools (Northern California).

September and October tides are not as extreme as the tides of midsummer, and by mid-October the lowest tides occur after sunset, which altogether makes finding creatures and taking pictures a bit more challenging.  As usual I got help with some of the IDs from people on inaturalist.

Phyllocomus hiltoni: this Doctor-Suessian marine worm washed up on the beach in a clump of eelgrass.    It was tiny; the photo is through a microscope.     I already thought it was amazing, but then (see the next picture) as a bonus it also sprouted tentacles:

Phyllocomus hiltoni with frills!

Porychthis notatus: these tiny fish showed up when I turned over a rock. They were very small, I assume newly-hatched:

Porychthis notatus: close-up:

Anthopleura sola (starburst anemone), one of the more spectacular sea anemones:

Phragmatopoma californica (California sandcastle worm): These worms often live in groups and form large conglomerations of the tubes they live in (the “sandcastles”).    The black shell-like thing on the left is the worm’s operculum, like a lid to close off the top of the tube when the worm withdraws.  The next picture is a close-up of the operculum:

Operculum close-up:

Triopha maculata: nudibranch; this one looks like he’s eating the pink bryozoan, but he may just be passing over it, I’m not sure what this species eats (nudibranchs are very picky eaters):

Epiactis prolifera (brooding anemone: probably): there are a few species of Epiactis sea anemones along the California coast; prolifera is the most common:

Halosydna brevisetosa: Eighteen-scaled worm, found on the underside of a rock.   There are 18 pairs of scales, with a close-up of them in the next picture.

Close-up of scales:

Low tide on this day was about an hour after sunset, which is a lovely time to be out on the beach:

Camera info:  Mostly Olympus TG-7, in microscope mode, pictures taken from above the water.  The first picture was taken with my iphone through the eyepiece of a microscope.

Readers’ wildlife photos

September 17, 2024 • 8:15 am

Today we have a set of tide-pool photos taken by UC Davis math professor Abigail Thompson (see here for more information). Abby’s words and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.

July-August tidepools (Northern California).  The seaweeds (lots of kelp) are at their height, so it gets harder to see things in late summer, but they’re all lurking underneath.   Help with IDs from people on inaturalist, particularly on the third, ninth, and eleventh photo.

Coryphella trilineata: nudibranch:

Hermissenda opalescens: one of the most common nudibranchs, and one of the most beautiful:

Platynereis bicanaliculata: another amazing marine worm:

  Anthopleura artemisia: I posted a couple of these before; they come in all colors/patterns:

Patiria miniata: bat star; they also have very variable coloring, but Ilike these bright orange ones. Their skin (next picture) has particularly lovely patterning:

Close-up of Patiria miniate skin:

Mopalia lionota: a chiton.    There are lots of different species of these around here, and distinguishing them is tricky.   One way to do it is by looking closely at the edges.   In this one, you can see feathery bits sticking out, which help with ID (but no expert has confirmed the ID, so this is a best guess):

Dirona picta: nudibranch:

Clinocottus globiceps (probably): this isn’t a great picture, but it’s a behavior I hadn’t been aware of until I started looking at tidepools. This fish is sitting, perfectly happily, well above the water line.    Several species do this all the time at low tide, apparently just waiting until the tide comes back in:

Urticina clandestina: Pacific stubby rose anemone:

Genus Manania: this is a “stalked jelly”, a jellyfish that is attached to something (in this case a piece of seaweed).     These are hard to find, being practically invisible against the seaweed, and quite small (the bell is about ½”).   The reason the species isn’t known here is because it seems genuinely uncertain whether or not there is an “extra” species along the Pacific coast which hasn’t been described.    If there is, this is one of those:

Diaphoreolis lagunae: nudibranch:

Camera info:  Olympus TG-6, in microscope mode.  Pictures taken from above the water.

Readers’ wildlife photos

July 8, 2024 • 8:15 am

Today’s photos come from UC Davis math professor Abigail Thompson, a recognized “Hero of Intellectual Freedom” (see here). Her captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.

I included a couple pictures of the pools themselves this time, with lots of anemones, Anthopleura xanthogrammica (giant green anemone) and Anthopleura elegantissima (aggregating anemone) and ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus), ostrich plume hydroids and sponges (the bright orange/red stuff):

Family Sabellidae (Feather duster worm). Marine worms are fantastic creatures, but narrowing it down even to the genus can be tricky.  The body of the worm is in the cylindrical tube that ends in sand grains.  The feathery orange tentacles bring food into the worm’s mouth.  The pink is a bit of anemone in the foreground:

Triopha catalinae (clown dorid). One of the most spectacular nudibranchs in California:

Triopha maculata (spotted dorid):

Halosydna johnsoni (maybe….) (scale worm):

Granulina margaritula (pear marginella).  This tiny snail (about the size of a sesame seed) brings its flamboyant mantle (the beautiful speckly brown stuff around the edge) up over its shell:

Anthopleura artemisia (moonglow anemone).  This type of anemone has very variable coloring- the next picture is the same species:

Anthopleura artemisia (moonglow anemone) #2:

Aeolidia loui (warty shag-rug nudibranch).  A good argument for using scientific rather than common names; this nudibranch is quite lovely:

Camera info: Olympus TG-7, mostly in microscope mode, with pictures being taken from above the water.