Nice Finds Last Sunday

Interesting sightings on Sunday, seen from the docks at the end of Extension Street, Newport, RI, at low tide in 1-2 feet of water.

                                           Mating horseshoe crabs. Notice the barnacles.

                                                           First spider crab of the year

Look carefully in these two last photos and you’ll see a portion of a polychaete blood worm, Glycera dibranchiate, a marine annelid.  This specimen was relatively large; all of 15-inches.  At first, when I saw it swimming, I thought it was sea-snake.  Silly me, Atlantic Ocean and all.  By the time I got into the water to try and root it out, it had disappeared, presumably burrowed deep into the sand. Wouldn’t want to get bit by one of these.

Expired Mystery Fish

Low Tide, March 29

Newport, Rhode Island, USA inner harbor docks.

Any guesses to species?

Answer below.

Answer: Oyster toadfish

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my second blog, “2013 Marine Biology”

The first one, “2012 Big Fish Year” was relatively successful with currently over 2,100-pageviews.  I welcome any readers that have come over after having viewed that blog.

Not sure where this one will lead to. Certainly a focus on local marine biology.

Last year I was singularly focused on seeing as many species of fish as possible in the wild. By the end of the year, I ended up seeing 109-different types of fish. So far in 2013, I have seen three types.

I haven’t been idle however.

For about a month, I have been hoofing down the hill to Newport (Rhode Island) Harbor and peering into the water from the floating docks. It is a strange, alien world that I have been observing.

Here are some photos.   

The first two are: one-armed hydromedusae (Hybocodon prolifer)
The third is: clapper hydromedusae (Sarsia tubulosa)

The one-armed photographs were taken by my friend Dann. He has a really nice camera.