Susan & Wayne's Summer Adventures, 2013: Summer Adventures Day 4; Monday June 10th; Tunicate Beach, CA Coast

After our ritual morning soy latte (Susan) & non-iced iced mocha we headed out to the open coast north of Santa Cruz, CA in search of an adventure. Little did we know what lay in store for us! As soon as we arrived at the beach we began searching for sea creatures, walking in the ocean and sensing the casting about of the elements on the edge of the continent. We discovered an unusual plethora of crab species washed ashore in the strong south swell that we've been having. We paid special attention to the sea anemones which adorn their bodies with the shells of tiny clams and snails for camouflage the shells of which would normally be destroyed by the pounding surf. Afterwards we cleaned up the sand and seaweed and did a nice 45 minute run out at Wilder Ranch State Park overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Dungeness Crab (Cancer magister) L; Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) R

Hermit Crab (sp. indet) inhabiting a Frilled Dogwinkle Snail (Nucella lamellosa) shell.

Striped Shore Crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes)

Mossy Chiton (Mopalia mucosa)

Striped Shore Crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes)

California Trivia Snail (Trivia californiana)

Feather Boa Kelp (Egregia menziesii)

Sea Sacs Algae (Halosaccion glandiforme)

Common Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)

Giant Green Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica)

Aggregating amemone (Anthopleura elegantissima); solitary, large, extended

Aggregating amemone (Anthopleura elegantissima); "colonial", small, retracted

Purple Sea Star in Purple life Phase (Pisaster ochraceus)

Black Turban Snail (Chlorostoma funebralis) with (?)Green Sea Moss (Cladophora sp.), etc. Black Turbans are the most common gastropod in the Intertidal at this locality; likely due to the fact that they are vegetarian and can live as long as 100 years! Their tops are commonly worn as well, attesting to their advanced age.

Beautiful Californai mussel (Mytilus californianus) with, from top, Blach Turban (Chlorostoma funebralis), ?Ribbed Limpets (Lottia digitalis?), and

Sun-bleached Shield-Backed Kelp Crab (Pugettia producta)

Leafy Hornmouth ("Pot Sticker Snail"); (Ceratostoma foliatum); this is one of our favorite snails from the intertidal, just gorgeous.

Monterey Stalked Tunicate (Styela montereyensis); another of our favorite finds ; a tunicate, chordate and relative on the way to vertebrates!

Frilled Dogwinkle (Nucella lamellosa)

Spotted Unico (Acanthina punctulata)

Kelp Scallop (Leptopecten latiauratus)

?Gray Snakeskin Snail (Ophiodermella inermis)

White-Ribbed Red Barnacle (Megabalanus californicus)

California Trivia Snail (Trivia californiana); one of our favorite finds on our sea shore outings! Usually found attached to the side of a Giant Green Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica).