I noted that there were a few dozen (no actual count) Purple Stars on the condo pilings south of Constellation Marine Reserve. There were three that had very low level of SSWD (Sea Star Wasting Disease). Most of the stars were full adult size with a few smaller ones.
One strange thing: Shells of a dead clam were firmly wedged in the clay hole of a Piddock Clam. It took sometime to wiggle the shells out of the hole....it turned out to be shells of a Butter Clam.
I can only surmise that the Butter Clam ended up in the hole as a juvenile and grew up inside the hole....and died there. Never seen anything like that before.
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| Sue from Chicago introduced to Moon Snail |
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| Thickclaw Porcelain Crab Pachycheles rudis |
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| Thickclaw Porcelain Crab with eggs |
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| Piddock Clams in clay |
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| Monterey Dorid - Sea Lemon |
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| Mottled Anemones - Purple Star - Keyhole Limpet |
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| Purple Star on condo piling |
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| Purple Stars (one with low level SSWD - lower right) |
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| Mystery clam shell in Piddock hole |
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| Not a Piddock but a Butter Clam shell |
