Category: Animals and Organisms
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Sea-not-quite slugs: Trivia, Erato, and Allies
Over the past several months, I’ve taken a deep dive into marine gastropod taxonomy. Riveting, I know, but I find that the more I know about these creatures, the more interesting they become and the more likely I am to find them while tide pooling. Particularly, I’ve recently been interested in the superfamily Velutinoidea, more commonly…
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Two New Species of Nudibranch Described from California
Unlike my last new species post (April Fools, if you didn’t notice the date ;), these two new species are real, and they live right off the coast where many of us tide pool: Doto urak and Doto kwakwak. Neither of these species in the Doto family are very common and only have a few…
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The “Sand Ploughman” That Travels the World
In the winter and shoulder seasons around the world, observant beachgoers might notice a mostly white, speedy little bird foraging in the wet sand or sleeping in groups nestled higher on the shore. The less observant beachgoer might only be startled when a small flock of birds with sandy-gray backs that were camouflaged in the…
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Camoflauge with Bright Colors: The Red-banded transparent Shrimp
California tide pooling comes with the big and famous animals that all beachgoers want to see: anemones, sea stars, urchins, and crabs. But many other very common animals don’t get noticed, despite being all around. The red-banded transparent shrimp (Heptacarpus sitchensis) is one of them. Look closely and you’ll begin to notice these tiny, often…
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California’s Forgotten Seahare: The Taylor’s Seahare
You know I love a cryptic species, the incredibly specialized that perfectly match their surroundings and are difficult to spot. The cryptic corambes are some of my favorite nudibranchs; the Taylor’s seahare, or zebra leaf slug, is one of my favorite seahares. Both the common names above are recognized for this species, along with a…
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Feeling Crabby? Tuna Crab Swarms and Mass Stranding Events
In the last several months, an unusual creature has been showing up in California’s coastal waters. Although they haven’t yet made their way into the intertidal, huge swarms of tuna crabs (Grimothea planipes), a pelagic member of the squat lobster family, have been seen off the SoCal’s coasts and may end up stranded on beaches. …
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The Hopkins Rose Nudibranch–That Bright Pink Sea Slug
If there’s one nudibranch that a beginner tide pooler in SoCal might notice, it’s the Hopkins rose nudibranch (Ceratodoris rosacea). A shot of bright pink among the many shades of green, blue, and brown, this moderately sized nudibranch is more likely to catch your attention than any other species. Hopkins rose are one of my…
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What are Echinoderms?
For the beginner tidepooler, one of the most exciting animals to find is the sea star: large, colorful, bizarre and beautiful. There are no terrestrial sea stars. Neither are there any freshwater sea stars. Only in the sea can you find one of these animals. The sea stars, and many other animals you will see…
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Striped Shore Crab: The Tide Pool Clean Up Crew
If you’ve visited Southern California tide pools, chances are pretty good you’ve seen a striped shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) scuttling away from your steps. These small crabs are prolific in some intertidal zones, so much so that I hardly notice them when visiting the intertidal. But these creatures a worth a second look. From their…
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Giant Key Hole Limpet: The Simplest Animal in the Cancer Fight
Perhaps on the most interesting and bizarre of the larger animals a first time tide pooler might notice is the large-ish, fleshy, oval shape blob, often out of the water, with a hole straight in the center as if it had been drilled there. This alien creature is a what is commonly known as a…
About the blog
The Tidepooler is a blog focused on education and information about the tide pools and rocky shore environments along the coasts of the world’s oceans. With more understanding and enthusiasm, these important ecosystems can be sustainably explored for science, curiosity, and appreciation of their beauty.
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