Baby Octopus!

This afternoon we again visited the tidepools, anxious to see what has become of "our" octopus. While my friend watched our little ones on the beach, I went out, broke open a mussel and dangled it in front of the opening where she has lived. Nothing. I kept trying for several minutes. Still nothing. Then a tiny little tentacal reached out cautiously from under the rock. It was only about four or five inches long and as big around as a piece of white string. The hermit crabs were pulling on each end of the mussle piece, but I helped them let go so the tiny octopus could get it. It slowly reached another tentacle out over the edge of an empty mussle shell I had put the meat in. It grabbed it and slowly drew it back in. I think it was trying hard not to be noticed. It was so tiny, the suction cups looked like tiny little hairs. Here you can see two tentacles, one reaching over the shell and taking the piece of orange mussel. I didn't see the original adult at all, but I think this small one was too big to have just hatched. In any case, I'm glad someone else is moving in.

Then I took my turn watching the kids while my friend went to have a look. She didn't see the baby one. The piece I had given it probably was all it could eat for a while. But she did see an adult octopus in the second location we had seen back at Christmas time - only about two feet away from where I saw the baby one. Perhaps that is why the little one was trying so hard not to be seen!

Tidepool Update

The ultra-low tides will soon be gone during daytime hours until late fall and winter. So we have to try to get in as many visits as possible before they are gone. Over the weekend, we had opportunity to visit again.

We found our octopus again, although this time she was very shy and reluctant to show herself and not very hungry. Perhaps she had already been fed before we got there, or perhaps she is guarding some eggs back in her lair. We suspect the second octopus we saw last time was there to breed. If indeed that is the case, she may well have some eggs, and unfortunately it also means that her days are numbered. Octopuses only breed once in their lifetime, and once the eggs hatch (about two months later), the female dies. While guarding her eggs, they typically don't eat very much, if at all. Their lifespan is only around two years or less. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

We did find two sea hares.

We also found another sea slug (navanax inermis) like the little one we found last time.

We found a shell that a lobster molted. It was amazing to see how wonderfully designed a lobster's exoskeleton is! It's perfectly designed with tiny little hairs along the joints to keep sand and other debris out so the joints move smoothly. It's also amazing how the lobster can pull itself out of the old skin without hurting itself.

Another Visit to the Tidepools

Yesterday was another ultra-low tide in early afternoon, so we joined some other family and friends for another visit to the tidepools. Again, the weather was fabulous - sunny, fairly warm (60's) and hardly windy at all down on the beach. We were anxious to see if we could find our octopus friend again. We easily found the hideout, broke open a mussel, and dangled a small piece in the water. Nothing happened. I moved it closer to the opening and waited. Again nothing. I pushed it just inside the opening, wondering if maybe nobody was home. Then I saw about four inches of tenticle reach out and grab the piece with lightening quickness. I knew we were in luck, and now the octopus knew food was around. We just had to be patient and try to lure it out so everyone could see it. I again dangled a piece in the water and wiggled it around with a stick. It started to come out, reaching with two tentacles. We could even see the body and its eyes. I moved the mussel farther away to see if I could lure it out further. It just reached further with its tentacles. But then we got the surprise of our lives. Just to the right, another tentacle reached out from under another rock! We had found another octopus! We were so excited! The second one was in a hole only about two feet away from the first one. We got pretty good looks at both of them. In this picture the first octopus is visible at the top. You can see three tentacles curled around and one eye. Because no suction cups are visible, she is really camouflaged, but maybe you can make it out just above the sandy area. We also saw the usuals like sea stars and sea anemones. We also saw a school of dolphins out a ways swimming north along the coast.

I also saw a tiny sea slug that was very pretty. He was only about an inch long. When I got home, I looked on the computer to find what kind he was. He is a navanax inermis. (If you want to see what he looked like, you can visit this website.)

Jonathan went to sleep in the wagon.

The sunset was beautiful. God has made such amazing and interesting beauty for us to enjoy.

Tidepool Visit

This past Saturday, our family and some friends went to Crystal Cove State Park to enjoy an afternoon at the tidepools. It was a perfect day for tidepooling: warm and sunny with a light breeze and a minus 2.8 tide which means the water was 2.8 feet lower than the average low tide. Because the water level was so low, we were able to see things that hide farther out like sea urchins and starfish.

This starfish was about 12 inches across. A purple sea urchin is to the right

There were lots of sea anemones. In places there were so many it was hard not to step on them.

Alyssa had fun playing with the hermit crabs. The most exciting thing we saw was an octopus. It was hiding back under a rock, but we got a pretty good view of its tentacles. The man that showed us the octopus found it in that same hole under the rock about a year ago. He lives in the area and comes to visit it frequently. It’s always in the same spot. He breaks open a mussel or two to feed it. Now that we know where to find it, we’ll look for it next time we go, too. In this picture two of its tenticals are visible as well as its two eyes. The orange at the bottom of the picture is the mussel they were using to try to lure it out. The octopus was probably about two feet long.

The sunset was a beautiful end to a lovely afternoon.