Emily Martinek and family were visiting parents Claire Skilton and Bill Ranseen. Claire wrote, “We had a very successful trip to the tidepools: Gulls feasting on Abalone, Sea Urchins with spines, the tiniest Hermit Crab ever, Chitons, Sea Anemones…thrills galore!”  Emily and her young daughters, Colette and Katherine, noticed an unusual creature. Claire wrote further, “Emily is sending you a photo of a strange-to-us tidepool critter. Maybe you know it.”

I didn’t know what it was, but Bob Van Syoc came to the rescue. He wrote, “The little green critter is an Isopod in the genus Pentidotea…probably Pentidotea resecata, the Eelgrass Isopod. They tend to take on the color of the plants they eat, so some are greenish, some reddish, and some brownish.  The sharp tips of their legs function nicely for gripping eelgrass or algae or your finger!”

I didn’t hear of any pinched fingers, so it sounds like Colette and Katherine were looking and not touching, a good idea when exploring the tidepools.

Thanks to Emily for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's sunny or foggy depending on where you are, but the constant today is the WIND!