Category: Animals and Organisms
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The Hopkins Rose Nudibranch–That Bright Pink Sea Slug
If there’s one nudibranch that a beginner tide pooler in SoCal might notice, it’s the Hopkins rose nudibranch (Ceratodoris rosacea). A shot of bright pink among the many shades of green, blue, and brown, this moderately sized nudibranch is more likely to catch your attention than any other species. Hopkins rose are one of my…
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What are Echinoderms?
For the beginner tidepooler, one of the most exciting animals to find is the sea star: large, colorful, bizarre and beautiful. There are no terrestrial sea stars. Neither are there any freshwater sea stars. Only in the sea can you find one of these animals. The sea stars, and many other animals you will see…
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Striped Shore Crab: The Tide Pool Clean Up Crew
If you’ve visited Southern California tide pools, chances are pretty good you’ve seen a striped shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) scuttling away from your steps. These small crabs are prolific in some intertidal zones, so much so that I hardly notice them when visiting the intertidal. But these creatures a worth a second look. From their…
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Giant Key Hole Limpet: The Simplest Animal in the Cancer Fight
Perhaps on the most interesting and bizarre of the larger animals a first time tide pooler might notice is the large-ish, fleshy, oval shape blob, often out of the water, with a hole straight in the center as if it had been drilled there. This alien creature is a what is commonly known as a…
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The Pacific Intertidal Keystone: Ochre Sea stars
Sea stars are a fan favorite, especially among children visiting the tide pools for a variety of reasons including size, color, and texture. In SoCal, it used to be that you were almost guaranteed to see an ochre sea star on a visit to the tide pools. Such is not the case anymore in our…
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Opalescent Nudibranch: California’s Most Common Sea Slug
With a name like opalescent meaning having the colors and fire of an opal, the opalescent nudibranch has some big expectations of beauty to live up to, but it doesn’t disappoint. Despite being incredibly common, this sea slug is brilliantly colored with orange and yellow tipped cerrata and vivid, iridescent aqua blue racing stripes down…
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Pacific and Steinberg’s Corambes: California’s Most Cryptic Nudibranchs
Many nudibranchs are famous for their flashy colors and flamboyant patterns, making them some of the most beautiful creatures on the reef or in the tide pools. These sea slugs, it seems, have no issue being seen by divers, tide poolers, or prospective predators who see their bright colors as a warning of foul taste…
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Christmas Tree Worms: Tropical Residents in the Tide Pools
In the minds of many people, worms are shapeless, nearly colorless, slimy creatures that might help fertilize your garden but that you hope to never encounter above the soil. But in the tide pools, worms are some of the most intricate, colorful, and beautiful creatures you might see. While they are often associated with warmer…
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Woolly Sculpin: The Most Common Tide Pool Fish
Most of the animals you will see visiting the tide pools don’t move or move very slowly. But if you happen to catch a quick flash of movement out of the corner of your eye, chances are you saw a woolly sculpin fleeing the scene. These small, bottom dwelling fish are one of —if not…
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Sunburst Anemones— Producers and Consumers
Sunburst anemones are one of the easiest to find and most fascinating animals in the tide pools. Unlike anything that lives on land, these creatures provide endless enjoyment for beginner tide poolers, especially children that can feel the pull of the anemone’s tentacles on their fingers. Despite being so common, sunburst anemones are incredibly beautiful…
About the blog
The Tidepooler is a blog focused on education and information about the tide pools and rocky shore environments along the coasts of the world’s oceans. With more understanding and enthusiasm, these important ecosystems can be sustainably explored for science, curiosity, and appreciation of their beauty.
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