Thursday, July 17, 2014

Team Somethingfishy's Observational Foray onto the docks of the Barking Crab



These are our observations from under the docks of the Barking Crab. 


Skeleton Shrimp -very small, maybe ½ inch long

Club Tunicate: Stylea clava

found with barnacles and sea lettuce.



Pleated Sea Squirt Stylea plicata

Image courtesy of projectnoa.org
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/y3gxEEJcolW-cfLieOH2JAmnS6-57bqWy-AXzbfcNOW8B0Hi_zr35xDaxMrR1H2G9yZNDCdXvQDSGwg4NQbDVw=s580)


Certain species of acorn barnacle  Semibalanus balanoides such as Thatched Barnacles.
(http://seanet.stanford.edu/RockyShore/Barnacles/balanus_gla580.jpg-- Copyright James Watanabe



Rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) some was on a barnacle and some had been dislodged and was floating by.

(http://g4.img-dpreview.com/C0476AE719C7488084725B741E7D9C50.jpg)


Sea Lettuce with skeleton shrimp

Waterlouse (Asellus aquaticus)
these are tiny, maybe a 1/8th inch long and were everywhere. One mussel had over a dozen of them.


Starfish

Boreal Asterias

This one hitched a ride on the lobster trap that was hauled in. possibly 1inch from arm to arm.

Orange Sheath Tunicate
This stuff was as common as the sea lettuce, varying in size from small colonies (like pictured here) to much larger ones).

Note: this was taken at Fan Pier.
Shells from Birds dropping them to eat

Mussels are dropped from great heights to be cracked open and eaten by seagulls.

Jellyfish

Moon Jelly (Aurelia Aurita)
approx. 3in. diameter
Thick, like muscle (expected it to be less durable)
Most have the 3-4 clover like reproductive organs; this one did not.

Snow Crab (Spider Crab Family)- this one was rather grimy, covered with algae or other plant life, or perhaps just muck.

North Atlantic lobster


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