Question for you SoCal'ers...

[Norda]

Were we diving the channel islands last week and I have two questions.

First, we dove the west side of Anacapa and there were what appeared to be small yellow starfish literally covering the entire bottom. Some appeared to be alive while others were dead. What were these?

Second, at Anacapa and Santa Cruz we found two rather large crabs walking across the bottom. They had a "humped" shell and very long legs. I would guess they were probably 2' + across if the legs were extended. What type of crabs were these?

Thanks, Bill

 

[Norda]

Opps, sorry, meant the East side of Anacapa!

 

[kelpmermaid]

Regarding the sea stars, how thick were the legs? Were they really thin and fuzzy? Did you record the names of the sites you visited?

The crabs sound like sheepcrabs. They are kind of big fellows with bumpy shells.

Is this it?

http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/pgallery/pgchannel/living/living_16.html

 

[Arnaud]

Are you sure they're starfish? I'm thinking yellow zoanthid anemones.

 

[neil]

Norda,
There are sites at Anacapa where the brittle stars are EVERYWHERE. I think those are Ophiothrix spiculata. The book I checked for ID says aggregates of more than a million animals occur.
Neil

 

[Norda]

Ok, dug out my dive log. I have the site down as near the Goldfish Bowl. The sea stars were thin and fuzzy, and as Neil pointed out it seemed like there were millions of them.

Thanks kelpmermaid, your right on with the sheepcrabs.

Bill.

 

[Norda]

Sorry Arnaud, missed your post before my last reply. They were yellow in color, but did not appear to be attached anywhere as I assume anemones would be? Many of them were clearly moving across the bottom.

 

[kelpmermaid]

brittle stars aggregate that way, in piles. I hadn't heard they were at Goldfish Bowl, though. I have seen huge piles of them elsewhere, though, but the color can vary. I think that site was one of my original certification dives. I think there is a link off that same site...

http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/pgallery/pgchannel/living/living_13.html

 

[Arnaud]

Norda once bubbled...
Sorry Arnaud, missed your post before my last reply. They were yellow in color, but did not appear to be attached anywhere as I assume anemones would be? Many of them were clearly moving across the bottom.

Well, then, I just have to take my suggestion back

 

[drbill]

I've dived Goldfish Bowl before. Don't have any record of large aggregations of brittlestars there, but they can be seen in that region.

Dr. Bill:doctor: