Aerial Photo of the West End of Catalina Island, California. Lush kelp forests line the rocky coastline here. Eagle Rock appears at the right.
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39482
Golden gorgonian on underwater rocky reef, amid kelp forest, near Eagle Rock, Catalina Island. 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.
Species: California Golden Gorgonian, Muricea californica
Image ID: 37135
Kelp holdfast secures the kelp to the submarine rocky reef near Eagle Rock, West End, Catalina Island.
Species: Giant Kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Image ID: 37133