Pebble Beach - August 1, 2008

892;897
898;899

A group of twelve Beach Watchers and two guests were captained by Pete D. on Friday, August 1, starting at 9:25 am to perform intertidal monitoring at Pebble Beach. A handheld was employed to supplement hard copy data recording. A profile line to 160 feet and nine quadrats were set. Monitoring ended at 11:25 a.m. on a –2.7 foot tide. Invertebrate species types found in abundance included; crabs , snails, chiton, barnacles, clams, mussels, limpets, polychetes, anemones, isopods, and sea stars. Crabs found this year included shore, Hemigrapsus nudus, and hermit, Hemigrapus oregonensis , crabs. H. nudis, commonly called the purple shore crab has purple spots on its claws and its walking legs are hairless, while H. oregonensis the green shore crab, is very similar in appearance to H. nudis, except it has no spots on its claws and has tiny bristly hairs on its walking legs. The hermit crabs, Pagurus, climb through tidepools dragging their living quarters along with them. Molluscs at this beach are diverse again this year including Mopalia, Tectura persona, Mytillus trossulus, Littoriana sitkana, Littoriana scutulata, and Nucella lamellosa.

Two enjoyable finds this year included this sea star, 327.csn and the ghost shrimp, 308.csn Beneath the surface, the crustaceans Neotrypaea californiensis carves out u-shaped tunnels that may reach two feet below the surface before ascending to a second opening, allowing for water circulation. Ghost shrimp grow to about 4 inches in length and are a ghostly hue of pinkish orange. Similar to previous years, Ulva and eelgrass 214.csn were also present.

Thanks to Cathy M. for this data collection summary and Bill B. and J. Custer for their great photography.