A yellowfin fringehead (Neoclinus stephensae) peeks from behind a red curtain of red-rust bryozoan (Watersipora subtorquata). 2018. Monterey, CA, USA
A Hilton's aeolid (Phidiana hiltoni) sits majestically atop a blade of red alga. 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
A red-eye medusa (Polyorchis penicillatus), named for the ruddy eye shadow it wears around its eyespots, floats in the water column. 2019. Carmel, CA, USA
A baby clingfish (Liparis sp.) only a centimeter long rests on a loose blade of green alga. 2018. Monterey, CA, USA
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
A Spanish shawl (Flabellinopsis iodinea) hangs upside down as it lays a rope of pink eggs on the underside of reef. 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
Tiny translucent tentacles give the white-plumed anemone (Metridium farcimen) its fluffy white appearance. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
Crowned by a yellow-tipped coat of cerata, the opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) uses these spiky projections to aid in respiration and defense. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
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
A Spanish shawl nudibranch (Flabellinopsis iodinea) is bent by the whim of the water, body contorted in unrelenting surge. 2018. Channel Islands, CA, USA
A stripefin ronquil (Rathbunella hypoplecta) peeks out of an abandoned barnacle shell while fanning his egg cluster with his fins inside. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
The underbelly of a purple urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) is crowded by a colorful field of spines, tube feet, and clawed appendages called pedicellariae. 2019. Carmel, CA, USA
A tiny alien on a miniature Martian landscape, an orange-spike polycera (Polycera atra) traverses the rough red structure of a bryozoan colony. 2018. Monterey, CA, USA
Bright blue and lined with lightning-yellow, the opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) is a striking sea slug. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
A yellowfin fringehead (Neoclinus stephensae) blends in among among the encrusting invertebrates growing on its lair. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
An orange-spike polycera (Polycera atra) lays a white ribbon of eggs on a bryozoan (Bugula sp.). 2018. Channel Islands, CA, USA
Tiny in its own right, a 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.
A yellowfin fringehead (Neoclinus stephensae) looks on from its crevice with gaping jaws. 2018. Monterey, CA, USA
Swept by the surge, a Spanish shawl (Flabellinopsis iodinea) appears to dance as it swings back and forth on a tattered blade of red alga. 2017. Channel Islands, CA, USA
Carrying a hydroid hitchhiker on its right rhinophore, an orange-spike polycera (Polycera atra) reaches up to climb the bryozoan wall above it. 2021. Monterey, CA, USA
An opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) sits comfortably above the sand atop an old stipe of kelp. 2017. Monterey, CA, USA
A channeled topsnail (Calliostoma canaliculatum) rears atop a rough patch of dead bryozoan. 2019. Monterey, CA, USA
An opalescent nudibranch (Hermissenda opalescens) crawls its way to the top of a blade of red alga. 2013. Carmel, CA, USA
A yellowfin fringehead (Neoclinus stephensae) looks out from its hole in a rock. 2018. Monterey, CA, USA
