a couple of micro critters for Greg and Leslie

[Dusty2]

Spotted these two critters at three tree today. They were both to small to see with the naked eye but the camera did fair the first I thing is a sea spider. The second pic has two critters one is the tiniest Opalesent nudi that you will ever almost see. The other I suspect is some sort of worm.

[eliseaboo]

Wow, those are fantastic! I have to wonder though...and forgive me if this is a silly question...but if they're too small to see with the naked eye (at least well)...how do you see them to photograph them? Is it sort of chance, do you look through your other photos to see what you've caught?

[Dusty2]

Fortunately I'm blessed with good eyesight, insatiable curiosity and a knack for spotting things that look different. It's tough to explain. Guess it's my hunters instinct. I was a hunter and competitive shooter for years. Also I have very good shape recognition and memory. There are several people who have dived with me that will tell you I just see things that others just don't see. If I see something that catches my eye I shoot lots of pictures and then put them on the computer and see what I have. I guess you could just call it instinct.

When you love what you do you get good at it!

[Greg Jensen]

That's a tough one. My guess is that it's a very spiny gammarid amphipod, viewed from above with its head end pointing towards 10 o'clock. There seem to be a couple legs visible on its left side and a partial view of its abdomen.

[Leslie]

It's not anything I recognize. Was it acting in some way that made you think it was a worm?

(edit) Just saw Greg's post. I'll pass the photo onto some pod-loving friends.

[Greg Jensen]

Taking a second look at it to make sure I'm looking at the right thing, I noticed a caprellid head very close to it with the same coloring. So the larger blob in the middle might be the rear part of a very spiny caprellid amphipod, the middle obscured by the stuff its on, and the head peeking through.

[Dusty2]

Wow, Good observations Greg! These tiny critters fascinate me. I love digging around looking for unseen things. It's amazing how much life is there if you just take the time to really look beyond the obvious.