Winter Tidepooling in Seattle- January 2021
In spite of the atmospheric river that hit our area this month, there were a handful of dry nights on some of our very low tides.
Frosted/White Lined/Alabaster Nudibranch (Dirona albolineata) These beautiful nudibranchs can vary in color from white to peach to violet (like this one).
Nanaimo/Rufus Tipped Nudibranchs (Acanthodoris nanaimoensis) The red tipped gill plume and rhinophores are an easy way to ID these beautiful dorid nudibranchs. They can be bright white or dark shades of grey/brown.
Sculpin Eggs! Each female has their own signature color. More than one female will lay their eggs at the same site.
Dogwhelk laying eggs. You will find these snails en masse year round, aggregating for mating and egg laying parties on rocks in the intertidal zone.
Moonglow Anemone (Anthopleura artemisia). This burrowing anemone keeps its column under the sand, exposing only it’s beautiful tentacles at the surface. They have a huge variation in color and can best be identified by the banding on their tentacles.
It is not uncommon to find a Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata)with a live- in worm companion. I did not even notice this one until I uploaded my photo and zoomed in a bit! You can see it sitting on top of the star. These scaleworms are commensal, meaning they don’t help or harm the sea star. The relationship has a definite benefit for the worm, who gets shelter and food scraps from its host.
Mystery worm! The tiniest, most translucent feather duster-esque worms in a tide pool.
Plumose anemones can vary in color from browns to oranges to whites. This one was the first I have seen with a dappled column.
Woody Chiton (Mopalia lignosa) surrounded by Crenate Barnacles (Balanus crenatus)
This Giant Sea Spider (Nymphon pixellae) was my favorite find this month. Usually found in deeper water, it was a surprise to see this one, carrying his eggs, high up in the intertidal zone. Some weird facts about these delicate creatures: males carry the eggs once they have been fertilized, they have no respiratory system and rely on diffusion for gas exchange, some of their organs extend into their legs since they don’t have room for them up top in their very thin body.
Mottled Star (Evasterias troschelii)