Marine Life, Phillip Colla Photography

The Red gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) is my favorite species of sea fan. I got some nice shots of red gorgonians at San Clemente Island a few weeks ago. Like the golden gorgonion alongside which it is commonly found, the elegant red gorgonian is a colonial invertebrate that grows on rocky temperate reefs at depths of 40′ to 200′. The seemingly delicate red gorgonian colonies, which reach about 3′ in size, sway gracefully with passing currents and swells. Each long thin strand in the colony is composed of calcium upon which hundreds of tiny polyps — individual animals — grow. The polyps look like small anemones which is not surprising as they are evolutionary cousins. The polyps extend their arms to grasp plankton and detritus that floats by in the current. The fan-shaped colony is usually oriented perpendicular to prevailing ocean currents to optimize this filter feeding.

Red gorgonian on rocky reef, below kelp forest, underwater. The red gorgonian is a filter-feeding temperate colonial species that lives on the rocky bottom at depths between 50 to 200 feet deep. Gorgonians are oriented at right angles to prevailing water currents to capture plankton drifting by. Image ID: 23420   Species: Red gorgonian, Giant kelp, Lophogorgia chilensis, Macrocystis pyrifera Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

Red gorgonian. Image ID: 00616   Species: Red gorgonian, Lophogorgia chilensis Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

Red gorgonian polyps. The red gorgonian is a colonial organism composed of thousands of tiny polyps. Each polyp secretes calcium which accumulates to form the structure of the colony. The fan-shaped gorgonian is oriented perpendicular to prevailing ocean currents to better enable to filter-feeding polyps to capture passing plankton and detritus passing by. Image ID: 03480   Species: Red gorgonian, Lophogorgia chilensis Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

Simnia and egg cluster on red gorgonian. Image ID: 01983   Species: Simnia, Delonovolva aequalis, Lophogorgia chilensis Location: Anacapa Island, California, USA

See my full collection of photos of red gorgonians and photos of Lophogorgia chilensis.

Keywords: red gorgonian, Lophogorgia chilensis, underwater, California, sea fan.

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The California golden gorgonian (Muricea californica) is a common gorgonian species in southern California. It is typically found growing on rocky reefs from 40′ to 200′ deep. The California golden gorgonian is a colonial organism composed of thousands of individual polyps, each of which secretes calcium to form the structure of the colony. The individual polyps feed on plankton and detritus floating by in the current. The fan-shaped colony is usually oriented perpendicular to prevailing ocean currents to optimize this filter feeding. Most of my photos of California golden gorgonians were taken at San Clemente Island and Catalina Island, two of the beautiful Channel Islands offshore of southern California.

Garibaldi and golden gorgonian, with a underwater forest of giant kelp rising in the background, underwater. Image ID: 23432   Species: Garibaldi, Hypsypops rubicundus Location: Catalina Island, California, USA

California Golden gorgonian polyps. The golden gorgonian is a colonial organism composed of thousands of tiny polyps. Each polyp secretes calcium which accumulates to form the structure of the colony. The fan-shaped gorgonian is oriented perpendicular to prevailing ocean currents to better enable to filter-feeding polyps to capture passing plankton and detritus passing by. Image ID: 03481   Species: California golden gorgonian, Muricea californica Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

California Golden gorgonian in kelp forest. Image ID: 03486   Species: California golden gorgonian, Muricea californica, Macrocystis pyrifera Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

California golden gorgonian on rocky reef, below kelp forest, underwater. The golden gorgonian is a filter-feeding temperate colonial species that lives on the rocky bottom at depths between 50 to 200 feet deep. Each individual polyp is a distinct animal, together they secrete calcium that forms the structure of the colony. Gorgonians are oriented at right angles to prevailing water currents to capture plankton drifting by. Image ID: 23439   Species: California golden gorgonian, Giant kelp, Muricea californica, Macrocystis pyrifera Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

Garibaldi and California golden gorgonians on rocky reef, below kelp forest, underwater. The golden gorgonian is a filter-feeding temperate colonial species that lives on the rocky bottom at depths between 50 to 200 feet deep. Each individual polyp is a distinct animal, together they secrete calcium that forms the structure of the colony. Gorgonians are oriented at right angles to prevailing water currents to capture plankton drifting by. Image ID: 23443   Species: California golden gorgonian, Garibaldi, Muricea californica, Hypsypops rubicundus Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

See my full collection of photos of California golden gorgonians and photos of Muricea californica.

Keywords: California golden gorgonian, Muricea californica, underwater, California, sea fan.

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The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific recently arranged to use one of our photographs of the tiny Corynactis californica anemone for a huge wall mural, to be hung in the coming month. It reminded me of how cool these small creatures are, and how many times I have hunkered down on the reef to spend a dive photographing them.

The club-tipped anemone, or corynactis anemone (Corynactis californica), is common in the nearshore environment in Southern California and Baja California. Its range extends north to at least Washington. Corynactis californica is not a true anemone, but rather a Corallimorph cnidarian. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these corallimorphs is that their tentacles, which are not fully retractable, end in knobs resembling clubs (hence the name club-tipped anemone). Corallimorphs have a number of physiological similarities to hard corals but lack the hard coral skeletons of corals. The corynactis anemone is often found in large groups covering rocks, wrecks, piers and other hard substrate to which it can cling. These groups take on beautiful colors: pink, red, orange, blue, purple. Corynactis californica can reproduce asexually by longitudinal fission in which case all clones will take on the same color.

Polyp of a strawberry anemone (club-tipped anemone, more correctly a corallimorph). San Miguel Island, California, USA. Image: 01039   Species: Corynactis californica	Strawberry anemones (club-tipped anemones, more correctly corallimorphs). Scripps Canyon, La Jolla, California, USA. Image: 02487   Species: Corynactis californica	A cluster of vibrantly-colored strawberry anemones (club-tipped anemone, more correctly a corallimorph) polyps clings to the rocky reef. Santa Barbara Island, California, USA. Image: 10165   Species: Corynactis californica

Keywords: club-tipped anemone, corynactis anemone, Corynactis californica, corallimorph.

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Boat strikes of marine animals are increasingly common, for obvious reasons. It is disappointing to observe a marine animal severely or mortally wounded by a collision with a boat. We have encountered several marine animals bearing unmistakable boat propeller scars:

North Pacific humpback whale showing extensive scarring, almost certainly from a boat propeller, on dorsal ridge. Maui, Hawaii, USA. Image: 05910   Species: Megaptera novaeangliae See usage restrictions

Ocean sunfish injured by boat prop with cleaner fishes, open ocean, Baja California. Image: 06410   Species: Mola mola	Gray whale dorsal aspect showing injury/wound/indentation likely caused by boat, Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California. Image: 06426   Species: Eschrichtius robustus	West Indian manatee. Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida, USA. Image: 02651   Species: Trichechus manatus

See more boat strike and propeller scar photos.

Keywords: propeller scar photo, boat strike, injury, photograph, boat collision.

The humpback whale photograph was taken during Hawaii Whale Research Foundation research activities conducted under provisions of NOAA / NMFS and State of Hawaii scientific research permits.

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The California sheephead wrasse, Semicossyphus pulcher, is an interesting fish. It begins its life as a female and remains so until adulthood. When the region’s dominant adult male dies or leaves then switcheroo! one of the remaining adult females will switch genders to assume the role of dominant male of the reef. Note the distinctly different colorations of the juvenile, female and dominant male sheephead wrasses below:

Juvenile sheephead, Farnsworth Banks. Catalina Island, California, USA. Image: 05184   Species: Semicossyphus pulcher Location: Catalina Island, California, USA View this Image in Google Earth!

Juvenile sheephead wrasse. Image: 08647   Species: Semicossyphus pulcher

Sheephead wrasse, adult male coloration (a juvenile or female is partially seen to the right). Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico. Image: 09624   Species: Semicossyphus pulcher Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico View this Image in Google Earth!

Keywords: California sheephead wrasse photo, Semicossyphus pulcher, gender change, underwater photo, Guadalupe Island.

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