Some MARINE LIFE
of Western North America 

of the Pacific Ocean
& Gulf of California

(other than Whales & Dolphins) 

including inshore & offshore waters
and coastal Alaska, Washington State,
California. & Sonora, Mexico 


A list compiled by Armas Hill


With those seen during FONT tours 
& pelagic trips with an (*)

Photo at upper right: a SEA FAN on the coral PORITES CALIFORNICA, 
in the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez,
in Sonora, Mexico  

Links:

A Listing of scheduled Focus On Nature Tours

Upcoming Focus On Nature Tours in North America

FONT Past Tour Highlights

Links, in the following list, to:

Sea Turtles

Fish (including Sharks & Rays)

Corals & Jellyfish

Mollusks (Shells)

Anthropods (incluidng Crustaceans & Echinoderms)

  

Codes:

Seen during FONT tours & pelagic trips in the following:

AK:  in Alaska
CA:  in California 
SN:  in Sonora, Mexico (the Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez)
WA: in Washington State

(p): seen pelagically 

Species with a PR occur in the area of Point Reyes, California.   



         MARINE, or SEA, TURTLES  (Reptiles)
 

1. Leatherback (Sea) Turtle  (*)  ______ CA
   Dermochelys coriacea
   
   The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the world's largest turtle. It can weigh half a ton. A deep diver, it can go to a depth of about 5,000 feet. 
   
   Leatherback Sea Turtles, of the now-rare Pacific population, have been seen (adult females & hatchlings) during FONT Tours in Costa Rica in December/January at one of their night-time nesting sites, at a beach in the region of that country known as Guanacaste. 
   
   
   FISH:
   
   
   PLANKTON-FEEDING SHARKS & RAYS
   
   
   REQUIEM SHARKS (Family Carcharhinidae) 
   
   
2. Blue Shark  (*)  ______ CA
   Prionace glauca
   
   
   THRESHER SHARKS  (Family Alopiidae)
   
   
3. Thresher Shark  (*)  ______ CA (p)
   Alopias vulpinus
   
   
   SALMONS  (Family Salmonidae)
   
   
4. Chinook  (also called King Salmon) (*) ______ WA
   Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
   
   
   SEAHORSES  (in Family Syngnathidae, along with Pipefishes)
   
   
5. Common Seahorse  (*)  ______ MX 
   Hippocampus ramulosus
   
   
   INVERTEBRATES
   
   including those of the OPEN OCEAN:
   
   
   CNIDARIANS (including corals & jellyfish)
   
   
   STONY CORALS  (Class Scleractinia)
   
   
6. Northern Stony Coral  ______  NC 391
   Astrangia danae
   
   
   JELLYFISH  (Class Scyphozoa)
   
   
7. Moon Jelly  (*)  ______ CA,DE,NJ (p)
   Aurelia aurita
   
   
8. Cannonball Jellyfish  (*)  ______  TX 
   Stomolophus meleagris 
   
   
   HYDROIDS  (Class Hydrozoa, Order Siphonophora: not true jellyfish)
   
   
9. Portuguese Man-of-war  (*)  ______ NC,NJ (p)
   Physalia physalis
   
   
   MOLLUSKS  (SHELLS)
   
   
   SEASHELLS are made by MOLLUSKS. 
   
   MOLLUSKS are invertebrate animals that produce shells of one or two pieces that wholly or partially enclose a soft body.
   
   SHELLS are the skeletons of MOLLUSKS. Like the internal skeleton (endoskeleton) of a mammal, the external skeleton (exoskeleton) of mollusks function both for protection and as a place for muscle attachment. 
   A SHELL found on a beach is the skeletal remnant of a dead MOLLUSK.
   
   MOLLUSKS are either snail-like animals with one shell (UNIVALVES, or GASTROPODS),  or clam-like animals with two shells (BIVALVES). The two shells of a BIVALVE are held tightly together when the animal is alive.
   
   A third group of MOLLUSKS are the CEPHALOPODS, including SQUIDS and OCTOPUSES. These animals lack external shells, having instead internal or rudimentary shells.   
   
   
   
   
   Shells collected along the shoreline of the Gulf of California
   during the FONT Tour in Sonora, Mexico in August 2010
   
   
   GASTROPODS  (Class Gastropoda): snail-like mollusks with a one-part shell
   
   
10. Red Abalone  ______  PR
    Haliotis rufescens
    
    
11. Black Abalone  ______  PR
    Haliotis cracherodii
    
    
12. Rough Keyhole Limpet  ______  PR   469  
    Diodora aspera
    
    
13. Volcano Limpet  ______  PR
    Fissurella volcano
    
    
14. Giant Keyhole Limpet  ______
    Megathura crenulata
    
    
15. Seaweed Limpet  ______  PR
    Notoacmaea incessa
    
    
16. Plate Limpet  ______  PR
    Notoacmaea scutum
    
    
17. Shield Limpet  ______
    Collisella pelta
    
    
18. Owl Limpet  ______  PR
    Lottia gigantea
    
    
19. Purple-ringed Top Snail  ______
    Calliostoma annulatum
    
    
20. Red Top Snail  ______  PR
    Astraea gibberosa
    
    
21. Black Turbin Snail  ______  PR
    Tegula funebralis
    
    
22. Eroded Periwinkle  ______  PR
    Littorina planaxis
    
    
23. Sikta Periwinkle  ______
    Littorina sitkana      
    
    
24. Checkered Periwinkle  ______  479
    Littorina scutulata
    
    
25. Scaled Worm Snail  ______
    Serpulorbis squamigerus
    
    
26. Greenland Wentletrap  ______
    Epitonium greenlandicum
    
    
27. Common Slipper Snail  ______  487
    Crepidula fornicata
    
    
28. Chestnut Cowrie  ______
    Cypraea spadicea
    
    
29. Oregon Hairy Triton  ______
    Fusitriton oregonensis
    
    
30. Angular Unicorns  ______  PR  (also called Unicorn Whelk)
    Acanthina spirata
    
    
31. Checkered Unicorn  ______
    Acanthina paucilirata
    
    
32. Spotted Unicorn  ______
    Acanthina punctulata
    
    
33. Leafy Hornmouth  ______
    Ceratostoma foliatum
    
    
34. Emarginate Dogwinkle  ______
    Nucella emarginata
    
    
35. Poulson's Rock Snail  ______
    Roperia poulsoni
    
    
36. Atlantic Oyster Drill  ______  PR  499
    Urosalpinx cinerea
    
    
37. Corded Neptune  ______
    Neptunea lyrata
    
    
38. Channeled Whelk  ______  503
    Busycon canaliculatum
    
    
39. Giant Western Nassa  ______
    Nassarius fossatus
    
    
40. Purple Dwarf Olive  ______
    Olivella biplicata
    
    
41. Ida's Miter  ______
    Mitra idae
    
    
42. California Cone  ______
    Conus californicus
    
    
43. California Bubble  ______
    Bulla gouldiana
    
    
44. White Paper Bubble  ______
    Haminoea vesicula
    
    
45. California Sea Hare  ______  PR  (also called Brown Sea Hare)
    Aplysia californica
    
    
46. Navanax  ______
    Chelidonura inermis
    
    
47. Hairy Doris  ______
    Acanthodoris pilosa
    
    
48. Sea Lemon  ______  PR
    Anisodoris nobilis
    
    
49. Pacific Ancula  ______
    Ancula gibbosa
    
    
50. White Knight Doris  ______
    Archidoris odhneri
    
    
51. Monterey Doris  ______
    Archidoris montereyensis
    
    
52. Yellow-edged Cadlina  ______
    Cadlina luteomarginata
    
    
53. Ringed Doris  ______
    Dianlula sandiegensis
    
    
54. Salted Doris  ______
    Doriopsilla albopunctata
    
    
55. Hopkin's Rose  ______
    Hopkinsia rosacea
    
    
56. Blue-and-gold Nudibranch  ______
    Hypselodoris californicus
    
    
57. Rough-mantled Doris  ______
    Onchidoris bilamellata
    
    
58. Crimson Doris  ______
    Rostanga pulchra
    
    
59. Sea Clown Nudibranch  ______
    Triopha catalinae (formerly T. carpenteri)
    
    
60. Spotted Triopha  ______
    Triopha maculata
    
    
61.     
    
    
62. Common Atlantic Auger ______  NC 515
    Terebra dislocata
    
    
    BIVALVES  (Class Bivalva)
    
    
63. Turkey Wing  ______  NC 534
    Arca zebra
    
    
64. Blue Mussel  ______  NC 538
    Mytilus edulis
    
    
65. Stiff Pen Shell  ______  NC 540
    Atrina rigida
    
    
66. Saw-toothed Pen Shell  ______  NC 541
    Atrina serrata
    
    
67. Kitten's Paw  ______  NC 541
    Plicatula gibbosa
    
    
68. Atlantic Bay Scallop  ______  NC 542
    Argopecten irradians
    
    
69. Common Jingle Shell  ______  NC 546
    Anomia simplex
    
    
70. Eastern Oyster  ______  NC 547
    Crassostrea virginica
    
    
71. Giant Atlantic Cockle  ______  NC 556
    Dinocardium robustum 
    
    
72. Northern Quahog (Clam)  ______  NC 559
    Mercenaria mercenaria  
    
    
73. Coquina  ______  NC 566
    Donax variabilis 
    
    
74. Common Razor Clam  ______  NC 569  (also called Atlantic Jackknife Clam)
    Ensis directus 
    
    
75. Surf Clam  ______  NC 569
    Spisula solidissima
    
    
76. Angel Wing  ______  NC 573
    Cyrtopleura costata
    
    
    SQUIDS & OCTOPODS  (Class Cephalopoda)
    
    
77. Common Atlantic Octopus  ______ 579
    Octopus vulgaris 
    
    
    ANTHROPODS
    
    
    (Class Merostomata)
    
    
78. Horseshoe Crab  ______  DE,NC 586
    Limulus polyphemus
    
    
    CRUSTACEANS
    
    
79. Striped Hermit Crab  ______  NC 627
    Clibanarius vittatus
    
    
80. Acadian Hermit Crab  ______  629
    Pagurus acadianus
    (range: Labrador to the Chesapeake Bay)
    
    
81. Long-clawed Hermit Crab  ______  NC 631
    Pagurus longicarpus
    
    The Long-clawed Hermit Crab is the most common hermit crab along the Atlantic Coast. It normally uses the shells of the periwinkle, mud snail, or oyster drill.  
    
    
82. Flat-clawed Hermit Crab  ______  NC 631
    Pagurus pollicaris
    
    The Flat-clawed Hermit Crab is often found in the shells of Moon Snails and the larger whelks.  
    
    
83. Sargassum Crab  (*)  _____  638  NC (p)  (normally a creature of the high seas & a member of the Sargasso Weed community)
    Portunus sayi  
    
    
84. Blue Crab  ______  NC 639
    Callinectes sapidus
    
    
85. Ghost Crab  ______  NC 653
    Ocypode quadrata
    
    
86. Sand Fiddler  ______  NC 654
    Uca pugilator
    
    
87. Brackish-water Fiddler  ______  NC 655
    Uca minax
    
    
    ECHINODERMS
    
    
    ASTEROIDS  (Class Stelleroidea): including the sea stars and brittle stars
    
    "Sea Star" is preferred to "Star Fish" as that term is a misnomer as "fish" are finny vertebrates.
    
    
88. Forbes' Common Sea Star  ______   NC 679
    Asterias forbesi
     
    
    (Class Echinoidea): including sea urchins and sand dollars
     
    
89. Atlantic Purple Sea Urchin  ______  NC 689
    Arbacia punctulata
    
    
90. Variegated Urchin  ______  NC 690
    Lytechinus variegatus 
    
    
91. Keyhole Urchin (or Keyhole Sand Dollar)  ______  NC 695
    Mellita quinquiesperforata
    
    
    

References include:

"Sea Life - A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment", edited by Geoffrey Waller, with principal contributors Marc Dando & Michael Burchett, 1996.

"Nature in the Northwest - An Introduction to the Natural History and Ecology of the Northwestern United States from the Rockies to the Pacific",  by Susan Schwartz, 1983.  

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