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Whidbey Island Critters

Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 7:50 am
by Jan K
Instead of posting single page of my dive encounter, I decided to create one thread for the sights recorded - adding them as the time goes.
Any comments welcomed. :salute:


New slug in my collection:
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I was taking picture of tunicate, later at home, looking at the not so good photo, found a creature inside it. Anybody have idea what is its name?

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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 10:02 am
by Zen Diver
Way cool find Jan!

-Valerie

Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 5:19 pm
by nwscubamom
I think his name is Bob.

Won't he have a funny story to tell when he makes it out of there!?

"See, I was on my way over to the Plumose Anemones, when this silly little Corella sucked me into it's siphon!!! It was like BAM! Nothing I could do! I sat in there for hours trying to figure out how to get out...Then this diver guy came over to me and started poking on the side like I was in an aquarium or something! "

Poor Bob.

- Janna :)

Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 5:27 pm
by Sounder
Uugh, Janna beat me to it. I was going the "Fred" route... and had a similar story in mind... then I read your post. =D> ](*,)

Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 9:34 pm
by nwscubamom
Oooh, Sounder! You might be right! Now that I look closer at the photo, I think it just might be Fred! Not Bob!

Sometimes those guys look so much alike!

- Janna :)

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 7:40 am
by Sounder
nwscubamom wrote:Oooh, Sounder! You might be right! Now that I look closer at the photo, I think it just might be Fred! Not Bob!

Sometimes those guys look so much alike!

- Janna :)
They always mix me up - they're almost like twins, then they hide in tunicates and expect us to tell them apart. #-o

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 7:43 am
by Tom Nic
And here I thought Fred and Bob were the two guys living in the upper floor of Janna's new avatar! #-o

GREAT pic, by the way! =D> Love those gunnels... and the warbonnets, and the nudis, and the sculpins, etc. etc. etc. etc. \:D/

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:43 am
by Joshua Smith
I "stickied" this thread for you so you won't have to hunt for it, Jan. Great pics!

Disk-Top Tunicate

Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 5:50 am
by Jan K
This tunicate blends in with its surroundings quite well, about one inch small, reported to form colonies, but I found only few individuals at Keystone jetty rocks.

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Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 9:27 am
by Zen Diver
By the way Jan, if that photo were to be used as a computer screen, would it be a "desktop" tunicate?

-Valerie \:D/

Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 6:38 am
by nwscubamom
tsk tsk, Valerie. <sigh> Here is my exact wording yesterday from another online forum where Jan posts:

"If they have Disk Top Tunicates, do they also have Lap Top tunicates?

<ducks>"


Does this mean great minds think alike, or WARPED minds think alike?

- Janna :)

Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:21 am
by Zen Diver
Here's how warped I am; I read your post on the other forum, and was thinking, "where did my post disappear to? I know I typed in something!"

If I'm confused, it's just that there is SO MUCH stuff crammed into my brain it takes longer to sort thro it all.... :book: ](*,)


Really...


Trust me, I'm a nurse...

-Valerie

Fried Egg

Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 8:37 am
by Jan K
The bloom is going on in full force. First Fried Egg Jellyfish - juvenile - heralding in the new crop ?

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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 6:49 pm
by fpoole
Heyya Jan,
There you are... Look forward to all your photos as always, but the Egg Yolk are out now???

Kewl... time to hit the water and get them..

How's Keystone doing... Heading up there in June some time...(fergit when exactly)...

Good to see you over here... that Janna is relentles... LOL...

So how to you get them all in one pic frame... that's amazing... heheh...

Catch ya in the water :partyman:
Jellies are kewl...

Spaghetti Sponge

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 8:28 am
by Jan K
Adding to the not so spectacular list for creatures, Spaghetti Sponge.
Also I am in process of uploading archival stuff to my new site:
http://JanKocian.smugmug.com
So take a peek and let me know what you think. Thanks.

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Two trumpet worm

Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 9:13 am
by Jan K
Usually, I find the worm with one trumpet only, Worm expert Leslie had this to say about my recent find:
Rare but not unknown.  The crowns consist of 2 semicircles of radioles (the individual feathers).  Normally the second dorsalmost radiole on one of the semicircle is modified into the operculum.  If it's lost the worm will regrow another one often on the other semicircle.  Some just like having two I guess.  Individuals with 2 opercula (that's the plural form) usually have one smaller than the other which is the case here.

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Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 9:23 am
by fpoole
Dualies....
Kudos for being able to sneak up on them... and two for the price of one.. double Kudos....

Went to the Smug site, very nice and about time eh??? enjoyed the Alcan Hiway photos... posted a comment there... I just like to know all the "Private dive sites" on whidby are.. heheh... secret spots eh??? :supz:

See ya in the water...

Sea Pen

Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 3:22 pm
by Jan K
Thanks Frank, glad you like my site, even if not all underwater stuff. BTW, that motorhome was not mine, Jeep is all I drive...
The plankton soup cutting down visibility to three feet, and that is fuzzy three feet at best, I found three small Sea Pens at Langley. It has been many years since I spotted one there..

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Jelly anyone?

Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 2:22 pm
by Jan K
Jellyfish spawn eggs and sperm, which combine in the water. From the fertilized eggs develop invisible blastula, which are hollow spheres of cells. From these develop planulas which swim by means of vibrating hairs. Still invisible to the naked eye. For the next stage, the planulas have to find an empty space under rocky overhang where they metamorphose into polyps - scyphistoma. And that is what I found at Lagoon Point. The polyp rapidly buds off  many segments like stacked saucers, which detach to become swimming larva (ephyra), completing the cycle as pulsating medusa. Now I am waiting for the jellyfish big enough to photograph \:D/

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Pooped

Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 5:04 pm
by Jan K
This weekend I notice that the Plumose Anemones at Keystone were contributing to the already particle filled water with a bigger caliber stuff. :pale:

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Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 11:32 pm
by Tom Nic
Saw PILES of this stuff at Titlow a couple of weeks ago... had no idea what it was....

<a href="" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/4931 ... 2036d5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="CIMG0141"></a>

Buffalo Sculpin

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 6:22 pm
by Jan K
After seeing hundreds of Buffalo Sculpins, this is the first time I found one with spines erected. It was not reaction to my presence, the "horns" were up when I spotted it many feet away...

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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 10:16 pm
by Zen Diver
Wow, cool find Jan! =D> I've never seen that before!

-Valerie

Buffalo Sculpin

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 7:34 am
by Jan K
Janna has explanation for the horns. When the Buffalo Sculpins are dead or about to die, the chin spines stick out like that. I agree, that fish doesn't look that healthy, although in general, this fish are not beauty queens ..

Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 8:26 am
by Sounder
The illustration is too funny!