B L A C K O Y S T E R C A T C H E R
These shorebirds spend their entire life within
the narrow corridor between low and high tide.
They spend all their days in the same spot with
the same mate, year round. Their eggs can
survive brief periods being submerged because
exceptionally high tides sometimes sweep over
their nest.
The real parenting begins once the young nestlings
become juveniles, capable of flying about on their own.
Months of training are required before an oystercatcher
has the precision to unlock the mussel's shell with a
single blow... despite churning surf that shakes
their target and blurs their vision. Another skill
the young oystercatcher needs to master
is to strike just as the mussel cracks open its
shell to quickly sweep the water for plankton
with its food filter.
Of course, you could use your bill as a hammer and
eventually bash in the shell like a woodpecker.
But that is last resort, real migraine material.
P U R P L E - S T R I P E D S E A N E T T L E
These are colorful jellyfish that rely on the lively
ocean currents that sweep the California coast
from southern San Diego to Bodega Bay,
a bit north of San Francisco. They feed on
larva, fish eggs and small animals that are
stunned by the stinging jellyfish tentacles
that stream from its brightly colored bell.
Four large arms hang like an umbilical cord
from the bell's center. They are used to
gather up the paralyzed prey and deliver
them to an orifice for digestion.
Juvenile cancer crabs make their home in this
very bell, where they are protected from ocean
predators. In turn, the crabs eat an assortment
of parasites that infest the jellyfish tissue.
Their alliance is mutually beneficial.
Sea turtles feast on jellyfish.
It's a beloved staple in their diet.
There is no jellyfish sting that penetrates
the turtle's shell and leathery skin.
That leaves the sea turtle free to savor their
favored jellyfish cut of dangling arms brisket.
P U R P L E S E A U R C H I N
It looks like a broach displayed in a Tiffany's window.
The purple spikes are all tube feet, providing not just
locomotion but also responsible for the animal's
ability to breath. The nerves at the end of each spike
provide basic evidence as to the nature of the
animal's immediate surroundings. They aren't picky.
A hard surface to cling to and plenty of kelp to eat
is all they require.
Urchins are a hearty breed of invertebrate.
They can live to over one hundred years.
If starved for food they enter a zombie-like state,
enabling them to survive years without eating.
You find them in tidal pools all along the western
coast of North America, from near the Arctic Circle
in Alaska, then continuing south, all the way to
the subtropics of Baja California.
G I A N T S E A S T A R
These starfish grow to two feet in diameter
in deep waters. In a normal tidepool their size
would make them a quick meal when seen by
the first passing gull.
The Purple Sea Urchin described above is the
principle food for the Sea Star. Without starfish,
sea urchins would quickly explode in population
and devastate the rich kelp beds they feed upon.
The unusually warm marine waters of recent years
has stimulated the spread of a bacteria lethal
to starfish. The resulting drastic drop in starfish
numbers at various locations has led to the
predicted devastation of kelp beds.
H E R M I T C R A B
It's a crab without a shell. That makes it a lobster,
Still, finding a shell is a life or death necessity.
The hermit crab is actually very social.
Even cooperative. They do something
scientists call a synchronous vacancy chain.
It starts when an empty snail-like shell rolls
in on the surf, then left lying on the beach.
It is soon discovered by the hermit crab
community and a number of curious crabs
gather round.
The crabs assess the shell's size and then
they do something remarkable. They organize
themselves by size, largest to smallest.
The largest crab that can fit into the empty
shell has found a new home, passing its
discarded shell to the crab a step smaller
in size. The process continues to the end
of the line, with each member left guaranteed
a new home.
In this instance cooperation among individuals proves
to be the behavior that best serves the community.
C A L I F O R N I A S E A L I O N
Seals and sea lions all agree that a public beach
includes them, as well as their pups. Some folks,
like those in La Jolla, California, make it happen.
Now you can see a thousand pound sea lion
up close and personal.
There are limits to the benefits of cohabiting
a beach with marine mammals.
You don't play volleyball among sunbathing seals.
Then there is the issue of privacy.
When is it appropriate to take a selfie with
celebrity wildlife?
They can be terribly rude
if you try.
* * * * *
OVER EASY
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