invertebrates

phylum Echinodermata

• Pacific purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus)

• ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus)

phylum Cnidaria

• aggregating anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima)

• sunburst anemone (Anthopleura sola)

• giant green anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica)

• proliferating anemone (Epiactis prolifera)

phylum Arthropoda

• Pacific rock crab (Cancer productus)

• lined shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes)

• hermit crabs (Pagurus spp.)

• northern kelp crab (Pugettia producta)

• buckshot barnacles (Chthamalus spp.)

• gooseneck barnacle (Pollicipes polymerus)*

phylum Mollusca

• angular unicorn (Acanthinucella spirata)*

• angular unicorn (Acanthinucella spirata) - eggs*

• leafy hornmouth (Ceratostoma foliatum)

• limpets (Lottia spp.)

• black tegula (Tegula funebralis)

• mossy chiton (Mopalia muscosa)

• giant rock scallop (Crassodoma gigantea) - shell*

• California mussel (Mytilus californianus)

• scale-sided piddock (Parapholas californica)

* = first identified species encounter

Today was by far the most exciting day! The tide was low enough that I could venture out to a huge island-like rock that I couldn't get to yesterday. Yesterday, I literally could only find one urchin where I was exploring, but as I expected, I found SO MANY purple urchins on the island rock today! I also saw two ochre sea stars - one purple and one orange - for the first time this trip, which I anticipated, but was certainly incredibly excited to find nonetheless.

I'm intrigued by how drastically different the local ecosystem on the island rock was from what I saw closer to shore. While I saw plenty of anemones, crabs, and chitons closer to shore, there were practically none on the island rock! Even the rock itself had a distinct divide: one half was covered in relatively exposed mussels and barnacles, and the other half covered in seaweed and holes sheltering urchins with those few sea stars - all species that I'd barely or not seen at all closer to shore.