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Animales (Reino Animalia)Observ.
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Some type of egg laid overnight on a plastic float in Lake Champlain. In a few inches of water off of a dock. Thoughts on what it could be?
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Eastern Oyster Drill
Location Found: In the mid-intertidal at Grimes Cove, East Boothbay, ME.
Habitat: Found on rocks in the intertidal up to 50 feet. Ranges from Nova Scotia to the northern parts of Florida.
Physical Description: It is coarse and oval shaped with a spire that is elevated. The spire is typically half the length of the shell. Usually this species has 5-6 whorls with 12 ribs or waves. It ranges in color from tan to dark brown and maxes out at around 1 inch in size.
Fun Fact: Although the oyster drill is rather small at only 1 inch, it is known to be one of the biggest threats to oyster beds as it drills a hole in the oyster shell and consumes the oyster after doing so. However, this species cannot tolerate lower salinity water, so oyster beds are often placed at the mouths of rivers where they thrive.
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Sinistral Spiral Tube Worm
Location Found: Attached to algae at Grimes Cove, East Boothbay, ME.
Habitat: Found intertidally, usually on seaweeds. Will also attach to any hard substrate. Ranges from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Cod.
Physical Description: It is a small, snail-like tube that attaches itself primarily to seaweeds. As it grows, it coils counterclockwise. The head has a modified tentacle that serves as an operculum. Maximum width is 1/8th of an inch.
Fun Fact: This species differs from the Dextral Spiral Tube Worm only in the way that they coil as they grow, with the Dextral coiling clockwise and the Sinistral coiling counterclockwise!
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
Observ.
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Common Name: Fifteen-scaled Worm
Location Found: Under a rock, intertidally, at Grimes Cove in East Boothbay, ME.
Habitat: Found under and around rocks from the intertidal to as deep as 11,000 feet. Ranges from the Arctic to New Jersey.
Physical Description: This worm is fairly flat and wide and has 37 segments. It is covered with fifteen pairs of thin scales. The underside has four eyes that are not visible from the top. Color varies from red to green to dark gray. Size is usually just over 2 inches long and 3/4 inches wide.
Fun Fact: Although commonly thought of as a marine species, the fifteen-scaled worm can live quite well in brackish water!
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
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Lapa de Carey (Testudinalia testudinalis)Observ.
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Common Name: Tortoiseshell Limpet
Location Found: Grimes Cove, East Boothbay, ME. Found intertidally attached to a rock.
Habitat: Enjoys suctioning itself along rocky shorelines and the subtidal, anywhere from the Arctic to Long Island.
Physical Description: The shell is small, oval and flat. It has a very central apex and the outside of the shell typically has a distinct striped pattern with lines radiating the center of the apex. The color is usually dark with more yellowish stripes. The maximum size is 1 inch.
Fun Fact: This is the only "true" limpet (besides the slipper snail) that is found along the New England coast!
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
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Bocina (Buccinum undatum)Observ.
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Common Names: Common Whelk, Waved Whelk
Location Found: Grimes Cove, East Boothbay, ME. Found as a shell in the upper intertidal, no live organism.
Habitat: The organism is found subtidally up to 600 feet. It ranges from the Arctic to New Jersey.
Physical Description: This whelk has a large, sharp apex with 9 - 18 waves (hence the waved whelk common name). The shell is very thick and often has a dirty or gray appearance to it. The aperture is typically a vibrant white color. The maximum size for this species is usually just shy of 3 inches.
Fun Fact: This whelk is a scavenger animal and it enjoys being a pest for lobstermen by feeding on lobster bait whenever it can!
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Kelp Lace, Sea Lace
Location Found: Grimes Cove, East Boothbay, ME. Intertidally attached to a rock.
Habitat: This bryozoan is found growing on virtually every substrate from hard surfaces to algae. It does not grow in deep water though. Typically ranges from Massachusetts to Long Island.
Physical Description: The colonies are usually irregular shapes. The zooids are rectangular with a membranous wall. The colonies can spread several inches over a variety of substrates. Usually a whitish color. Usually not more than 1mm thick, but can spread upwards of 3 inches.
Fun Fact: Although the colonies don't usually get very large, this species can encrust both sides of an entire kelp blade if conditions are right!
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Acorn Barnacle, Northern Rock Barnacle
Location Found: Cunner's Ledge, Nahant, MA. Intertidally @ low tide.
Habitat: Found on rocks or hard substrates intertidally and subtidally up to 500 feet.
Physical Description: The species is large and conical with a rough surface and ribbed plates. The sides have two pairs of plates that overlap one of the two unpaired plates. Maximum size in reference to height and width is 2 inches.
Fun Fact: The name of the acorn barnacle is quite literal in that the scientific name in latin means "acorn"!
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
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Género LittorinaObserv.
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Common name: Rough Periwinkle
Location Found: Cunner's Ledge, Nahant, MA. Intertidal zone.
Habitat: Usually found higher up in the intertidal than other periwinkle species. Prefers the underside of rocks where it is dark and shaded. Ranges from the Arctic to New Jersey.
Physical Description: The rough periwinkle is rather small and has a distinctive tall spire that has a clear groove separating whorls. The apex is very pointed and color of the shell ranges from yellow to gray. Size is at most 1/2 inch.
Fun Fact: Females of the rough periwinkle give birth to live, shelled young which is unlike any other snail species in this area.
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic.
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Bígaro Común (Littorina littorea)Observ.
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Common name: Common Periwinkle
Location Found: Cunner's Ledge, Nahant, MA. Rocky intertidal.
Habitat: Found primarily on algae and algal films that cover rocks. Ranges from Labrador to the south side of the Chesapeake Bay.
Physical Description: The apex is usually blunt and it has a whitish operculum opening. The color varies from dark gray to brown and it is at most 1" in diameter.
Fun Fact: The common periwinkle was once an invasive species from Europe, but it has been on these shores for so long that it has become an almost vital part of our ecosystem and is no longer considered invasive.
Reference: Martinez, Marine Life of the North Atlantic
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Cangrejo de Rocas del Atlantico (Cancer irroratus)Observ.
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Common name: Atlantic Rock Crab, Rock Crab
Location Found: Pump House Beach, Nahant, MA, ~20ft of water.
Habitat: Typically found on rocky shores and intertidally up to 2,600 feet. Found from the Arctic to South Carolina.
Physical Description: The carapace of the rock crab is convex and has many granulations. The front of the carapace has 9 pointed "teeth". The color is mainly yellowish with many orange-red dots along it's top. Maximum size is usually 5 inches across the carapace.
Fun Fact: The Rock Crab is viewed by many lobstermen as a pest since it is known to be able to enter lobster traps and steal the bait, while being able to get out, untrapped!
Observ.
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Common Name: Long-claw Hermit Crab, Longwrist Hermit Crab
Location Found: Found while diving Pump House Beach off of Nahant, MA. Found scurrying across the rock bottom in roughly 20 feet of water.
Habitat: Typically the long-claw hermit crab is found on sandy bottoms and ranges anywhere from Massachusetts to Florida.
Physical Description: This hermit crab has a right claw that is much larger than the left claw. The claws vary in coloration but usually have a green or tan stripe on them. The shell that the hermit crabs use varies as they grow, but most often they are found living in periwinkle or oyster drill shells.
Fun Fact: If the hermit crab does not have a shell or find a shell, it will abstain from eating and eventually die if it can't find a shell in time.
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
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Bogavante Americano (Homarus americanus)Observ.
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Common Name: America Lobster
Location Found: Northeastern Marine Science Center touch tank.
Habitat: The american lobster is most commonly found on rock or sandy seafloor that can go as deep as 2,000 feet. This species enjoys hiding in crevices/cracks during the daytime and comes out at night to feed.
Physical Description: The american lobster has a head and an abdomen section. The head has two claws or pincers as well as two pairs of antennae and the abdomen, or tail, has six segments that are used for swimming primarily with some being modified for reproductive purposes. The lobster ranges in color from its typical orange/rust to blue or even white in some albinism cases. They can grow to be 4 feet long and weigh up to 45 pounds.
Fun fact: Lobsters were once considered food for the poor, but now they are considered a delicacy around the entire world. In fact, the american lobster is known for its meat and is often elevated over the warmer-water spiny lobster.
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
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Mejillón Azul del Atlántico Norte (Mytilus edulis)Observ.
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Common Name: Blue Mussel
Location Found: Found in the intertidal zone off of Cunner's Ledge on Nahant, MA. It was found attached to hard substrate amongst many other individuals of this species.
Habitat: The blue mussel is found all the way from the Arctic to South Carolina and is usually attached to hard substrate, rocky shores or pier structures. They have been found up to 300+ feet.
Physical Description: It has an elongated shell that is narrow on one end. It has a hard shell and is usually attached to substrate by extremely strong byssal threads that are an insoluble protein. Often grows in groups and ranges in color from dark blue to black.
Fun Fact: The blue mussel is one of the most popular, commercially fished mussels in the world and is incredibly popular in the New England area.
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Flat Periwinkle, Yellow Periwinkle, Smooth Periwinkle
Location Found: Found in the intertidal zone off of Pump House Beach during low tide off of the East Point of Nahant, MA. Found attached to a piece of Fucus.
Habitat Type: Found commonly on rockweeds such as Fucus or Ascophyllum nodosum. The snail is herbivorous. The snail is found north of New Jersey all the way to the Arctic.
Physical Description: The shell consists of four whorls and is usually yellow in color although coloration can range from dark brown to green as well. Size maxes out at around 0.5 inches.
Fun Fact: This snail species has a preference for laying its egg sacks on specifically brown algae!
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Common Slipper Snail/Limpet
Location Found: Found in tide pools in the intertidal of Pump House Beach off the East Point of Nahant, MA. It was attached to hard substrate in the tide pool when found, alive.
Habitat: Found anywhere from the intertidal to around 40 feet of water. They attach to hard substrates and have often been found to be attached to carapaces of crustaceans. Found anywhere from Canada to Texas.
Physical Description: The shape of the shell varies from individual to individual as it is based on the substrate they attach to. The shell has a coiled apex and is relatively flat. Color vaires and can often be found with algae growing on it. Size maxes out around 1.5 inches in length.
Fun fact: This species starts out its life as a male and then at some point may transition to become a female if the environment requires it.
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
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Common Name: Green Sea Urchin
Location Found: Found in a tide pool in the intertidal of Pump House Beach off of East Point, Nahant, MA. Was alive and healthy when found.
Habitat: Found in a wide variety of environments from rocky bottoms to kelp beds to intertidal zone and up to nearly 4000ft. Ranging from the Arctic to New Jersey.
Physical Description: The test of the Green Sea Urchin is oval shaped as it is made up of small plates that create a test that is wider than it is tall. The spines are relatively short compared to other urchin species and its overall body size is relatively small compared to other urchins, maxing out at about 1 inch by 3 inches.
Fun Fact: The Green Sea Urchin has become increasingly commercially important as their roe is a delicacy in parts of Asia.
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Nucella lapillusObserv.
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Common name: Dog whelk (Atlantic Dogwinkle)
Location found: found off of Pump House Beach on the East Point of Nahant. Found in the intertidal zone during low tide.
Habitat Type: Found attached to rocks in the intertidal, ranging from Labrador to Rhode Island.
Physical Description: The shell is a hard shell with 5 distinct whirls with a spire and a blunt apex. The maximum length is usually around 1.5 inches.
Fun Fact: The color of the dog whelk's shell is determined by what it's food source is so individuals can have drastically different colorations.
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
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Asterias forbesiObserv.
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Common Name: Forbes' Sea Star
Location Found: Found while diving Pump House Beach off the East Point of Nahant, MA. Found in roughly 20ft of water. Found on the bottom, not obviously attached to any substrate.
Habitat Types: It is found in the environments ranging from the intertidal to 150' of water from Massachusetts to Texas, but sightings have been confirmed as far north as Maine.
Physical Description: Usually containing 5 arms, the Forbes' Sea Star is about 10" across at most with a rough dorsal surface with spines of varying sizes and small pedicellariae. Color ranges from brown, orange, red, purple or green with the madreporite being a vibrant orange.
Fun Fact: The Forbes' Sea Star can produce as many as 2.5 million eggs at once during a breeding event!!
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"
Observ.
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Common Name: Northern Cerianthid
Location Found: Found while diving Pump House Beach off the East Point of Nahant, MA. Found in approximately 23ft of water. Not attached to hard substrate, but buried in the sand/substrate.
Habitat Types: Found in sandy/muddy bottoms from 20' to 1000'+ from the Arctic to Cape Cod.
Physical Description: This species has two whorls of tentacles that are placed near the mouth and to the outside of the mouth. The inside whorl is shorter than the outside whorl. Colors can change on the tentacles and the central column of the species. They can grow to a foot and a half tall and up to 1.5 inches wide, with tentacles extending much further.
Fun Fact: These anemones don't have a pedal disk as they don't attach to hard substrate, but rather bury themselves in sand/silt!
Reference: Martinez, "Marine Life of the North Atlantic"