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. 

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.  

Octopus Coils

The octopus coils back from its spot beneath a hydroid. Its eye spot is pretty bright in this image: a scary sight, for those who prey on small invertebrates.

Corynactis Anemones at Campus Point

Campus Point, the south end of the UCSB campus, doesn't have a lot of natural relief or rock below the surface. But, it has quite a few manmade structures, including a couple of pipelines to supply the marine science labs with sea water. These corynactis were growing on an A-shaped structure, in about 30' of water directly off the beach.

Sand Dollars at Refugio Before the Spill

Refugio had areas of sand dollars before the oil spill. They seem to have disappeared. Are they particularly susceptible to oil, or is it for some other reason or combination of reasons? These are from Januart 2015. They were in a long, wavy band that extended from not far south of Surfer's Point to the west, at about 20 ft depth.

Feather Duster Worms

Feather duster worms and burrowing clams on the West side, on the reef east of Surfer's Point, in April 2015, 1 month before the Refugio Oil Spill. This area appears to be covered with sand now. There's quite a bit of sand movement along the coast, both on the beach and underwater.  Overall there seems to be more sand on the beach and less atop the rock reef, than before the spill.

Bryozoans on a Kelp Frond

Bryozoans make a great pattern on a kelp frond. They don't appear to harm it, and they provide sustenance for some of the other small animals that live on kelp.