Eyes Under Puget Sound

Eyes Under Puget Sound is the Marine Sediment Monitoring Team’s monthly blog pertaining to Puget Sound sediments, with topics ranging from sediment conditions and benthic critters, to field work and special projects.
Eyes Under Puget Sound is the Marine Sediment Monitoring Team’s monthly blog pertaining to Puget Sound sediments, with topics ranging from sediment conditions and benthic critters, to field work and special projects.

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We’re bubbling over with joy for the bubble snails

Did you know that March contains not one but TWO bubble-themed holidays? Not to be left out of the fun, this month’s Critter is the bubbliest of them all: the bubble snails.

The seed shrimp are more than meets the eye
This month we bring you an entire group of nifty little critters collectively known as the ostracods, or seed shrimp.
The British Columbian Doto: Just another Northwest slug?
The Doto is a species of sea slug, also known as a nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod in the family Dotidae.
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.
Babies of the Benthos – Crab edition
Many invertebrates allow their young to fend for themselves in the water column, and our beloved Puget Sound crabs are no exception...but they are anything but claws-off when it comes to parenting.
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.
Beware of cute little monsters: The jelly-dwelling anemone has a spooky secret
Step aside, Alien. Puget Sound has its very own version of this famous parasitic predator, but without the terrifying claws or fangs.
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.
May the ‘stache be with you – celebrate Movember with the shovelhead worm
This month, let’s pay homage to the most fan-stache-tic of facial adornments (and be mindful of Movember’s mission) with Puget Sound’s mustachioed mud-dweller: the shovelhead worm.
Flora or fauna? The tube-dwelling anemone lights up the Sound with its "blooms"
Meet the tube-dwelling anemone, a delicate blossom at the bottom of Puget Sound.