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 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 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 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
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
