No, they're not tropical

[shoreliner11]

I took a trip to Forks WA this weekend for one of my classes and got some pretty cool pics. We went to 2 beaches but the second was called Cape Alava and it was truly amazing. You had to hike 3 miles to get to the beach and it was by far the most pristine beach I've ever been to. Take a look at the pics...hope you like.
Aaron
Pic 1-Here is the first beach we went to can't remember the name but its near La push
Pic 2- Here's a deer who let me get within 20feet or so for a pic
Pic3- A decorator crab
Pic4- A sunflower star or Pycnapodia helianthoides
Pic 5- A leather star who I come to find out is also known as the garlic star and after you take a close smell of it you know why

 

[shoreliner11]

A few more pics
Pic6- Some tunicates hanging down during low tide
Pic 7- Some more tunicates and red encrusting sponges
Pic 8- I was pretty happy to find this guy. Its an Opalescent Nudibranch Hermissenda crassicornis, they're actually pretty common in Northwest coastal waters but still a cool find. I found him next to all the tunicates pictured above. After reading about these guys, I found they eat tunicates, anemones, and hydroids. They actually take some of those nematocysts from the anemones and hydroids and transfers them to its cerrata on its back.
Pic 9- another pic of the nudibranch

 

[jayc]

Neat pics! That sure is a wierd looking crab.

 

[bigarn]

Nice job on the pics.

That beach in the first pic looks absolutely awsome!

 

[speg]

That nudi is insane.

 

[ophiura]

Fantastic shots! Thanks for sharing!

 

[reefman22]

if only every tank had a nudibranch like that........ :thinking:

 

[idolsrock1]

WOW.. love those stars!

 

[patricia]

Those are great pictures! :cheer: Ever think of minoring in Photography? Those pictures bring back memories of when I lived in the Seattle area. I hope to move back out there. Thank you for sharing those great pictures.

 

[nm reef]

Outstanding pics....thanks for sharing.....

 

[promisetbg]

Awesome :happyfish

 

[chrisnym]

Great pics. I love your exploration threads keep em coming!

 

[sw65galma]

Correct my if I'm wrong, but the purple one is a Sun Star.
They eat mostly other stars, especially green brittle stars..
I saw it on a discovery channel, they can get a couple feet in diameter and scour the floor while the stars run for thir lives in it's path.

 

[shoreliner11]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.
Originally Posted by sw65galma
Correct my if I'm wrong, but the purple one is a Sun Star.
They eat mostly other stars, especially green brittle stars..
I saw it on a discovery channel, they can get a couple feet in diameter and scour the floor while the stars run for thir lives in it's path.
You're correct, they're called Sunflower stars or Pycnapodia helianthoides. They elicit some really cool escape responses in a lot of different organisms. Scallops scoot if the star gets anywhere close, clams stretch their foot out for a kind of pull vault push, and like you said most stars run like crazy. Its really something to see these guys when they're full grown.
Aaron