GET TO KNOW
MARINE LIFE IN THE AQUARIUM
Tegula snail
Tegula sp.
Size: up to 1 inch
Diet: Micro algae.
Description: The Black Tegula (T. funebralis) is a small common snail found on the rocky intertidal zone found well above the low zone. The Black Tegula has a very hard shell, can live for 100+ years, and scrapes algae using its specialized tongue, the radula. A similar species, the Brown Tegula, occupies the same intertidal zone. It has a light chestnut shell. Hermit Crabs of the genus Pagurus can be seen using the shells of this snail.
Range: Oregon to California. Uncommon in Southern California.
Rock Crab
Cancer productus
Size: largest 8"
Diet: carrion and seaweed.
Description: The red rock crab is a large Cancer crab that has 9 marginal teeth on each side of a D. shaped carapace. The adults are almost always brick red in color, but juveniles can be white, striped, red + striped, orange and even green/blue. They are among a few species that are taken as food, but a related species, Metacarcinus magister, has more meat and is taken commercially.
Range: Alaska to Los Angeles; uncommon south of Cambria
Lottia Limpets
Lottia sp.
Size: 3/4 inch - 4 inch
Diet: Micro algae
Description: Conical shaped shell, two triangular eyestalks. The shel lvaries from the size of a nail, to 2" across. The Fingernail limpet and Rough limpet live in the splash zone, because their shells can withstand the waves. Larger species like the Plate Limpet or the Giant Owl Limpet (pictured here) live more than four years in the wild, and longer in the CCAG. Most occur in the upper intertidal zone, but similar Lottiid limpets (e.g. Acmaea sp.) live in the lower intertidal zone.
Range: Alaska to Baja California
Dogwinkle
Nucella sp.
Size: 1 inch -3 inch
Diet: Mussels, shellfish
The genus Nucella is a family of predatory snails resembling Whelks. Dogwinkles are found on the Atlantic and the Pacific. They are normally found in mussel beds, drilling shells of mussels. The genus is capable of drilling into shells by secreting an acid and drilling in using a specialized tongue called the radula.
Our Nucella specimens are kept seperate from the mussels (see below) in our touch tank. They are feed frozen squid.
Range: Alaska to Central California
Striped Shore Crab
Pachygrapsus crassipes
Size: 1-1.75 inches
Diet: Algae, Carrion, Snails, and other crustaceans
Description: Black carapace mottled black, purple or green. Chela equal with boxy carapace. Males larger than females. Legs somewhat flattened. Found eating algae out of water during low tide, in rock creases, and under rocks. Can be seen feeding on algae with spoon tipped pincers at low tide
Habitat: Rock shores. mussel beds and estuaries. High to low intertidal
Range: BC to Baja, Mexico
Purple Shore Crab
Hemigrapsus nudus
Size: 1-2 inches
Diet: Algae, Carrion, Snails, Seaweed
Description: Purple carapace, sometimes olive green, olive brown, white and red, but other color variations usually occur in juveniles. Otherwise very similar to H. oregonensis in terms of size and carapace morphology. Pincers equal with purple spotted patterns. Males larger than females. Legs dactyls tipped with yellow. Usually found under rocks. Feeds at night.
Habitat: Tidepools and sometimes rock crevices. High to low intertidal.
Range: Alaska to Southern California
Yellow Shore Crab
Hemigrapsus oregonensis
Size: 1-1.75 inches
Diet: Algae, Carrion, Snails, and other crabs
Description: Carapace variable; can be yellow, white, red, and blue + lighter speckles present. Chela equal with somewhat boxy carapace. with 2 marginal anterolateral teeth behind eye orbits Males larger than Females. Legs somewhat flattened, coved in setae in sexually mature individuals.
Habitat: Bays and estuaries. Mid intertidal.
Range: Oregon to San Diego.
California Mussel
Mytilus californianus
Size: 4-10 inches
Diet: Small zooplankton
Description: Blue-black shell. Occurs in large densities along rocky coasts. Is also found with Gooseneck Barnacles. Predatory snails, including the dogwinkle (Nucella sp), drill into the shell to eat the flesh. It is also eaten by humans, birds, marine mammals, dogwinkles and other predatory snails and crabs.
Habitat: Rock cliffs and tidepools
Range: Northern Alaska to Baja, Mexico
Anemone
Anthopleura sola + A. elegantissima (pictured above)
Size: 3-10 inches diameter
Diet: Carrion, barnacle molts, crabs.
Description: Bright pink tentacles fading into light pink/green. Disk contains green or yellow stripes radiating from mouth. Found retracted out of water during low tide, in rock creases, and in large numbers covering rocks. These animals can clone by splitting into two. 2 colonies may sting each other for dominance over territory. A cousin, the Giant Green Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) is solitary, emerald green and wider than this species. The two populations often overlap.
Habitat: Rock shores. mussel beds and estuaries; high to low intertidal zone.
Range: Oregon to Southern California
Fish
fish tbd...
Hermit Crab
Pagurus sp.
Size: 0.1" - 0.5 across
Diet: Seaweed, carrion,
Description: The genus Pagurus are a group of right handed 'pagurid' hermit crabs. Paguridae are the most common family of hermit crabs found on the West Coast. At the CCAG we have three species. Pictured here is Pagurus granosimanus
Northern Kelp Crab
Pugettia producta
Size: 4" in across
Diet: kelp, carrion
Description: The northern kelp crab is a slow moving crab that is more common during low tide. It has smooth, brown/red carapace with two large marginal teeth. Sometimes, small pieces of seaweed are placed on the space between the eyestalks (rostrum). However, P. p. rarely decorates it's whole body; there are more species in the genus that decorate more profusely It feeds on kelp during the summer, but becomes an omnivore when kelp is scarce.
Range: BC to San Diego.
Terrestrial Animals
Animals that live in our terrestrial tanks
Amphibian
Ensatina
Range: Oregon to Southern California.
Size: largest 3"
The Ensatina is a lungless salamander that is found throughout wet forests of the Pacific coast. Taxonomists have grouped the organism into several subspecies based on range and visual morphology.
Our Yellow eyed Ensatinas (Ensatina eschscholtzii spp. xanthoptica) look a lot like newts (Taricha) but are distinguished by their smooth, wet skin and a yellow rim above the eye.
Amphibian
Arboreal Salamander
Range: coastal CA.
Size: to 7"
Arboreal salamanders (Aneides lugubris) are lungless salamanders that are similar to ensatinas in terms of general physical morphology. The are usually dusky black with white or yellow flecks. They are also much larger, and used their long legs to climb trees. It is endemic to California.
crustacean
Isopods
Range: most sp. found
throughout United States, introduced from Europe.
Isopods are a large group of crustaceans, but the ones we have at the CCAG are terrestrial woodlice. They mainly live in the redwood habitat, cleaning up debris and old food
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Gastropod
Banana Slug
Range: BC to San Diego; undescribed species occurs in Palomar Mountain
Size: largest 9"
Banana slugs (Ariolimax) are some of the most iconic gastropods. They are usually yellow, but can be brown, orange, white or black. They can be distinguished from other native slugs (e.g. Prophysaon) by their keeled tail.
Gastropod
Snail
Range:
C. aspersum: temperate areas worldwide.
O. lactea: United States and Europe.
Helminthoglypta: California and Oregon.
C. aspersum and O. lactea are invasive species from Europe. They are highly tolerant of however Helminthoglypta is endemic to California and Oregon.
Reptiles
Lizards
We have multiple lizards at the CCAG including the San Francisco Alligator Lizard, Western Skink, Western Fence Lizard and (later) italian wall lizard. They live in the 50 gallon chaparral habitat, which mimics their natural habitat as closely as possible, with live native plants (including chamise and CA sagebrush), a basking rock, live moss and lichens, soil collected from natural habitat, proper heating and UVB systems.