What’s a nudibranch?

Nudibranch

The Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles has a tank devoted to nudibranchs, also known as sea slugs. These are tiny invertebrates. For me, the closer you get the more beautiful they are. This little creature was only about an inch long.

Nudibranch 2

I’m not an underwater photographer. Hopefully you can see the delicate form of this tiny and beautiful animal.

Sea star

Here’s a more common sea star. I’ve added this one to the mix because it looks to me like a human on Superbowl Sunday after a few too many beers.

Indoor tidepooling

Anemone elegant

The Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles allows visitors to take a close look at tidepool creatures without the hazards of slippery rocks and crashing waves. And the closer look an aquarium offers allows a glimpse at the stunning beauty and diversity of underwater life. For me anemones are a case in point.This one is aptly called an elegant anemone.

Anemone green

This is a giant green anemone.

Anemone pink

And I think this is a fish eating anemone. They’re not as benign as they may appear.

Click here if you’d like more information about tidepool life and where to tidepool on the Olympic Peninsula.

Feiro Marine Life Center

Child at Feiro

I explored the Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles recently. It is a small educational center with aquariums as well as several tanks that allow visitors to touch sea life. The Center offers a representation of the more typical marine life of our region: nudebranchs, echinoderms, and cnidarians. Tomorrow I’ll show you examples of some of these critters.