Marine Life Gallery

Meet Your Neighbors!

Did you ever realize that so many wonderful and diverse sea creatures live right here in our own backyard? Enjoy this gallery of photos of our local marine wildlife - courtesy of Mike Francis, Master Photographer. Mike's photos bring these amazing creatures to life! Individual pictures can be purchased by contacting Mike at ladygodiva@charter.net .

Click on each photo to view full size

Great White Shark

Mike saw this live! Doesn't he look scary?!

Abalone

Good Eating!

Anchovies

Known in Indonesia as "ikan teri"!

Barnacle

Barnacles can live on rocks, boats, and even other animals!

Bat stars

Bat stars play an important role in the ecosystem, helping clean dead animals and algae from the seafloor!

Blackeyed goby

All Blackeyed Gobies start out as females and turn to males!

Bluebanded goby

The Gobbidae Family is the largest group of marine fish with 267 genera and 2100 species!

Blue shark

Blue sharks are the most heavily fished sharks in the world.

brittle star

brittle stars have the ability to regenerate lost arms!

california sea cucumber

Sea cucumbers will actually throw up their whole digestive tract to defend themselves from predators!

california kelp

kelp can grow up to two feet every day!

chestnut cowry

The smooth shiny shells of these animals were once used as currency in Africa!

cobalt sponge

Sponges eat, breath, and get rid of waste by the water that flows through their pores.

colonial orange cup coral

Many corals get their nutrients from photosynthetic algae that live within them and turn sunlight into food!

colonial tunicate

Tunicates contain compounds that are used to treat cancer!

cone snail

Cone snails use poison to kill their prey.

crinoid carnival

Crinoids are also called sea lilies and they belong to the same group as sea stars. (Phylum Echinodermata)

decorator crab

Decorator crabs get their name because they camoflague themselves by decorating their shells with algae or any material they come across.

dorid eggs

These eggs will hatch and grow up to become dorid nudibranchs, or "sea lemons".

elephant seal face

Elephant seals can hold their breath for up to 2 hours and dive up to 5,000 ft deep!

smiling elephant seal male

Male elephant seals have a large trunk-like nose that gives the species its name.

elephant seals mating

The males’ large noses are used to create extraordinarily loud roaring sounds.

encrusting hydrocoral

These hydrocorals are often mistaken for plants but are actually animals that belong to the same group as jelly fish.

gopher rock fish

Gopher rockfish live in holes during the day and then come out onto the seafloor to feed at night.

grouper eyeball

Grouper fish can use their mouths to dig shelters in the sand.

harbor seal

Harbor seals have no visible ears, a great way to tell them apart from sea lions!

henricia sea star

Sea stars have rows of tiny, sticky tube feet on the bottom of their arms that help them move around and grab their food.

horn shark

The horn shark is only found off the coast of California.

kellets whelk

Whelk eggs often wash ashore and are sometimes called mermaid’s necklaces because they look like a long string of medallions.

kelp

kelp grow in extensive underwater forests

kelp fronds

kelp belong to the brown algae family

kelp tangle

Kelp provides food for lots of marine animals!

leafy hornmouth

Sea snails actually lead lives of their own before becoming collectable shells!

lemon dorid

Nudibranchs can eat stinging animals without being harmed and can then use the stingers on their own skin!

ling cod

Lingcod in Alaska can weigh as much as 70lbs!

moon jelly fish

Moon jellies are a beautiful (and non-stinging) local species.

norris top snail

Norris top snails usually live on kelp.

triopha catalinae nudibranch

nudibranchs are some of the sea's most colorful creatures.

octopus

Octopus spend more time crawling around and hiding on the sea floor than swimming through the water.

orange feather dusters

Feather dusters are actually worms that live in tubes and stick their feathery heads out into the water.

phiidiana hiltoni nudibranch

Nudibranchs usually lay their eggs on kelp.

phildiana crassicornis nudibranch

Nudibranchs have horn-like tentacles (rhinopores) that help them sense chemicals in the water.

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