Kelpscape

Nudibranch on Red Gorgonian

I'm not sure what sort of mollusk this is. I would call it a nudibranch but I don't know of nudibranchs with siphons, as this seems to have at the front. It seems well suited to dwelling on red gorgonian coral, where I found it, at the Canyons dive site in the Marine Reserve on the North side of Anacapa. 

Adult Navanax

An adult Navanax, crawling across a float on kelp, near Portuguese Rock off Anacapa. The sensory organs they extend in front, and the eyes atop the mantle, look pretty terrifying.  

Infant Navanax Grazing on Bryozoans

Navanax are fierce predators of other nudibranchs. However, this youngster appears to be grazing on bryozoans on a kelp frond.

Octopus on Kelp Holdfast

Octopus on a kelp holdfast. It's interesting how they can change the texture of their skins, as well as the colors.

Flat Symmetric Octopus

This octopus chose to take on the coloration of his background, and flatten himself out. This is the first time that I have seen both eyes of an octopus at the same time. I hadn't know that was possible.

I imagine that octopi can be as symmetric or asymmetric in shape and coloration as they want, and that an asymmetric octopus would be a lot harder to see than a symmetric one. But, they are nearly always just about symmetric in both; and, they are still hard to see. Why? Are there a lot of asymmetric octopi out there, that are too well camouflaged to see at all? 

Octopus Scampers Across the Reef

Scamper seems about the best way to describe this octopus moving across the reef.  

Octopus

Usually octopi are fairly shy, but this one seemed interested in learning more about me, just as I was interested in learning about him. He was off the southeast end of Santa Rosa Island.