Whidbey Island Critters

Fish & Invertebrate sightings and descriptions, hosted by resident NWDC ID expert Janna Nichols (nwscubamom).
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Most of the time the Buffalo sculpin stays motionless, counting on its camouflage to escape diver's attention,
but time to time I find them bolting away.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

So I swim around taking picture here and there, and I get flipped off by a crab !
Just because this obscene gesture has been around since the Ancient Greece,
I would expect more respect from critters in my home waters !
It must be the weather, it is getting to all of us :)
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Norris
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Norris »

Ha ha ha the "finger" I tell ya those kelp crab look like they are always ready for some fist fighting as they are punchy little bastards, I am not surprise at all that you got the finger.

Love this one!
**Pinch it, don't stick your finger through. You're just pinching a bigger hole.
CAPTNJACK - 2012**
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

With most of the Bull kelp now gone from the shallows of Keystone Jetty, the Northern Kelp crabs start to gather on the jetty rocks and what ever is left of the once kelp forest to mate or just hang around to wave and try to intimidate passing divers with their chelipeds (claws). I have to give them credit, they are not scared of me and readily charge every time I approach with my camera for a closer look. So far, using my camera as shield, I survived unharmed their attacks :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Sea star survey Keystone Jetty on December 1, and in Penn Cove on December 2. It was nice to find three healthy Sunflower stars at Keystone and plenty of healthy Ochre and Mottled stars at Penn Cove. With temperatures dropping, hopefully it will slow down the wasting syndrome.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Diving the same place again and again does somewhat limit the chances to encounter new critters. But there are some curious things happening even with the mundane, very common critters. For example the Wrinkled dogwinkle. It seems to be moving deeper every year now...
I wonder why ?
BTW What a name ! :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

From Penn Cove. The world around us is changing.
Is it a cycle or a permanent change? Only time will tell ...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Keystone snapshots. Some of the anemones, when not feeding tend to make some interesting figures.
Also found another Lingcod being cleaned by a sculpin.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Skyline, Fidalgo Island. Half way through the dive, hundreds of Black sea cucumbers awaken from their "sleep" ( none of the sea cucumbers are feeding in the winter ) and started releasing streams of white gametes in the act of spontaneous spawning.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Skylline, Fidalgo Island. As the Black cucumber started to spawn en masse,
some the Six-rayed stars, which prey on them, begun to spawn as well...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Blue topsnail, a very common mollusk in Whidbey waters.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Langley harbor sea star survey. The struggle of survival continues. While most of the sea stars are healthy, wasting is still present in some and overall numbers are way down. No sign of once dominating Sunflower star. The two species now present here are the Ochre and Short-spined aka Giant Pink stars. Few Mottled stars and occasionally a Leather star.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Freezing topside, not so bed below Keystone Pilings. Lots of Tubesnouts !
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Keystone Pilings, Leafy hornmouth and eggs.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Some of the stuff living under the floating docks at Lagoon Point.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Not so common nudibranch at Lagoon Point dock.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Few days last week were so cold, that even the Wolf eel at Driftwood Park turned blue.
And in addition to toilets, we now have chamber pots there too...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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This should be enough food for the rest of the year :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Green shore crab:
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Lagoon Point,First Day of Winter dive .
Underwater snowflake :)
Tiny, only about 8mm long nudibranch.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Another Winter Weather Advisory for today and tomorrow.
After all, it is winter.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all !
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Until few days ago, I did not know we have Nodding Heads in our waters. After I looked at some of the pictures from Lagoon Point, I noticed that the fuzzy stuff on some of the tunicates are not hydroids or bryozoans as I first thought. I got help from Dennis Gordon, expert on bryozoans in New Zealand who pointed me to the Nodding Heads. So now you know too what to look for :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Deception Pass is the only place I find pink colored Shaggy Mouse nudibranch.
And no, the bridge was not lit up for Christmas Eve :(
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by mpenders »

Beautiful color on that shaggy!
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tidepool Geek »

Hi Jan,

While I am always impressed by your photography, I'm even more impressed by your ability to find sources of information about your subjects!

Here's something to add to your library about the Shaggy Mouse:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/fu ... 07/1543542
The gist of the paper is that this animal can modify its own mucous in order to prey on a variety of anemones - how cool is that?

Adaptably yours,
Alex
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