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| Carmet Beach-Bodega Bay |
Friday 2nd 2016, a cold misty morning was my first time going to Bodega Bay. As I approached Carmet Beach, I got more and more excited to see what I would encounter on my visit there with my Biology Invertebrate class from Sonoma State University. This would be the first time I would actually explore and be so close to many species. The low tied at Carmet Beach, allowed me to be in between the rocks and get very personal with the habitats living there. The rocks were very slippery, so I had to move around with caution. While the sun was blazing on me and the weather was getting warmer as the time went by. I absolutely loved and enjoyed my by visit to Carmet Beach. I saw organisms that I new and seen before and saw ones that I had not seen or heard of before. The organisms that I saw included the Porcelin Crab (Petrolisthes cinctipes), Striped Shore Crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes), Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus), Giant Green Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica), California Mussel (Mytilus californianous), and Opalescent Nudibranch (Hermissenda crassicornis).
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| Ochre Sea Star and Giant Green Anemone |
I found it very interesting how many of the Ochre Sea Stars lived next to and in between many of the Giant Green Anemone. I really like Sea Stars, I think they are super cool. I didn't think that I would see them up so close. I tried to pick one up and have it in my hand but they were very attached to the rocks, that I didn't want to harm them and apply more pressure in trying to detach them. The Ochre Sea Stars that are found at Carmet Beach are part of the Echinodermata Phylum and is part of the Asteroidea class. Their rays range from 10 to 25 centimeters. They are able to attach to rocky substrate and live in wave areas because their tube feet have suckers on them. They have no sexual dimorphism, even though they are diocious. The sexes are only able to separate by eggs or sperm in the gonads. This species of Sea Star can live up to twenty years. In In many intertidal regions, Pisaster ochracius is the keystone species. Mostly all of the Sea Stars observed were adults. The adults use there tube feet to handle their prey. Their main food source are the California Mussels. The Sea Stars use a powerful traction with its tube feet, which allows them to pull the mussels valves open. Digestion takes place when the Sea Star's stomach is inside the mussel. It is estimated that in one year, about eighty Californian mussels are consumed by the Sea Stars.
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| Giant Green Anemone |
The Giant Green Anemone was so fascinating to me. Once I stepped down into the rocks, they were all over the area. They are in the Cnidaria Phylum and part of the Anthozoa Class. Like I mentioned above, the rocks were very slippery, which caused me to slip and step on one of the anemone's. All I felt was a squishy item kind of explore under my foot. I felt so bad that after that I was so much careful and making sure I would not step or harm any more of them. In order for the Giant Anemone to be stable connected to the rocks, they have a wide column at the base. They have no striping or markings, they have a flat oral disk surface. Their tentacles are short and surround the oral disk. These Anemones can live in groups of nor more than 14, but they can also live in solitary life. Mostly all of the ones I saw, were in groups or near each other. They usually don't move around but if they do they can use their basal disks and they protect themselves from predators by using stinging cells located in their tentacles. They can also capture their prey by using this cells. Snails, like the ones in the picture above feed off of their tentacles. While the anemone's feed off of sea urchins, small fish, crabs, and even mussels that are detached.
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| Opalescent Nudibranch |
The Opalescent Nudibranch was also another species that was observed in the intertidal of Carmet Beach. They are in the Mollusca Phyllum and Gastropoda Class. I didn't know that this species is sea slug and tend to be brightly colored. They tend to grow about 2 inches. All of the nudibranchs that I saw, were all different colors. I did not see any replicated color nudibranchs. The nudibranchs feed on marine organisms, like sea anemones and ascidians. They can even attach each other and eat smaller specimens of their own species. The nudibranchs were hard to find but once I observed one, I would see many more around the. It makes it harder to find them because of their small size but their colorful body would make it easier to find at the same time.
I really enjoyed my visit to the Carmet Beach. My visit there lasted about 2 hours, I wish I could of stayed longer to make more observations of the place and maybe find more species that live their. I will definitely go back and take another look at the intertidal. I will try to go back at another time, hopefully at a later time in the day. Which will allow me to see other species.
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| Carmet Beach-Bodega Bay |
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