Weekly Sea Discovery: Fish or Eel? The Mysterious Gunnels of Mayne Island While turning over rocks and searching for hidden creatures along Mayne Island’s shores, you may see a long, slippery animal slide into a dark crevice. Your first guess might be that you’ve just seen an eel, with a long tapered body and Read more…
It’s true! A slug is essentially a snail with little to no shell. They are part of a class of molluscs called gastropods (from the Greek for “stomach-foot”), just like nudibranchs and whelks. Land slugs are a well-known slimy encounter in Pacific Northwest forests. As with many creepy crawlers, they are very misunderstood. Some of us might only Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Sea Cucumbers Are Amazing Nutrient Cyclers While kayaking during our eelgrass surveys this week, I looked down and noticed some bright orange specks hidden amongst the algae and kelp. As we went shallower, I could see that these vibrant blobs were orange sea cucumbers! While nuzzled in Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Bay Pipefish and Eelgrass Beds As you walk through or snorkel around the eelgrass beds of Mayne Island, you may not see the excellently camouflaged bay pipefish. Found swaying amongst the eelgrass, bay pipefish look almost identical to the plant’s blades. Eelgrass beds and other seaweed patches Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Delicate Porcelain Crabs of the Intertidal While porcelain crabs may look like true crabs, they are more closely related to squat lobsters and hermit crabs. They have flattened bodies so they can squeeze between rocks and crevices on rocky shores. One identifying feature is their large, broad Read more…
Have you ever wondered about the difference between Northwestern Crows and Common Ravens, two of Mayne Island’s Corvid bird species? The Mayne Island Conservancy is eagerly anticipating a visit by Dr. Ben Freeman, postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia to teach us more about them. At this time, Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Pacific Hake are an Integral Part of B.C.’s Marine Ecosystem This week we’re featuring a fish that has both economic and ecological importance to the BC coast and marine ecosystem. Pacific hake is the most abundant groundfish in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystems (including the Salish Read more…
Attention Mayne Islanders! It’s time for BC’s Annual Community Bat Count and we need your help. The Mayne Island Community Bat Conservation Program is looking for new roost sites to monitor as part of our annual program. Have you seen 5 or more bats flying around your property? Have you Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Wasting Sea Stars of the Intertidal Many of you may have noticed or heard about the virus causing sea stars along the Pacific Northwest to waste away, known as Sea Star Wasting Disease/Syndrome. The virus isn’t new, but changes in ocean temperature and marine environments have resulted Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Nudibranchs! Commonly known as sea slugs, nudibranchs are creatures that are a mystery to many of us. These squishy invertebrates can be found in the shallow intertidal, down to the deep depths of the subtidal. Their vibrant colours and intricate shapes make them an eye-catching surprise in Read more…