I don’t recognise this sea star. Superficially, external aboral surface features resemble Asterias rubens, common sea star from Europe.
The only Sth Australian possibility may be Uniophora granifera, but the pattern of the tubercles and papillae do not match.
Clearer photos will be taken of both sides on another example of this pelty sea star from Coffin Bay.
Exciting to find some of these washed up. There were many small ones and a few large ones, mainly at this beach and breaker bay. Hardly any on the reserve side of the south coast.
I took some home for photos. They have a crazy radula. I also saw them scoop with their foot to grab air bubbles. Such amazing snails.
Under driftwood in marram dunes, just above high tide mark
Manukau Harbour seashore at the eastern end of Sandy Bay (Gittos Domain), Blockhouse Bay, Auckland.
On the underside of a high-intertidal rock.
Titirangi, Auckland.
Zigzag Track, in Atkinson Park.
Is this Pascula palmeri? Looking for ID for Reef Life Survey database. 13 m water depth, 25 mm long
Albino!
About 15 cm long. Two washed up on beach, one looked dead, this was the other. Secreting purple blood/ink?
An amazing glass squid. When I disturbed it it would tuck in its tentacles and eyes, and even its fins and show big spots. So cool. The area around the brain was brightly iridescent. There are very faint long tubercles around the mantle if that helps with species id.
Really hard to get nice shots with a compact camera sadly.
~2.5cm long
Many hundreds of snails in the lower half of the intertidal zone at night.
Found mid shore in large numbers on washed up kelp.
2 of these red types were noticed amongst thousands of blues
I found the cowry during low tide on the beach in Henderson. It's 57 mm long, width 36 mm.If it isn't from NZ, it came a long way? On the other hand: warmer oceans and temperatures make a difference to biodiversity.
From a handful of beach sand at the high tide line on the main beach of the small bay.
1mm grid.
On top of the rock, intertidal
Another one that looks like https://inaturalist.nz/observations/161763505. I'm only uploading the duplicates because of the uncertainty about what these are and hoping that the different views of different animals might eventually help with an ID. Assuming they are gastropods at this stage while recognising that they may not be.
From a handful of beach sand at the high tide line on the island.
1mm grid
edge of pond under rushes
A few individuals were seen at same location. Found in
Shallow subtidal on soft sediment substrate.
On the beach (sandy)
Cool to see this species finally. I've been searching for quite a bit.
There were at least 7 or 8 within a large Amathia wilsoni bush. I always search through this exact bryozoan here so they may have just popped up. Eggs were also present. I also saw another individual on a separate bush.
~0.5-0.8cm long
~2 & 3m subtidal
This is my second one of these. There was also another one in the bag for this date but unfortunately it was broken. I'm very happy to have two good ones (sa https://inaturalist.nz/observations/151690092).
5mm grid.
First image: Athoracophorus bitentaculatus at rest, unaware of the fact that a flatworm is on its heels, following its mucus trail.
Second image: The flatworm has caught up with the slug and pounces on its prey. The slug shows a surprisingly quick reaction and immediately elongates its body in an attempt to escape, albeit at a sluggish pace. Which is a bit faster than I would have imagined.
And just when I thought the slug was done for, it pulled one out of the hat: the BASE-jumper move! Without parachute, it let itself fall off the tree into the leaf-litter below.
The flatworm looked left and right, seemingly confused by the sudden disappearance of its prey, then showed some superior intelligence. Applying some basic notions of physics, it reasoned that if it let itself fall off the tree also, it would land in exactly the same place. And so it did!
Upon landing in the leaf-litter on the forest floor however the flatworm appeared disoriented and was unable to locate the slug again. With that BASE-jumper move, the slug may have just pulled off the narrowest of all escapes!
Trawled in 450m depth, in sea area '1956' (29.5°N,127.5°E~30°N,128°E), on sunken wood.
Year and month correct only. Rare in subalpine shrubland. Un-named taxon.
14 to 15m deep on channel wall in sponge garden.
17m depth near a Conger eel hole.
Counted about 10 on a small sandy ledge about 15cm square.
The mysterious blob! Just saw one washed up. I took some closeups of the structures in my aquarium. It looks like eggs to me. I'll try to see if anything grows/hatches.
Other observations of this thing:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/140740692
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/143631570
~2.5cm diameter
Abundant and small here with some barrens. Hardly any kina 200m South. I suspect human predation is suppressing barrens.
I assume these are tuatua rather than toheroa. Heaps washed in along the high tide mark
Not totally sure what this is. Found it at low tide today with a hermit crab next to it which had likely been pulled out by gulls
Tonna attacking Stichopus sea cucumber at night. As he extended his proboscis around the sea cucumber, the cucumber shed its skin on two sides of its body and slipped away, releasing its grip on the bottom and floating away in the surge. The Tonna was left with two flaps of tough skin that it did not eat (second photo).
Very happy to find this one. Was just at the edge of a random overhang quite deep.
Interesting that it was almost exactly a year ago these were last seen around here.
~1cm long
~3m subtidal
Outer Waitemata Harbour seashore, in the vicinity of Hobson Point, Orakei, Auckland. On the underside of a rock on an intertidal reef.
Plenty under rocks all round. Tried a new technique to get even closer pics.
Trying to id the thing on a stalk in front of the fish's head. Not sure what kingdom - guessing an animal.