Today I specifically set out to pay attention to things I often pass over (foolishly) in my quest for slugs. This chiton is one I learned from Ron Wolf's photos. Previously, I would have just called it a Lined Chiton and moved on, but the zigzag stripes on the "head" valve distinguish this one. Anything named after the Norse god of deception deserves recognition.
Yay for comparison! This one clearly shows the arched, unzigzagged lines on the head valve that distinguish it from Tonicella lokii.
Russula emetica (aka The Sickener) is a fun little mushroom that will make you violently ill when digested en masse, but if you nibble a bit and spit it out, it just makes your mouth burn. What fun!
(Remember: violently ill. Don't actualy eat it.)
Yet Another Blurry Rostanga. Not too much slug action out there today, just this guy, an uncooperative Acanthodoris lutea, and a Doris montereyensis that turned out even worse than this.
This is a very small sea cucumber that I occasionally encounter while tidepooling. Looks a bit like Rostanga from a distance, but when you get close you see it ain't no slug.
Went poke-poling with Phil for the first time today, and, remarkably, had success. I pulled this little monster out from beneath a boulder at Pillar Point. I would have loved to get a more glamourous shot of this impressive beast, but fishing, like most acts of carnivory, is an unglamorous business. This, at least, is pretty realistic. For scale, this was a 5 gallon bucket. The fish was about 18" long.
