Exploring Rocky Shores of Southern Oregon Coast

Sea Clown (Dorid)

The Sea Clown Nudibranch (Triopha catalinae) is one of the most vividly colored nudibranch we have found on the southern Oregon coast.  The bright orange protuberances contrast dramatically with its creamy white body, and it's head is the broad end on the left side of the photo. They can grow to 1.5" long, and the one below was that large. We have found this species at the north end of Nesika Beach (10 miles north of Gold Beach), at Secret Beach (milepost 345.5 on Hwy. 101) and at Cape Arago State Park outside Charleston.

Like many nudibranch, this species can walk upside down on the undersurface of the water.  As it crawls along, it spins a path of slime which keeps it suspended just below the surface of the water (see below).  "Walking on water" is  easier than navigating over and around all the obstacles on the tidepool floor.  If you gently push on the Sea Clown, it will sink to the bottom of the tidepool.

Pink Star

The Pink Star or "short-spined star" (Pisaster brevispinus) looks very similar to the Ochre Sea Star, but the spines on the star's back are much less noticeable.  Pink Stars eat barnacles, mussels, tube-dwelling worms, and rock-boring clams. The tube feet (the white projections on underside of arms), used for locomotion and capturing prey, are very noticeable in the photo below.
We have found Pink Stars occasionally at Secret Beach (milepost 345.5 on Hwy. 101), and all but the one in the photo below have been much larger than Ochre Stars....this one looked like a baby.  Bryan has the star turned over on its back.  The yellowish lines on the underside of each arm are its tube feet...hundreds of them.

Ring-Spotted Doris (Dorid)

The Ring-spotted Doris *Discodoris Sandiegensis) varies in appearance from Alaska to Southern California.  The Spotted Dorids we saw south of San Francisco were almost white with very few black ring markings (see photo below).
The Spotted Dorids we have found on the Southern Oregon Coast are tan and have more spots.  We found this one (photo below) at Cape Blanco this past May, and it was approximately 3.5" (as large as they get). Please note its frilly gill structure on the right side of the photo.

WHAT ARE THOSE STRANGE CREATURES CLINGING TO THE ROCKS DURING A LOW TIDE?

The purpose of this website is to help identify the unusual intertidal (between the tides) animals that might be discovered when exploring the rocky shores of the southern Oregon coast during a low tide.  I hope the photos and the accompanying descriptions of these animals and a little information about each one of them will encourage you to explore the tide-pools and rocky intertidal areas of this remote southwestern corner of Oregon.

Click on each category (top right sidebar) and scroll down to see the various intertidal species. 

As the tide goes out, water is captured in crevices and holes, creating large and small tide-pool "aquariums." If you keep very still and look closely, you will probably see some very interesting creatures in these unique habitats. The bright orange frilled animals in the photo are Red Sea Cucumbers (Cucumaria miniata), the purple spikey animals are Purple Sea Urchins (Stronglyocentrotus purpuratus), and the green flower-like animals are Giant Green Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica).

A very low-tide also provides access to rocks and caves, normally covered by water during a high tide.  In addition to the large, bright sea stars (they aren't called starfish any more!) in the photo below, there is a multitude of other animals clinging to these shear rock faces, waiting for the tide to reverse.

Intertidal organisms have to withstand harsh and varied environmental conditions: pounding surf (see below), hours without any water at all, baking sun, voracious predators, and copious amounts of rain diluting the salinity of smaller tide-pools during low-tides.  The unique, resilient intertidal species are specially adapted to these brutal challenges.  The southern Oregon coast has huge populations and a wide diversity of intertidal species waiting to be discovered...come and explore!