Oval urchin found between stones at the bottom of a rock pool. Port St Johns, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape (2021). Also referred to as the burrowing urchin or the rock-boring urchin. Test oval when viewed from above, purple to black. Spines fairly long and stout, tapering evenly to a sharp tip. Spine color purple, brown… Continue reading Oval urchin (Echinometra mathaei)
Tag: Eastern Cape
Slipper limpet (Crepidula porcellana)
Slipper limpet found attached on the shell of a Burnupena whelk. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2022). Shell in the shape of a tear, with concave internal shelf. Surface smooth, usually brown. About 15 mm. Lives attached on other shells, frequently forming stacks, one on top of another. Changes sex as it matures : the larger… Continue reading Slipper limpet (Crepidula porcellana)
Carpet flatworm (Thysanozoon brocchii)
Carpet flatworm cruising at the bottom of a rock pool. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2023) - iNaturalist Body pink with a frilly margin. Dorsal surface covered with pink to purple finger-like projections, which both camouflage the animal and increase the surface area available for oxygen exchange. Between 20 and 30 mm in length. Common under… Continue reading Carpet flatworm (Thysanozoon brocchii)
Red starfish (Callopatiria granifera)
Large red starfish found under a low-hanging rock at low tide. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2023) - iNaturalist Previously known as Patiria granifera. Arms clearly tapering and flattened on their lower surface, giving them a semi-circular cross section. Colour deep orange to red, with a surface texture resembling small overlapping tiles. Up to 80 mm… Continue reading Red starfish (Callopatiria granifera)
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
Common octopus hiding in a rock pool. Unknown location on the South African coastline (2021). All Octopus species have eight arms, each with two rows of suckers, and lack an external shell. The species are distinguished by the tip of the male's right third arm (the hectocotylus arm), which is suckerless and transmits sperm to… Continue reading Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
Knobbly dogwhelk (Mancinella capensis)
Details of the rows of tubercles on the knobbly dogwhelk. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2024) - iNaturalist Formerly named Thais capensis or Thylothais capensis. Spire almost as long as the aperture. Grey, with 3 - 4 spiral rows of obvious, paler tubercles. About 40 mm. Hides under rocks in low-shore pools or shallow waters. Eats… Continue reading Knobbly dogwhelk (Mancinella capensis)
Yellow-banded hermit crab (Clibanarius virescens)
Specimen of yellow-banded hermit crab peaking out of a scaly dogwhelk (Nucella squamosa) shell and trying to flip himself. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2024). Body olive-green. Nippers about equal in size, spotted with yellow. Fingers yellow with black tips. Walking legs banded with yellow. Between 10 and 20 mm. Abundant hermit crab in mid-to-high shore… Continue reading Yellow-banded hermit crab (Clibanarius virescens)
White-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus)
Gang of white-breasted cormorant on the rocky shore. Kidds Beach, Eastern Cape (2018). Adult has a white throat and breast, washed pink in marine populations, with white thigh patches in breeding plumage, yellow skin at the base of the bill, and turquoise eyes. Juvenile has white underparts and browner upperparts. About 90 cm. The largest… Continue reading White-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus)
Sand shrimp (Palaemon pacificus)
Sand shrimp caught in a rock pool. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2022). Transparent, with vertical bars across the body. Opaque when preserved. Front legs with slender nippers and yellow spots at the joints. Rostrum well developed, toothed and almost saw-like. Between 25 mm. Lives in intertidal pools and shallow areas with a sandy bottom. Scavenges… Continue reading Sand shrimp (Palaemon pacificus)
Pygmy seahare (Aplysia parvula)
Pygmy seahare cruising on an algal mat. Old Woman's River, Eastern Cape (2021) - iNaturalist A typical smooth-skinned sea hare with prominent tentacles and ear-like rhinophores. Plain brown or with tiny white dots. About 60 mm in length. Common in shallow bays and estuaries. Hides by day and emerges at night to graze on seaweeds.… Continue reading Pygmy seahare (Aplysia parvula)
F*CK FISH 