May 11, 2007

Watch Where You Step

Umm, er. Anyone know what these are? They look like squidlings that have been nibbled on, but I'm not sure. Any beach combers or marine life experts care to take a stab at this one?

In the meantime, I'll watch where I place my feet in the surf. A romantic stroll down the beach would take a turn for the worse if one of these got squeezed between your toes.

Thanks for the photo, Megan.

Photo courtesy: Megan Deroche

11 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 11, 2007

    Are they Jellyfish?...

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  2. I'm thinking sea cucumber... I'll go look for more info.

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  3. Sea cucumber kind of things. I thought they were mostly water, but maybe they're swelled up because they're ded (sorry, just come off of visiting 4-chan)

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  4. Here's a nice little link for anyone that wants the basics about these echinoderms.

    tolweb.org/Holothuroidea

    I've no idea of the species as there's about a million cucs that are a an orange/creamy color like that. Plus, the tentacles are withdrawn which could be because they're out of the water and, as Jack said, possibly dead.

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  5. AnonymousMay 14, 2007

    It's definitely a jellyfish, probably of the Rhizostoma genus. This jellyfish doesn't have long tentacles and its body has a very solid constistency.

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  6. AnonymousMay 15, 2007

    Could they be a burrowing anemone?

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  7. bio student - you may well be right. I've never seen a jellyfish roll laterally like that rather than flatten out dorso-ventrally. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen for sure. :)

    The one in the back does seem a bit blobbish for a cuc.

    I don't think it's a burrowing anemone but we can't really see the base but the shape seems wrong. *shrug* I'hm just guessing. :D

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  8. Ya'll are a lot smarter than me. Stop it.

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  9. AnonymousMay 17, 2007

    From lots of beach-walking on the Gulf Coast, I'd say these are jellies. Thy look like the kind we called cannonballs--no long tentacles, really solid, thick bells--and they would move back and forth through waterways with the tides in enormous schools.

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  10. I suppose if we had a location that would help narrow things a tad wouldn't it. ;-p

    Dear wombat: Pfft - we're not smart it's just that this blog tends to attract a few more invertebrate/strange animal/lovers than is average in society.

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  11. AnonymousJune 26, 2007

    Megan here. These are Cannonball Jellyfish. They sometimes wash up in dozens on Florida shores.

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