Mother/Father Dearest
As a hermaphrodite this Spanish shawl (Flabellina iodinea) is simultaneously a proud mother and father as it lays a rope of pink eggs. 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
Rust Rover
An opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) crawls across a patch of invasive red-rust bryozoan (Watersipora subtorquata) growing on a wharf piling. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Royal Aeolid
A Hilton's aeolid (Phidiana hiltoni) sits majestically atop a blade of red alga. 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
A Thousand Tentacles
Viewed at the macro level, the tiny translucent tentacles that give the white-plumed anemone (Metridium farcimen) its fluffy white appearance become evident. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Electric Blue
Bright blue and topped with fiery-yellow cerata, the opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) is a striking sea slug. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Vigilance
A onespot fringehead (Neoclinus uninotatus) peeks out of a hole in a submerged block of concrete to spy for prey and predator. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Crevice Creeper
A devoted dad, this stripefin ronquil (Rathbunella hypoplecta) uses his fins to fan his egg cluster within the safety of an abandoned barnacle shell while peeking out in hopes of a meal. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Nude Poser
An opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) crawls its way to the top of a blade of red alga appearing to pose. 2013. Carmel, CA, USA
Just One of the Guys
The yellowfin fringehead (Neoclinus stephensae) is a master of camouflage, easily disappearing among the invertebrates that encrust the entrance of its lair. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Baby Slug
Tiny in its own right, this pinky nail-sized opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) still dwarfs the even smaller zooids reaching out from the red-rust bryozoan (Watersipora subtorquata) it crawls across. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA.
Coonstripe
Festively striped, a dock shrimp (Pandalus danae) peers from a crevice with a backdrop of other colorful invertebrates. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Wet Feather
Despite its feather-like appearance, this plume structure belongs not to a bird but to a calcareous tube worm (Serpula columbiana) and is used for respiration and filter feeding. 2018. Monterey, CA, USA.
Banana Slug
A California aglaja (Navanax inermis) winds its way down between the spines of a red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus). 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
Spanish Dancer
Swept by the surge, a Spanish shawl (Flabellina iodinea) appears to "dance" as it swings back and forth on a tattered blade of red alga. 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
Spotted
A shrimp (Heptacarpus sp.) attempts to blend into a brown kelp stipe despite its bright blue spots giving it away. 2017. Carmel, CA, USA.
Bug Eyed
A face-to-face view of a pelagic red crab (Pleuroncodes planipes), a southern species that swarmed northward to the Monterey Bay during a warm water event in 2016. 2016. Monterey, CA, USA
