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What's bugging Puget Sound benthos?
Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team tracks the health of the sediments and invertebrates at the bottom of Puget Sound. They've been on the decline for decades – what could be contributing?
Dark got you down? Shine a little light with the lamp shells
It's that special time of year when we feel like we dwell in darkness 24 hours a day. Let’s shed a little light on the gloom with this month’s critter group: the lamp shells.
It’s slime time! The slime tube worm lives in a house of horrors
Sliiiime. Just saying the word conjures up images of monsters from scary movies like The Blob, The Thing, and Ghostbusters. But to the slime tube worm, all this ooze looks like Home Sweet Home.
These worms are boring! ... into oyster shells, that is
Shell-boring worms make their homes in mollusc shells. These parasites are sometimes called mud blister worms, because the burrows that they create inside the shells fill with mud and detritus.
Another day, another (Pacific sand) dollar
If you escaped to the Washington’s coastline this summer to beat the heat, you probably walked by the remains of this month’s critter: the Pacific sand dollar.
The gaper clams live in the shadows of giants
Nothing says “summer” like digging for clams in Puget Sound, but finding a gaper clam often brings disappointment. Geoduck hunters, don’t despair — the humble gaper is a treasure in its own right.
Bend, but don’t break: The bamboo worms flex and flourish
Since June encompasses three outdoorsy occasions, let’s get our hands dirty and talk about an incredible group of animals that resemble a truly incredible plant: the bamboo worms.
Resilience and the purple sea urchin
Purple urchins aren't just faceless purple pincushions — they may have a thing or two to teach us about resilience in the face of challenges.
Marine sediment story maps:
Our Marine Sediment Monitoring Team just released five new interactive story maps detailing their work to monitor the health of Puget Sound sediments.
Babies of the Benthos – Worm Edition
In this Critter edition, let’s dive into the “birds and the bees” of benthic worms, and the resulting faces that only a mother (or an invertebrate taxonomist) could love.