Sea Discovery: Wolf eels, the not so terrifying “wolf-ish” fish Hidden in the darkness of the deep, wolf eels are not as dangerous as they look according to The Marine Detective. Well, maybe not to their prey, but with divers, they tend to shy away in their caves and peek Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: What are phytoplankton and why are they globally important? In this week’s Sea Discovery, we are going microscopic! Lately, you may have noticed the waters surrounding Mayne becoming very green and murky. This colour change is due to microscopic algae known as phytoplankton. What are phytoplankton? Their Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: One organism or many? The budding and beautiful orange sea pen Suitably named after the old-fashioned quilled pen, sea pens have a very distinct shape. Sea pens are cnidarians and related to soft corals, sea fans, anemones and jellies. These bottom-dwelling invertebrates look quite different from their other stinging Read more…
In this article, we discuss some of the various land mammals found on Mayne Island and their role in our local ecosystems. Not only are these animals essential to the balance and function of our ecosystems, but they also have some fascinating behaviours! Northern river otter (Lontra canadensis; weasel) A Read more…
The strange and beautiful grunt sculpin The grunt sculpin is a favourite fish of many divers and ocean enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest. When I first laid my eyes upon this stripy, stout-looking fish, I thought it looked quite tropical. With its small size (up to 8 cm long), large Read more…
Weekly Sea Discovery: Bubble Snails As we continue our eelgrass surveys in our local waters, I am always amazed at the diversity of exciting creatures we encounter. Last week, we mapped an area by Montague Harbour and came upon hundreds of egg deposits in the eelgrass bed (see photo). Though Read more…
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…
What is a slug? It’s a snail with a housing problem! 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 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…