Kelp Forest

Red-eye Medusa (Polyorchis penicillatus) This Red-Eye Medusa had drifted into nearshore kelp at Refugio Beach. They are said to prefer eelgrass beds, of which there are a few off Refugio Beach. The red spots contain light-sensing organs, as well as red pigment. They add a touch of fashion. The interior structure looks kind of like a banyan tree, but is part of the digestive system, helping to distribute nutrients throughout the medusa. Red-eye Medusas are found along the east

The kelp forest at Landing Cove at Anacapa. This cove became a marine reserve in 1978, with no fishing or hunting allowed, so it has a lot of big lobsters and lush marine life.

This giant kelpfish was particularly friendly and patient as I photographed it off San Clemente Island.

Giant kelp (Macrocystis) can grow by splitting the frond on the top of a stalk, or "stipe", into many fronds.

A barnacle extends its cirri to scoop small prey from the water, while another has retracted its cirri to examine what they have netted. Both barnacles and the surrounding substrate are covered with red corynactis anemones

This is the exuvia, or cast-off exoskeleton, of a growing young barnacle

A Norris' Topsnail climbs a gas bladder on giant kelp It might look like this Norris' topsnail is a bubble dancer. But, he or she is doing the unending task of these snails, climbing a giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and feeding off the tiny animals that live on its surface. This shot was made looking straight down. These snails usually clamp their shells onto the kelp surface when approached. Perhaps this one was consumed with getting around this particular large kelp bla

Spirorbis extend their netlike feeding tentacles from the mouths of their tiny shells. These tiny worms have settled in a crevice in a frond of oarweed.

A colony of bryozoans (Membranipora membranacea) on a kelp blade Kelp fronds often carry white spots. Darwin mentioned them, on kelp off Chile, in his bestseller Voyage of the Beagle. This white spot is composed of many cells, grouped around a center. Each cell contains an individual bryozoan, a Lacy Crust Bryozoan or Membranipora membranacea. A single individual is known as a zooid (which is a great scrabble word). Here you can see that the zooids are a filter-feeders, sievi

Blades and air bladders of a macrocystis kelp swirl, as waves pass above.

Spanish shawl nudibranchs are among the most colorful of the denizens of the kelp forest.

Each yellow dot is a lottery ticket. A female Garibaldi laid these eggs a week or so ago, on a mat of red algae meticulously prepared by a male. The male then fertilized the eggs, and now guards them.

If a male Garibaldi works hard enough, his algae patch will impress females enough that they will pause to lay their eggs there.

The cool pathways beneath the kelp canopy are among the most calm and relaxing places on Earth.

If you examine the kelp blade close-up, the white spots form intricate networks that look like alien cities.

Rockfish are among the signature fish of the kelp forest.

Macrocystis kelp on a bottom of coralline algae I'm posting archival images from the kelp forest at https://www.kelpscape.com/portfolio-c...