nightlighting 23 July 2008
Jul. 24th, 2008 08:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jinianAcorn worm update: It is not the same kind of hemichordate that researchers here had in the lab, so its provenance is being investigated by detailed sectioning.
"Nightlighting" is the charming practice of taking the Labs' two underwater lanterns, hanging them in the water next to the docks until after dark, and lying on your belly watching the animals come to investigate. And, of course, taking pictures.
(I'll upload these at original quality if there's a request.)
Plankton just swarms around the lights, and of course opportunists like these shrimp are all over a temporary density increase. The red things coming off the top of the lantern are zip ties.
Last night was an amazing night for squid! We saw several, including a 6-inch-plus reddish one that stayed fairly deep and this one, which hung around for an hour despite being scooped up and put back a couple of times.
A scooped squid friend, who was kept in a 2-gallon jar in a sea table for a while today until it was keyed out, then returned to the docks. (Not sure what its name turned out to be, but look at the pretty.)
I didn't actually have the wrist strap put onto the new camera yet last night, so pics over the water are few as yet. This last one is a ctenophore, a basal metazoan with some disagreement about just how basal it is. It's not a jellyfish; it moves using 8 rows of cilia (they iridesce in the right conditions, which I didn't see) -- the largest form of life to do so. This one has sticky but non-stinging tentacles.
Tomorrow: Going out on the boat again in the morning to dredge for animals for my own real live project. Molgula pugetiensis and possibly M. taylori are around here, and it would be, well, more fun than helpful, but still cool to have them on board.
"Nightlighting" is the charming practice of taking the Labs' two underwater lanterns, hanging them in the water next to the docks until after dark, and lying on your belly watching the animals come to investigate. And, of course, taking pictures.
(I'll upload these at original quality if there's a request.)
Plankton just swarms around the lights, and of course opportunists like these shrimp are all over a temporary density increase. The red things coming off the top of the lantern are zip ties.
Last night was an amazing night for squid! We saw several, including a 6-inch-plus reddish one that stayed fairly deep and this one, which hung around for an hour despite being scooped up and put back a couple of times.
A scooped squid friend, who was kept in a 2-gallon jar in a sea table for a while today until it was keyed out, then returned to the docks. (Not sure what its name turned out to be, but look at the pretty.)
I didn't actually have the wrist strap put onto the new camera yet last night, so pics over the water are few as yet. This last one is a ctenophore, a basal metazoan with some disagreement about just how basal it is. It's not a jellyfish; it moves using 8 rows of cilia (they iridesce in the right conditions, which I didn't see) -- the largest form of life to do so. This one has sticky but non-stinging tentacles.
Tomorrow: Going out on the boat again in the morning to dredge for animals for my own real live project. Molgula pugetiensis and possibly M. taylori are around here, and it would be, well, more fun than helpful, but still cool to have them on board.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 04:07 am (UTC)Random aquatic invertebrates FTW! :-)
no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 04:39 am (UTC)How's this for an explanation of #3?
no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-27 07:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-28 03:41 am (UTC)