When a rock is
turned
over, a
Calcareous Tube Worm may be found attached to the underside
of
the rock. The worms are seldom seen, but their calcareous tubes are
easily spotted. They
withdraw within their tubes as soon as they are touched or
when the tide leaves them dry.
Be sure to carefully return all rocks to
their
original position so that the marine life found on and under
the rocks will not dry out or be crushed.
|
Calcareous
Tube
Worm,
under water, with feeding plume visable.
|
 Hooded
Nudibranch on Eelgrass
|
In shallow subtidal waters, Hooded Nudibranchs are often found attached
to eelgrass in great numbers.
They catch small
crustaceans that live on the eelgrass, some as large as Skeleton
Shrimps.
|
A wide variety of fishes find the eelgrass beds an excellent area to
call "home".
A common species in the eelgrass is the Bay Pipefish. The males of this
remarkable species "appear" to be pregnant, as they incubate the eggs
in
a pouch under their body.
|
Bay Pipefish
|
After the females lay the eggs, they are tranferred to a pouch formed
by scales under the male's body, where they develop into tiny pipefish.
When they hatch it looks as if the male gives birth, as shown on the
photo.
|
Male
Pipefish with
young
|
Rockweed Gunnel in
Sargassum Weed
|
The Rockweed Gunnel is only
one of
various eel-like fish that can be found in the Eelgrass beds and Sargassum
weed that grows on rocks.
This fish can be observed in a variety of colours, green, reddish and
brown, depending on their habitat.
|
The Smooth Bay Shrimp or Sand Shrimp takes on the colour pattern of the
sand it lives on. If that is not enough to make it invisible, it also
burries under the sand, leaving only the antenae exposed.
|
Smooth Bay Shrimp
|
Bering Hermit Crab
|
The Bering Hermit is choosy about its dress. At Sargeant Bay it always
uses a Moonsnail shell to cover its abdomen.
Since we
started
keeping records at Sargeant Bay in 1987, they have only been observed
during the years 1994-1997.
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