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Discover common and less common species that you can find by the seaside…
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Lepidochitona cinerea
MOLLUSCA Polyplacophora🐚🛸 This is a 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗻! They are shelled mollusks like limpets but don’t you think that they look like spaceships or a robots with their very peculiar shell made of 8 plates? 🪨🕶️ They are very commonly found under rocks of the intertidal zone, and...
Dynamene bidendata
ARTHROPODA IsopodaHave you ever heard of isopods? 👀🏖️ Open your eyes, because this species, 𝘋𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢, is one of the most commonly found in the intertidal zone on the NE altantic coast! They are typically found on a wide variety of mid- to lower littoral...
Elysia viridis
MOLLUSCA Sacoglossa✨🔵🐌 This adorable sea slug is the sacoglossan Elysia viridis. This is a Gastropod mollusca, just like land snails and slugs. You can identify this common species of the intertidal zone with its beautiful blue-green iridescent spots shining in the...
Ostracoda sp.
ARTHROPODA OstracodaOstracods, with their weird clam-like morphology and too many legs, are surprising in so many aspects! 🌎🏞️ They are abundantly present in nearly all known aquatic habitats on earth, from the oceanic abyss to temporary inland water bodies or even...
Amphipholis squamata
ECHINODERMATA Ophiuroidea⭐️🌟⭐️ Did you know that Brittle Stars are relatives of starfish? Yep, they belong to the same family! That explains why they also have 5 arms… 💪🔄 🦾 As you can see, these arms are very delicate, but guess what, they can fully regenerate! That...
Semibalanus balanoides
ARTHROPODA Cirripedia🌊 🪨Barnacles are everywhere! But have you ever wondered what they really looked like? 😱🌋They are scary, aren’t they?! Up close, these seemingly innocuous creatures look like miniature volcanoes, with a scary hand reaching out! 🦀 🦞As they have a...
Palaemon elegans
ARTHROPODA Decapoda🦐 🦐Meet the rockpool prawn, also known as 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘴. This little critter can often be spotted in the rocks when the tide retreats. 🌡️🌊They can tolerate extremely variable environmental conditions, including a wide range of salinities,...
Membranipora membranacea
BRYOZOA GymnolaemataBryozoans, or “moss animals”, are a very diverse phylum of animals including more than 6000 aquatic species. They nearly all form sessile colonies (the “forest”), where each “palm tree” is an individual animal, or zooid. This one is Membranipora...
Spirobranchus triqueter
ANNELIDA Serpulidae🌀🐚 Just like the Spirorbis tube worms in my previous post, 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 is a sedentary annelid living in its own calcareous tube. As you see here, it is a shy little guy and it prefers to withdraw inside the tube when it gets scared! 👑...
Spirorbis spirorbis
ANNELIDA Serpulidae🌀🐚 You have probably seen these small white swirls on algae or under rocks before, but did you know they were worms?! 🪱 Spirorbis are small sedentary worms, living in their own calcium carbonate coiled tube shell. Just like earthworms in your...