Mike Kelly
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mikesidkelly.bsky.social
Mike Kelly
@mikesidkelly.bsky.social
680 followers 510 following 130 posts
Retired fish biologist. Fossils, invertebrates, tide pools, fish, weather, atmospheric optics. Humboldt nature photography. Peace Corps Mali. Washed Up column in the North Coast Journal https://www.northcoastjournal.com/category/washed-up-6095845
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mikesidkelly.bsky.social
Merry Christmas everyone!🎅🤶🎄
A light tan sea slug with many dark brown spots across its body. The spots have white rings around them, and are biggest on the top and very small around the margin. It has two thick feathery antennae in front, and an out-of-focus rosette of gills at the back. It is crawling from upper right to lower left on a rock encrusted with some kind of brown organism(s). Most importantly, it is wearing a Photoshopped-on Santa hat.
December 25, 2024 at 7:16 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
I'm not certain, but I think this is a Pugettia decorator crab. I wouldn't expect it to be comfortable encircled by the tentacles of a giant green anemone, but that's how it seemed. In a #Humboldt tide pool - for #Crustmas.
A crab sitting on top of a green anemone surrounded by the anemone's tentacles seen from above. The crab is triangular and widest at the back, and has at least 3 prominent bumps on each side, and a blunt projection on its face. It is likely a decorator crab, but only has a covering a gungy-looking brown stuff on it. Its walking legs are evenly spread around its body. There should be 8 legs, but only 6 are visible. I assume the other pair is obscured by the crab's claws, which are cocked out in front of it and white at the tips. The anemone is mostly bright green, but the upper half of the tentacles are bluish at the ends, and the lower ones are whitish at the ends. The tentacles are arranged in circles around the central disc, which is a pale greenish blue. There are 4 or 5 rows of tentacles visible around the circumference. The background is a large rock with some red encrusting organisms on it.
December 21, 2024 at 7:25 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A larval herring and a recently transformed herring fry sampled in a tidal pond on #Humboldt Bay for #Fishmas. 🐟
Two fish of the same herring species, but at different stages of development. The fish are next to each other on a white measuring board which indicates that they are between 4 and 5 centimeters long. The lower fish is mostly transparent with a thin black line along its side, a thicker black line along its belly, and a few black spots scattered around its head and body. The part of the belly where the guts are appears silver and not transparent. And the very bottom of the belly is pale orange. Its fins are so transparent as to be invisible. The fish on top is up-side down relative to to the lower fish. Its body has transformed into an opaque silver. It has many very find black specks arranged in rows across its back and on its tail fin rays. It's dorsal fin also has some fine specks along the rays. It's lower body has many almost vertical lines that appear associated with the underlying muscles. Both fish have large silver eyes and black pupils.
December 21, 2024 at 7:09 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
I believe this is a yellowtail rockfish in a #Humboldt tide pool for #Fishmas. 🐟🤿
A rockfish with a bass-like appearance suspended just off the bottom. The bottom is mostly small gray gravel and one clam shell in the lower left. The background is a large rock with patches of pink, red, and brown algae on it. The fish is facing to the right. Its eye is large, and the black pupil is ringed in bright gold. The mouth is closed, but appears relatively large. The fish has prominent scales. The gill cover has some bright yellow highlights. The rest of the head is greening on top, pale gray around the mouth, and with some scattered small brown patches. The body has a pinkish background with many small brown spots below the mid-body, and brown blotches above . The fins are relatively large and unpigmented.
December 21, 2024 at 1:43 AM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A porcelain crab with an injured "thumb" exposed at low tide in #Humboldt for #Crustmas. 🦀
A crab with relatively very large claws. Each claw looks bigger than the crab's body. The crab is exposed on a rock at low tide. The crab is brick red, but has areas that seem covered with grayish brown hairs and/or other material. The crab's left claw is missing its "thumb" and there is a bit of white meat exposed there. In the frame, the crab is facing up and holding its large claws folded in front of its face. The legs on the crab's left side are hidden behind some dark brownish red algae. Three legs are visible on the right side. The end of each leg has several spikes or hooks - almost like little toes. Its antennae are many-segmented, bright red, and held back behind the crab. The crab's eyes are a dark purple color. The background rock is encrusted with red algae, small barnacles, and there's an oval limpet just above the right "elbow" of the crab.
December 21, 2024 at 1:31 AM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
For #Crustmas - a long isopod on the stipe of a kelp that was washed up on the beach and taken into the lab. I believe it is the kelp isopod Pentidotea.
A very long and thin isopod crustacean on a kelp stem. The isopod has the look of a centipede. It is on top of and parallel to the stem and is facing toward the left. The view is side-on. The isopod is gripping the stem with six of its apparently seven pairs of legs. It has long antennae that are pointing forward and appear to be a little over half the length of the body. The overall color of the isopod is tan, but it has a dark line across the body where each of its seven body segments meet. It also has five or six fainter lines that run from head to tail evenly spread across the upper body. Its legs are transparent. A small eye is visible. The kelp stem is dark brown, and there is a second stem above this one and the isopod. The background is the tangled root-like holdfast of the kelp, and it is a much lighter yellowish brown.
December 18, 2024 at 10:49 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
For #Fishmas - a jacksmelt riding his osprey sleigh to bring presents to all the good little children. #Humboldt 🐟
An osprey carrying a fish. The picture is shot from an angle below the osprey so mainly the underside of the bird is visible. It is flying to the right. The beak and talons are black, the feather sticking out from the wing tips are black. There is a black V-shaped mark extending from the bird's eye, down to its throat, then up to the top of the neck. The top of the head and chin are white. The chest, belly and most of the under-wing are white. The trailing feathers on the wing are black and gray. The fish is facing forward - being held that way by the osprey to minimize drag. The fish is gray on top and white on the underside. It is long and relatively thin. Its eye is large and its mouth is small. It has a yellow mark on its gill cover. And there is blood on the back half of the fish's belly where the talons are gripping it. The background is blue sky.
December 18, 2024 at 10:27 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A cluster of goose barnacles in a #Humboldt tide pool for #Crustmas. 🤿
A cluster of about 40 stalked barnacles. Each barnacle is made up of triangular white plates of varying sizes. The opening of each barnacle looks like vertical bright red lips. From inside of each barnacle a series of long thin banded brown and white projections reach out like fingers attempting to grab food. The stalks, which are mostly not visible, are leathery looking with a fine texture resembling sandpaper.
December 18, 2024 at 2:51 AM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
For #Fishmas a smoothhead sculpin, I believe, in a #Humboldt tide pool with a bonus Hermissenda nudibranch. 🐟🤿
A fish resting on a bed of pink coralline algae with thin fronds of reddish brown algae scattered around and some gravel in brown white and grey under the fish's tail. It is facing toward the left and is shot so the back and left side are visible. Over all, the fish is gray with some brown patches on the body. The head from just behind the eyes to the snout is mottled brown and gray, and there's a large almost white saddle-like patch behind the eyes. Behind the saddle is a brown band that goes over the back and is the same mottled brown as the fish's face. The fish has a large head relative to its body. Its eyes sort of bug out, and are gray with two pairs of dark brown starburst-like lines extending out from the black pupil. There is also an orange, red, blue and white sea slug in the algae next to the fish's pectoral fin.
December 18, 2024 at 2:40 AM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A combo #Fishmas and #Crustmas post... A small lingcod from #Humboldt Bay with dozens of copepods living on its body. The fish and its "friends" were released to continue their affair.
A hand holding a fish around the body right behind the gills and pectoral fins. The rest of the fish's body is outside of the frame. The fish's head is pointing upwards. It has a relatively large mouth, and the tips of about 10 of its large sharp teeth are showing. The eye is relatively large, but only the upper 2/3 of the eye is visible. The rest of the eye is sort of nestled into the cheek. The eye is mostly dark brown, but there is a bright gold patch at the back of the eye, and the black pupil is encircle by a thin gold ring. The background color of the fish ranges from white to light blue, and is covered in large brown blotches and scattered small dark brown spots. The background is blue water. The belly of the same fish with about 20 visible copepods stuck onto it. The copepods are maybe 1/4 of an inch long, have a oval head and body area, and two thin finger-like projects pointing behind the body. These projections are parallel and touching in most of the copepods. The copepods are mostly transparent, and range from very pale to darker orange. The fish's belly is white and covered by many tiny specks that seem to be related to the scales. The flank of the fish is the same combination of brown blotches and smaller dark spots as in the other picture.
December 16, 2024 at 9:29 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
And... Here's another one I called a brown rockfish, and one I called a grass rockfish. I bet the difference is obvious. I'm sure the original picture is indeed a brown rockfish. Thanks!
December 16, 2024 at 4:24 AM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
Here's one we called a brown rockfish from just down the coast. Looks pretty similar to the other one.
December 16, 2024 at 4:05 AM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
I believe this is the lined shore crab - Pachygrapsus - exposed at low tide in #Humboldt for #Crustmas. 🦀
Looking at the face of a crab out of the water. It's claws are relatively large, but the claw tips are hidden behind a large barnacle. The claws are mainly brownish orange with spots that are kind of in a giraffe pattern with lighter blotches separated by darker brownish orange. Each of the blotches is subdivided into several sections by darker lines. The pinchers of the claws fade to white. The upper claws and legs are dark purple. Some of the mouthparts have light blue and green bits, but are mostly white and cream colored. Its eyes are on short stalks and are black. The visible front portion of the shell appears black and has faint transverse lines. There are at least four small barnacles on its left claw, and about a dozen small barnacles on the front of the shell between its eyes. The rock it is on contains barnacles, mussels in the top right, and a lot of stringy brown algae.
December 15, 2024 at 7:21 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
I believe this is a grass rockfish - in a #Humboldt tide pool for #Fishmas. There are also 2 green marine leeches on the 4th dorsal spine. I couldn't find a leech emoji though... 🐟🤿
A robust fish resting on the bottom between large greenish gray rocks and on top of gravel. It is facing to the left and is seen side-on. The fish is an orangish brown color with many irregular darker blotches on the body, including five darker and larger blotches on the back just below the dorsal fins. It has a large head and mouth, and a large eye. The pupil of the eye is within a bright golden ring. The scales of the fish are prominent, and the lateral line stands out clearly. The fins are large, and the bottom half of the pectoral fin has pinkish fleshy rays. There are two green leeches on top of the 4th dorsal spine. Above the fish there is a big yellow blob that is the base of a large sea anemone. The tip of the fish's snout is behind a small reddish brown algae frond, and there are other red, brown and pink algae encrusting the rock in front of the fish's head.
December 15, 2024 at 6:54 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
Thanks! I haven't seen many of these fish - maybe 5 or 6. But this is the only orange one. Here's one that has more typical colors.
December 14, 2024 at 7:54 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A hermit crab of some kind in a #Humboldt tide pool for this 14th day of #Crustmas. (The shell is from a wentletrap snail.) 🦀🤿
A small hermit crab climbing around in some pink coralline algae. Its claws and legs are light yellow, while its antennae, mouthparts, and eye stalks are red. The shell it's in is white and forms a high spire with nine whorls which terminate in a little button-like point. The crab is in the lower right central part of the image, and the shell extends almost to the upper left corner. Each whorl has many transverse prominent ridges including on the largest whorl right above the crabs face. The crab is peaking out from under this ridge, and its eyes appear to be reflecting light from the camera's flash. The algae has a central stalk made of segments, and each segment holds two lateral branches that extend outwards at a 45-degree angle. The algae is pinkish, and each branch has a white tip. There are also many small dark brown objects clinging to the algae, which may be diatoms.
December 14, 2024 at 7:52 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A rockhead poacher in a #Humboldt tide pool at night for this 14th day of #Fishmas. 🐟🤿🌙
A mostly bright orange fish resting on the bottom on top of some gray rocks that are almost as big as the fish. The surrounding rocks are encrusted with pink algae and there are a few blades of dark green surf grass crisscrossing the picture. The fish is seen from above, but at an angle so that only one eye is visible. It is facing to the right. The fish has a relatively large head with two prominent bumps where horns on a goat would be. It has many other bumps around its cheek area, and an indentation on top of its robust head between the two larger bumps. It's no surprise that this fish is called a "rockhead" poacher. Its body tapers abruptly from its head. The body appears to be squarish in cross-section and has a series of many bony-looking plates that form ridges along the side and top of the body. There are also three black bands on the body, but they are incomplete and kind of blotchy. The fan-like pectoral fins appear to be shiny and black and seem to be reflecting some of the orange from the fish. The two small dorsal fins are also dark. The eye is black and yellow with the colors arranged in a sort-of kaleidoscope pattern. The head tapers to a blunt point and the eye is very near the end. The mouth is not visible, but it must be small. Overall, it is a very strange looking fish.
December 14, 2024 at 7:26 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
For #Crustmas, a so-called skeleton shrimp (a caprellid amphipod) on a kelp holdfast with smaller caprellid hanging on. They were on a washed-up kelp holdfast on a #Humboldt beach and taken into the lab. 🦐
This is a difficult one to describe. The main subject is a so-called skeleton shrimp, which does look a little like a human skeleton. It is long and skinny, and is standing upright using several short legs with a hook at the end of each. It happens to be standing on the head of a goose barnacle. Its body is made up of 13 segments and terminates in a head that has a pair of segmented antennae, feathery mouthparts, and hooked mouthparts. The segment below the head has two arms, but just one is visible. The arms are held out to the side and have a hook at the end. The body is translucent with pale brown dots scattered over it. The antennae alternate bands of this same brown color. There is also a rounded structure at the midsection which looks sort of like a beer belly. There is a second much smaller skeleton shrimp clinging to the leg area of the larger one and leaning back in a curve shape from left to right. The large one is facing to the left. The background is a tangle of thick kelp root-like structures that are the same brown color as the markings on the skeleton shrimp. There is a second barnacle visible out of focus in the background.
December 13, 2024 at 8:38 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A gunnel peeking out from coralline algae in a #Humboldt tide pool for #Fishmas. 🐟🤿
A long and thin eel-like fish poking its head out from within a tangle of pink algae. The fish's face is at the lower left center, and its long body curves up to the right and then bends down to the lower right. Most of the body is somewhat obscured by the algae. The fish is probably evenly greenish brown, but the camera flash makes the face and head appear brighter than the body. There are numerous tiny light spots on the body. The mouth is small, but has relatively fat lips. The eye is mostly orange, but there is a ring of gold around the pupil. The black pupil also has a gold inverted V shape in it. There is also a black line that runs from the cheek below the eyes and over the top of the head. The long dorsal and anal fins are also visible through the algae.
December 13, 2024 at 8:00 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A purple shore crab exposed at low tide in #Humboldt for #Crustmas 🦀
A small crab with relatively large claws on small gray gravel out of the water. Most of the upper body and legs are dark purple. The top of the body also has lots of small white spots and several larger spots that are arranged symmetrically on each side. There is also a crescent-shaped red patch on the upper body that ends just behind each eye. The claws are folded under the crab and are pink with many purple spots covering them. The eyes are black and on short stalks and they are peeking out through gaps in the front margin of the shell. The crab is backed up against a large dark rock with many scattered small barnacles attached.
December 12, 2024 at 8:56 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A small topsmelt in a #Humboldt tide pool at night for #Fishmas.
A long relatively thin baitfish-like fish seen from the side and facing to the left. The fish has a small mouth and large black and silver eye. It has a black line along the middle of its body, which extends from just behind the gill to the base of the tail. There is a thin bright electric-green line running along the top margin of the thicker black line. And there is a bright yellow area running under the black line at the front half of the dish. There is a small splash of electric blue and green at the base of the tail. The picture was taken using a flash, which is what makes the fish look so bright. Its fins are pale and transparent. The scales above the black line are darkly edged and prominent, while the scales below the line are less so. A noticeable feature of this fish is how high the pectoral fins are placed on its body - higher than its gill plate. The background is a thick bunch of fine brown algae on the left and lower parts of the picture, and the upper right portion is mostly just black open water. There are also spots of backscatter.
December 12, 2024 at 8:42 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
Two views of northern kelp crabs in #Humboldt tide pools for #Crustmas. 🦀🤿
View of a crab from underneath with its large claws pointing downward. The claws are mostly pink with a hint of blue along the top edge, and orange and white patches at the business end. The underside of the crab is bright red, and the mouthparts are white in the middle, red on the outside, and each side has two small black spots on the lower segment and one large brown patch on the upper segment. It is perched on a brown alga with a thick stem and many fronds along the edges. There is also gray gravel with encrusting pink algae on the large rocks. A view of the same species of crab as the other picture, but seen from above. The body is brown and shield-shaped - rounded at the back with a prominent point on each side, which stick out like pointed shoulders. Inward from these points the shell curves toward the crab's face where the shell forms a double-tipped point. Its relatively large claws are bright red, and are tucked under its face like it might be feeding. It is sitting on gray gravel and is facing the top of the frame.
December 11, 2024 at 7:19 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
I believe this is a fluffy sculpin (Oligocottus snyderi) in a #Humboldt tide pool for #Fishmas. 🐟🤿
A small fish with large eyes and a small mouth resting on the bottom in scattered gravel. It is facing at an angle from right to left in semi-profile. It is mostly brown with white mottling on its head, and larger white blotches running the length of its body. The fin rays under its chin are like long fingers and look kind of like the fleshy whiskers of a catfish, and they are pink and light blue. The background gravel is greenish gray with patches of red and pink encrusting algae. There are also three blades of marine grass at the top of the frame over the fish.
December 11, 2024 at 6:58 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
A Pacific rock crab in a #Humboldt tide pool for #Crustmas. 🦀🤿
A robust crab with stout claws resting on the bottom. Its back is heavily mottled in orange and black. Its claws are mottled in a more delicate orange and brown pattern. The tips of the claws are black. The legs are mostly pink with some white at the joints. The eyes are red. The margins of the back have nine tooth-like projections on each side. And there are numerous short hairs along the front margin. The background is gray gravel with a brown alga behind the crab, and another alga in the lower right. The crab's body is positioned from the lower left to the upper right and it is facing to the right.
December 10, 2024 at 8:42 PM
mikesidkelly.bsky.social
Today's #Fishmas entry is a cabezon in a #Humboldt tidepool at night. 🐟🤿🌙
A very colorful and heavily patterned fish resting on the bottom with its head to the right on a large gray rock, its mid-rection on gray gravel, and its back-end on another larger rock that is encrusted with red algae. The colors are a combination of yellow, pink, orange, brown and white. All of the colors other than the white are arranged as blotches all over the body and head. The white is mainly on the base and margins of the pectoral fin and anal fin. The eye is dark red with a lighter ring around the black pupil. The pectoral fin is large and fan-like, with several dark bands interspersed with different colors. The fish has two feathery projections above its eyes and a very large head. The area around the fish contains a lot of pink and brown algae, some other small organisms like anemones, and a large-ish round snail below the fish's head.
December 10, 2024 at 8:33 PM