Today at the TidePools

Do you love the sea? Do you enjoy sharing your passion for the environment? Do you enjoy working with families, children and the general public? Are you interested in learning about and sharing your knowledge of tidepool wildlife, geology, and/or ecology?

Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego’s only unit of the National Park System, invites you to help protect the monument’s popular tidepool area as a Volunteer-In-Park (VIP). 

VIPs in the Tidepool Protection, Education and Restoration Program (TPERP) help the National Park Service protect this intricate, fragile area by educating visitors and helping them to create their own personal connections with this fascinating environment.

This keyhole is a living animal from the sea.  Megathura crenulate is the scientific name for the Giant Keyhole limpet.   The Giant Keyhole limpet’s shell length can grow up to four inches yet the animal itself is always too big for its shell, and extends beyond the shell.  The shell is usually light tan in color, and has a rough texture.  The limpet itself is much different in color than the shell.  The mantle may be gray with stripes and/or spots with the shade of most any darker color, and the large muscular foot of the limpet is bright yellow.  Limpets are related to sea snails, abalones, mussels, and sea hares. The limpet eats algae tunicates, and sponges by scraping them off rocks with their radula. Giant keyhole limpets are really amazing animals!

Some kinda snail I found…

This  is a Brooding Sea Ananamea (yeah i know but google cant spell it either)so called because if you look really close you can see small bumps on it. Those are its babies.

Check this out! I have lived here for like what 18 years and this is the first time I have ever seen a US Navy Submarine.