Pteropods are tiny marine mollusks separated into two groups, the sea butterflies (clade Thecosomata) and the sea angels (clade Gymnosomata). Sea butterflies develop shells, but sea angels do not. These tiny gastropods are such a major dietary staple of larger marine species, they are affectionately deemed the potato chips of the sea.

Photo courtesy of NOAA

Over the past decade, the problem of invasive species has become more pervasive in aquatic systems around the globe. With the continued warming of water bodies due to climate change, dangerous invasives can expand their ranges and invade established habitats.

A notable example of this is the Humboldt squid, also called the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas), moving all the way up the Pacific coast from Mexican waters to as far north as the coast of Vancouver Island. One of the most powerful ways the species disrupts the ecosystem is that it consumes tremendous amounts of prey. Humboldt squids grow to be over 1.5 m in length and an average of 50 kg (100 lbs) in under one year; this necessitates that the squid feeds constantly, which annihilates prey species in the Humboldt’s range. Because many of its prey items are economically important fishes, the expansion and actions of the Humboldt squid are being avidly monitored.

Photo © Brian Skerry

The ornate cowfish (Aracana ornata), like all cowfish, has a skeleton made of fused bones, essentially trapping it in a barely-flexible box. For this reason, these fish are typically slow movers; however, it does have an advantage: few other fish are able to eat adult cowfish.

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Jewel moray (Muraena lentiginosa)

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Viper Moray (Enchelynassa canina), particularly well known for its fierce set of teeth.

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Chain Moray (Echidna catenata)

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Banded creeping eel (Channomuraena vittata)

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Chitons are mollusks belonging to the class Polyplacophora. They are mostly flattened with eight dorsal, limy plates. This is where they get their class name from. (Polyplacophora means “bearing many plates.”) These plates overlap posteriorly and are typically dull in color to blend in with their surroundings (though this is not always the case). Most chitons rarely grow larger than 5 cm and the largest rarely ever exceed 30 cm. They’re usually found stuck onto rocky surfaces in the intertidal zone, but some have been found at much greater depths. If a chiton gets detached from its rock, it can roll up like an armadillo for protection.

Shown is the mossy chiton (Mopalia muscosa), whose mantle is covered in defensive hairs and bristles.

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I found this shy, magnificent specimen this afternoon when I went out to lay in the sun. I saw him moving from a distance and thought he was a woodchuck due to his size. After I came upon him, he wouldn’t extend his head back out, but seemed amicable enough to allow me to take his picture a few times. I’m pretty sure he was a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and a rather large one at that. I assume he was a very slow-moving gentleman because virtually his entire body was covered in one sort of slime or another.

EDIT: I’ve been informed it was probably a lady turtle. Unfortunately, I tend to identify all animals as males unless I know for certain they’re a female, and in this case I was too lazy to keep writing “him/her.”

Common terrestrial pill bug (Armadillidium vulgare)

Contrary to popular belief, pill bugs are not bugs. They are not classified into the class Insecta, and aren’t even in the same subphylum. Pill bugs are crustaceans, specifically isopods, which are more closely related to lobsters and crabs than they are to insects.

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