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Be still, my heart (urchin)!
Unlike most sea urchins, which are round, heart urchins appear heart-shaped, elongate with a small depression at one end for the mouth.
The brittle stars embody nature's fragility...and resilience
The brittle stars truly are in a class all their own.
Think pink: bloodworms rule the beaches of South Sound
Bloodworms are a type of polychaete, or marine segmented worm, in the family Glyceridae.
Life is stressful at the bottom of Bellingham Bay
The communities of small invertebrates, also known as benthos, living in the sand and mud at the bottom of Bellingham Bay are showing signs of stress.
We're over the moon for the moon snail
With its easily recognizable shell (the largest found on Puget Sound beaches), we are certainly over the moon for this month's critter: the Moon Snail.
Sound-to-table? The sweet potato sea cucumber is a produce impersonator
With its smooth, plump body, this month’s critter bears a resemblance to items you might find in a grocery store. Meet Molpadia intermedia, the Sweet Potato Sea Cucumber.
The cactus worm is on point and looking sharp
This month’s critter may look like a cross between a worm and a cactus, but it is actually neither.
Bad to the bone: The skeleton shrimps are drop-dead cool
If you can put aside their alien appearance, skeleton shrimp are fascinating creatures.
The "unicorn" shrimp is pure magic
Nebalia pugettensis is a tiny crustacean that lives on the sea floor, with a horn-like rostrum and leg-like appendages that function as lungs.
Having a bad hair day? The hair worms can relate
The hair worms belong to a family of polychaetes called Cirratulidae, and their tangled hairs are actually branchiae, external gills that occur in pairs along their bodies.