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Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 5:43 pm
by RoxnDox
Hi all. This last weekend we were up in Blaine and I found some interesting critters in the low intertidal zone. Wondering if anyone can help ID them... The first is an egg mass, deposited on an old barnacle-encrusted shell. There were a fair number of them scattered about the tideflats, in shells, on the occasional rock, anything semi-solid really...
The other is a critter that looks like a jellyfish, but with 'extras' attached... Budding off maybe? Never seen anything quite like it. Grains of sand for scale in the photo.
It was a minus tide, so we got the chance to *really* explore out a long ways...
Jim
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 5:53 pm
by Scubie Doo
The second one looks like a hooded nudibranch.
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 5:55 pm
by Scubie Doo
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 6:11 pm
by RoxnDox
Ah, cool. It was in the eelgrass beds... Gracias!
Jim
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 6:18 pm
by Scubie Doo
Upon further review, the first looks like an opalescent squid egg cluster. But not 100% sure on that one.
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 9:02 pm
by YellowEye
How big were the first eggs? If like big grains of rice, could be dogwinkle eggs?
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 10:47 pm
by RoxnDox
YellowEye wrote:How big were the first eggs? If like big grains of rice, could be dogwinkle eggs?
Each egg was perhaps 5-7 mm long, tapered ends, maybe 2-3 mm thick.
Jim
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 5:59 pm
by nwscubamom
Definitely NOT Opalescent Squid Eggs - much more likely a smaller whelk (snail) of some kind.
Rick Harbo's Whelks to Whales book (2nd edition) has a great back section on eggs and to which critter they belong.
Unfortunately I don't have my copy with me, or I'd look it up for you!
- Janna
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 4:42 pm
by Dusty2
The second one is definitely a Melibe leonina, AKA Hooded nudibranch. The first one
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Thu May 21, 2015 7:47 am
by RoxnDox
nwscubamom wrote:Definitely NOT Opalescent Squid Eggs - much more likely a smaller whelk (snail) of some kind.
Rick Harbo's Whelks to Whales book (2nd edition) has a great back section on eggs and to which critter they belong.
Unfortunately I don't have my copy with me, or I'd look it up for you!
- Janna
Aha! With that clue, a google for whelk eggs gives a bunch of photos that match up perfectly... This one
http://www.theseashore.org.uk/theseasho ... laying.jpg is a dog whelk and a perfect match.
I love this group! Soooooooo much info freely shared
Jim
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 7:01 am
by Tidepool Geek
Hi Jim,
For more info on these egg cases, try this site:
http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/LEARNABOU ... elRepr.php
Start off with "Research Study 11" near the bottom of the page for a clear and succinct description of what goes on with these things.
Reproductively yours,
Alex
Re: Critter and egg ID help?
Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 11:40 am
by RoxnDox
Nice site, thanks Alex!
Jim
