After barnacles, shore crabs, and sea stars our most noticeable and interesting species of Northwest wildlife are the anemones, pronounced ah-nemm-oh-nee. (Not to insult anyone’s intelligence, please. I’ve just heard a lot of people struggle with the word.) Anemones belong to the phylum of animals called Cnidarians, a group that includes hydras, jellyfish, and corals. Animals in this phylum possess radial symmetry. Cut one in half and you end up with two mirror images. Cnidarians also have a gut cavity which is used for digestion and circulation. Unlike their wandering and often dangerous cousins, the jellyfish, anemones are a static group preferring to spend their life clinging to a substrate of some sort, rarely if ever moving and are not dangerous to humans. They possess stinging cells called nematocysts but also have an additional adaptation called spirocysts, sort of a long adhesive thread that snarls around prey.
The aggregating anemone gets its name from the groupings of them often seen which sometimes appear as a carpet on the ocean floor. These congregations are due to the asexual reproduction of the animal. They exhibit a distinct color difference when seen closer to shore in tide pools. Next up is a club-tipped anemone which is actually more of a coral than an anemone. Those silvery white tips contain the largest stinging cells of any anemone. One of our most beautiful species is the giant green anemone found in great profusion in the intertidal zone and deeper. Our largest, and just about the largest anemone in the world, is the frilled anemone. Also called a plumose anemone, their stalks often reach well over a foot in length. You’ll see them in brown or white color variations hanging off boat docks and pilings.
Sponges have been in the news lately thanks to the discovery of “Volkswagen” sized specimen discovered off the coast of Hawaii recently. Yep, that’s a lot of sponge alright but probably not all that uncommon. We have a fair number of species gracing our Northwest waters. With many thousands of sponge species living worldwide it is hardly surprising to find great so many in our own waters. Don’t try finding them in freshwater, however. Only a very small number have manged to master that environment. What is surprising is just how widespread and successful this very “simple” organism has become. They hardly move at all, have no mouth, and rely on flagella to transport food through tiny holes in their body. Yet there is one species of sponge that is actually carnivorous. Sponges are the oldest known fossils animals according to many resources.
One of the greatest places to find sponge fossils is – believe or not – Saudi Arabia, where I photographed these specimens. On the far left is a close up of the exterior of the animal clearly showing the tine holes through which food waters and waste is transported. Note, however, the more rectangular shape seen on the inside of the fossil.
Three classes of Sponges represent the Phylum Porifera in the Northwest. Below is a list of the more common:
Class Calcera – the Calcerous Sponges
Vase Sponge Scypha compacta
Stalked Sponge Leucilla nuttingi
Bristly Vase Sponge Leucandra heathi
Tube Ball Sponge Leucopoenia eleanor
Tube Sponge Leucopoenia nautilia
Class Hexactinellida – the Glass Sponges
Goblet Sponge Conelasma calyx
Cloud Sponge Aphrocallistes vastus
Chimney Sponge (2 species) Rhabdoclyptus dawsoni and Straurocalyptus dowlingi
Class Demospongiae – Most common North American Sponges
Yellow Boring Sponge Cliona celata
Rough Scallop Sponge Myxilla incrustans
Smooth Scallop Sponge Mycale adhaerens
Hermit Crab Sponge Suberities fiscus
Purple Encrusting Sponge Halicolona permollis
Bread Crumb Sponge Halichondria spp
Velvety Red Sponge Ophlitaspongia pennata
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Yellow Encrusting Sponge Myxilla lacusnosa
Red Volcano Sponge Acarnus erithacus
Orange Ball Sponge Tethya californiana
Tennis Ball Sponge Craneilla villosa
Spiny Tennis Ball Sponge Craniella spinosa
Glove Sponge Neoesperiopsis digitata
Orange Finger Sponge Neoesperiopsis rigida
Trumpet Sponge Stylissa stipitata
Aggregated Vase Sponge Polymastica pacifica
Salt and Pepper Sponge Penares cortius
Peach Ball Sponge Suberites montiniger
Iophon sponge Iophon chelifer
White Sponge Adioca sp.
Chocolate Puffball Sponge Latrunuclia sp.
For pictures of all of the above species I suggest “Whelks to Whales, Coastal Marine Life of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska” by Rick M. Harbo, Harbour Publishing, 1999, the reference I used to compile this list. For online reference I recommend:
Spongesare a classic example of how the most simple of living organisms are surprisingly complex. These most primitive of multicellular animals have neither true tissues or organs. They are the “missing link” between single celled and multi celled organisms. They are so simple in structure, in fact, that ancient scientists like Aristotle and Pliny considered them plants. It was not until 1765 that sponges were finally deemed to belong to the animal kingdom.
Of the 5,000 to 10,000 species of sponges on earth all inhabit water. Of these thousands, however, all but a relative handful are marine dwellers. There are currently only about 150 species of freshwater sponges. Sponges are found in all the oceans of the world from boat docks to depths of 28,000 feet. They can be anywhere from the size of a marble to the size of a cow. Many display radial symmetry, but a large number have irregular shapes, tall column shapes, and a myriad of other forms. Some are flat and some spread like lichens. They encompass all the colors of the rainbow.
So what then exactly is a sponge? The sponges are perhaps best described as a group of single cells that all manage to work together. To understand a sponge by examining a single one of its cells, even though most are practically identical, would do you no more good than studying the single cell of any other multicellular creature. The organism must be studied as a whole. Yet experiments have shown that if a sponge is strained through a silk mesh the separated individual cells will regenerate and form themselves into several new sponges. That even beats the legendary powers of sea stars for regeneration.
These drawings from my old college textbook, “Invertebrate Zoology,” by Dr. Robert D. Barnes offer a great representation of the inner workings of the different types of sponges. The diagram on the left shows the common feature of all sponges – filter feeding by use of self generated water currents. (Hence the name Porifera, “Hole Bearers.”) Water flows through two layers of cells that are separated by a jelly like substance. Larger sponges form more complex canals. The water, together with tiny food particles flows into the atrium, and then out of the top of the sponge called the osculum. The diagram on the right is a magnified view of the inner, flagellated cells of a sponge. These flagella beat incessantly pulling water into the sponge and pushing it out of the organism.
There are many species of wildlife, generally the smaller varieties, that exist all around in great numbers but we just never get to see them due to their life style and habitats. Here are a couple of examples:
Ant lion larvae, sometimes called “doodle bugs” for the squiggly designs they make in the sand, dig small conical holes in the sand in order to trap unsuspecting prey. A small insect or something falls into the trap and cannot get out as the loose sand cascades around it. The little tank like creature hiding under ground then snatches the unfortunate victim with its fangs and pulls it underground for dinner. Eventually they grow into the graceful winged adults see in the photo. Spittle Bugs are also referred to Frog Hoppers due to their leaping ability. You normally see the spit like foam produced by the nymph as it clings to the side of a plant happily munching away under its a protective layer. Push that “spit” away, however, and you’ll find the little insect hiding under there.
This time of year the garter snakes come out in force. Unfortunately for them our large crows know this. Not the best photos I’ve ever taken but I had to scramble to get these pics. Note how the little serpent is fighting back by biting the bird.
There is a host of small, fascinating creatures living just out of sight in the most commonplace of locations. Strolling along the side of a flowing river or stream we are most likely attracted to the general natural beauty of the scene. Flashy birds like kingfishers or herons may grab our attention; raccoons, beavers, or otters might pop up from time to time. But these are generally wildlife observations of short duration. Tone down that hiking pace and kneel down alongside the shoreline and you’ll be in for an eye opening glimpse into the lives of some pretty amazing animals – and most of them won’t run away the minute you see them either.
If you happen to be wandering in the upper elevations of our Northwest region check out the cold flowing waters and you just might see one of our more unusual frogs. Tailed frogs are so named for that little appendage you see in the photo; it is used in mating. Freshwater sculpins hide among the rocks and dash about when uncovered. These fast moving little fish do well in aquariums if you are able to keep up with their feeding requirements of small worms and such. Crayfish also make an interesting pet. By the way, we have a species here that boasts a unique orange color. There is always an assortment of jelly like egg sacks to be found. But the most prominent and interesting examples of streamside wildlife are the insect larvae. Stoneflies and mayflies prowl about like little dragons looking for anything small enough for them to eat. Caddis fly larvae, encased in their colorful stony shelters, can be found clinging to the bottom of large rocks. I understand they are often used as fishbait.
We have dozens of other wildlife visitors throughout the year but this is about an average day. With three ponds on the property we’re pretty popular with reptile and amphibian gang, and thanks to our large unfenced field, the local hoofstock population likes us, too. From time to time the elk number in the dozens. Then there are the nocturnal guests like raccoons, possums, bobcats, and who knows what else creeping about in the night. I’m afraid we have our share of unwelcome intruders like coyotes and great blue herons as well but I guess you can’t have everything.
Note the flared out segments of the sow bug on the left vs the more rounded body of the pill bug.
Some correction here from the earlier post thanks to feedback from an alert reader. Thanks, Victoria! With their similar appearances Sow Bugs and “Roly Polys” are often mistaken as the same species. Although both are crustaceans related to crabs and crayfish, there are distinct differences upon close inspection. But if you don’t happen to have a magnifying glass or macro lens handy one particular behavior will distinguish them. “Roly Polys” or Pill Bugs, Armadillium vulgare, roll up into a ball when frightened. Sow bugs, Oniscus aselus, do not display this behavior. Sow bugs also have a more armored carapace that is slightly flattened out at the edges. They do have a some other similarities, though. Both breathe through modified gills, both feed on decaying plant and animal material, and both are European imports. Those modified gills, by the way, do not do well in dry conditions. And in case you ever wondered what they look like under there – now you know!
References:
“Bugs of Washington” by John Acorn
“Invertebrate Zoology” Rupert and Barnes, 6th edition
We took a stroll along one of our Pacific beaches over the weekend. Kitsap Memorial State is a beautiful park is just north of Bremerton, WA. It’s rocky shoreline is loaded with oysters and an enormous variety of seashore wildlife. Here’s a sample:
