Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

about a very common inhabitants from the same location:

[Jan K]

So there are supposedly hundreds of them hiding under the surface all over the place. In years of diving the Pilings and other Whidbey localities, I find ONE. I do need better glasses....

[LCF]

I love the piddock clams. Sometimes clumps of their siphons look almost like castles in the silt. It's wonderful to take something so "ordinary" and common and make a beautiful page of information about it, Jan.

I've seen a few brittle stars, but only one at a time up here (I've seen CARPETS of them in LA). I wonder if they are nocturnal here, as they are in some other places?

[Jan K]

I revisited the two headed anemone at Langley Tire Reef, after two months, it seems to be happy at the same spot, visibility not good, thanks to the planktonic soup, (already?)

[Dusty2]

I see the brittle stars all the time at Hudson but only the arms sticking up waiting for some tasty morsel to pass by. They look like a field of little white worms. As for that two headed anemone... Two heads just means more food!

[Jan K]

Another new slug added to my list..
As many times as I dove Keystone, like Redondo in the south, Dusty's Port Townsend, always chance to find something new even on frequently dived locations - got to love diving..

[dieseldude]

Very cool pic's Jan, I see the piddocks at Mukilteo wall though I recently discovered I'm not supposed to be diving there.
You must be wearing doubles or have gills if you stayed long enough to watch one bury itself! I've got to quit drinking coffee,it's starting to limit my dive more than air. I keep hearing about that tire reef-Is it a shore dive? I want to check it out. Keep snappin' the shots, your an inspiration to us rookie shooters. If ever get a strobe I'm gonna try & give you a run for your money
Mike

[Grateful Diver]

Congrats Jan ... I just noticed that your latest entry won "Branch of the Week" over on the Slug Site ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Dusty2]

Another new slug added to my list..
As many times as I dove Keystone, like Redondo in the south, Dusty's Port Townsend, always chance to find something new even on frequently dived locations - got to love diving..

Congrates! Glad you found one. Your eyes must be getting better. I find these little guys all the time at Hudson and I didn't know they were all that rare. They are small and you really have to look close but they are there. Just look for that hydroid and you will find these guys and some other interesting little guys too.

[Jan K]

I find these little guys all the time at Hudson and I didn't know they were all that rare. They are small and you really have to look close but they are there. Just look for that hydroid and you will find these guys and some other interesting little guys too.

I agree that "rare" these days is a relative term when it comes to marine creatures. When I found the Pelagic Gooseneck barnacle the other day, it was a rare find for me. I am sure a fisherman scrubbing them off his gear would laugh at my excitement of finding one.. But it made my day
Anyway, the other day I dove Langley, visibility was lousy, water full of planktonic soup and I came across a another new sight, dozens and dozens and dozens of small Dungeness crabs. The large crabs are plentiful year around, but in all years diving there, I never saw so many small ones. They were all over the sandy bottom, some burried, many on the rocks along the seawall. And unlike that large ones, these guys were scared of me, running away as I approached. No good pictures because of it, but want to share my experience, maybe you have seen similar gatherings somewhere else..

[Dusty2]

Nice, I know what you mean about these little guys being skittish. Usually all you see is a cloud of dust and something disappearing in the distance! Surprising how fast they can move.

And yes it is always awesome to find something you have never seen before. Even if it is something that is quite common it is new to you and that's what keeps diving new and exciting.

[Jan K]

Not a thing of beauty, but it is part of underwater scenery in some places, so I take pictures ...

[Jan K]

swimming Lion nudibranch aka Hooded ..

[Grateful Diver]

Wow ... spectacular. Where'd you find such clear water?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Jan K]

Wow ... spectacular. Where'd you find such clear water?
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

It is little bit deceptive as I am only five feet under the surface of Holmes Harbor waters, Freeland.

[Dusty2]

Awesome pix of the Hooded Jan. Swimming pix like that are tough to get!

[LCF]

Love the page on colonial diatoms. They are the kind of thing I look at stupidly and dismiss as some kind of plant or something, because I don't know what it is. Thanks, as always, for the education, Jan!

The swimming nudi pictures are gorgeous. Those things always look tortured to me when they are swimming.

[John Rawlings]

Jan - your photos of the Hooded Nudibranch are simply superb!

[Jan K]

Thanks, glad you enjoy the pics. From the same dive, this one on the sandy bottom. After seeing hundreds of Lewis's moonsnails, I found this baby snail showing streaked pattern on its foot not seen on larger animals.

[airsix]

I absolutely love this living thread, Jan. Beautiful pictures + education in little snack size packages.

[Scott G]

Great snail shots Jan!

How did you ID that as a Lewis's?... just curiosity, i've never seen a small one diving and am very jealous, always wonder where they are when they are that size.

I've seen a number of the other moon snails, and the ID was tricky... wondered if you had something good or if you just went with a depth range.

Again appreciating your thread,
Scott

[cardiver]

Great snail shots Jan!

How did you ID that as a Lewis's?... just curiosity, i've never seen a small one diving and am very jealous, always wonder where they are when they are that size.

I've seen a number of the other moon snails, and the ID was tricky... wondered if you had something good or if you just went with a depth range.

Again appreciating your thread,
Scott

Must be the season for baby moon snails! I saw my first one last Thursday at Redondo.

[Jan K]

How did you ID that as a Lewis's?... just curiosity, i've never seen a small one diving and am very jealous, always wonder where they are when they are that size. Scott

OK Scott, you got me there. It is just a guess. I never sseen a baby moonsnail before and I guessed that it is Lewis's only because there are many, many Lewis's Moonsnails in that area and it looked to me like a small version of the big guys minus the markins. Cardiver's photo maybe showing the stage when the markings fade away. Of course, I am always open to ideas, if it is a different critter altogether, I would be happy to add it to my list

[cardiver]

The one that I shot the pic of was no bigger than my thumb nail.

[Jan K]

The one that I shot the pic of was no bigger than my thumb nail.

Great detail on your shot Ron, maybe we have a different kind of snail here. The shell sure shows a lot of wear for a baby...