Star Fish

Snails & Shells

I don't know what these are called. I initially took the pictures because I thought these were beautiful shells. I forget there are things that actually live in them. It took a second trip to the aquarium before I got a shot with the snail emerged from the shell. Gross, but what a pretty color.

Swell Shark

I thought these Swell Sharks were kind of cute. The texture of their skin looked to me like brushed felt. These were about a foot long but I understand they can get as big as four feet and they eat smaller fish or anything they can easily swallow. What was very interesting to me was that they were just all over each other.
And will you look at those eyes!

Sea Anemone

I wish I had paid more attention to the sea anemones when I was taking pictures. See how much I don't know. I didn't know these were actual animals. I thought they were plants. There were so many different kind that I did not take pictures of. I looked them up on Wikipedia.

They basically only have one opening that performs as both the mouth and anus. Wow, can't imagine how that would throw off the taste buds. Aren't you glad we're not built the same way. LOL!

California Skate

When you look at the first picture let me point out that this is a California Skate. I believe it's considered to be a type of Ray. There are two in the picture, both against the glass, one with it's back facing the camera and the other with it's underbelly. They were about 4-6 inches long not including the tail.

When I first saw this thing in the bottom corner of the tank and looked at it's underbelly (the one closest to the camera), the first thing I thought was Casper the ghost but almost as soon as I thought that it was replaced with the thought, "Oh my goodness, that looks just like a face!"



The more I looked at through the lens as I snapped the eerier (is that a word) it seemed and still it just fascinated me. I don't know if those are actually eyes and a mouth but that's what they look like to me!




My only regret about these pics are the scratches on the glass of the tank. I was going to edit them out but didn't want to mess up any of the real detail of this Skate.

Star Fish

I never knew there were so many different kinds of star fish or that they could get as big as...well, some of these could easily cover my laptop and that's not including the arm thingees. (Click on any picture for larger view.)


This shot is of one of the bigger star fish and I believe (but don't quote me on this) that the dark stuff is sea weed that it was eating which was a shock to me. It never occurred to me that they ate but I no longer see them as these little things that just sit there.


This is another shot through the water of the petting tank though it was more like a shallow pool made of stone (like you might find in someone's garden) only it stretched about 20-30 feet and was full of star fish and anemones.


This is one of the bigger star fish that I said could cover my laptop. It's fuzzy and at first glance it looks as if it was covered with tiny pearls.

Clown Nudibranch

This is another sea slug but that's about all I can tell you about it. I introduced you to the Spanish Shawls (in a previous post) that are also in a couple of the pics with it.

Just A Little Crabby

I think this is the prettiest little crab I've ever seen.




This little crab's body is about as big as my thumbnail and it's a digger. It was in a tank where you could see the tunnels it dug in the sand against the glass, like an ant farm.



And this poor little thing, I realized while shooting it that it was missing a lot of its legs. The glass of the tank was sweaty and I was taking pictures with the lens in the clear spots of the glass but I like the hazy look around the edges.

Football Fish

One more post today. This is a Football Fish or Anglerfish. Okay, this is just gross looking. It lives in water over a thousand feet deep where there is no light, it's usually black and that weird appendage on top of it's head glows on the tip to act as a lure to attract other fish. Their stomachs can expand to several times its normal size so it can eat fish larger than itself. This was the weirdest thing I've seen in a long time. By the way, this was not alive. It was caught in 1989 by a fisherman not far from San Clemente Island.

Octopussy

emember that James Bond movie? I had a rough time trying to get a good shot of the octopus through the glass. It was in the same position the entire time I was at the aquarium. I thought I had some good shots. They looked great through the LCD screen but not so great when I got home. :-( I love my camera but I don't like not having control of the focus. If you look closely in the first one you can see it's white eye that is closed. I was on the side of the tank trying to get that one. I'm disappointed with a lot of my pics which means I've got to go back and do this again (not that I mind - smile).

Spanish Shawl

Believe it or not, I actually have some information on this colorful little thing. This sea slug is found on the west coast of North America from as far north as Canada and as far south as Baja California, Mexico. They're hermaphrodites (having both male and female organs) but rarely self-fertilize. Kind of makes you wonder what the point is of having both organs, doesn't it? I wish all of the pics were as clear as the first, but they're not so my apologies but I wanted to show them anyway.