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The voucher sheet project
A voucher sheet is a document that contains descriptions and photos of a species. We create these to identify the critters we monitor and to help other scientists doing similar work.
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.
Ring in the New Year with the black-eyed hermit crab
The black-eyed hermit is never far from home, because it carries it along. Hermit crabs find protection from predators inside empty snail shells.
Get winterized with the frost-spot corambe
The frost-spot corambe is a beautiful sea slug with frosty white speckles that seem to glow as if it just swallowed a set of twinkly lights.
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.
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.
Pea crabs, the ultimate unwelcome houseguests
Pea crabs are very tiny. They can be found inside oysters, marine worms, or — especially in the Pacific Northwest —in ghost shrimp burrows.
Riddle me this: What is a glistenworm?
The glistenworm is a shell-less, footless mollusk that burrows into marine sediments by digging with the shield around its mouth.
Making a stink: the Pacific stinkworm
When disturbed, Travisia pupa, the stinkworm, as its name suggests, gives off a pungent odor similar to rotting garlic.
Shifting sands: The sand star is born to run
If you’ve ever been to an aquarium or explored a tide pool, then this Critter of the Month is no stranger to you!