Langley Seawall

Cerebratulus sp.

checking profile level

Dungeness crabs in mating embrace

Langley Seawall Monitoring Team photo 2008

Sand lance

Yvonne Palka's Langley Seawall team was also out on June 4th working under overcast skies with intermittent rain showers. The tide dropped below the -4 foot level exposing a vast expanse of sandy beach and lush eelgrass beds. This team had a moment of jaw dropping astonishment when a bivalve dig revealed a ribbon worm nearly 3 feet in length. The worm was identified as belonging to the genus Cerebratulus, a predator that feeds primarily on polychaete worms. As impressive as this individual was, Cerebratulus can grow more than 6 feet long! Other great finds were those of the forage fish Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), tiny Caprellid amphipods, and a pair of Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) bound together in a mating embrace.