totallystrange's Identifications

Common Name: Coil worm, dextral spiral tube worm
Location found: tide pool, attached to a rock, found alive
Habitat Types: Typically found on the surface of algae (often found on eelgrass), or attached to a hard substrate. Found in the littoral zone.
Physical description: Color ranges from white to cream. Can grow to 6.4 mm in diameter.
Fun fact: Closely related to Spirorbis spirorbis, the sinistral spiral tube worm. However, S. spirillum coils counterclockwise (from the head end) while S. spirorbis coils clockwise.
Reference: Pollock, Leland W. "A Practical Guide to Marine Animals of Northeastern North America." Rutgers University Press, 1998, p. 199-201.

Spirorbis borealis, commonly known as the sinstral spiral tube worm, is found on sublittorally on both coasts of the north Atlantic typically growing on rocks, seaweeds, and shells. This set of individuals were found on a rock located in the intertidal zone. This species is known for the small off-white calcareous tube into which they retreat when above water. This tube is typically around 5 mm in diameter, forming a flat, counter clockwise spiral coil. A fun fact about this species is that it is a hermaphrodite, the organism's front segments being female and the back segments being male

References:
Martinez, Andrew. Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape May. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. 1994.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirorbis_borealis

Scientific name:Spirorbis borealis

Common name:sinistral spiral tubeworm

Location:Found in intertidalzone at East point, Nahant, MA, United States

Distinguishing feature: very small, unridged, off-white, calcareous tube. This is about five millimetres in diameter and forms a flat, clockwise spiral coil as seen from above. The worm retreats into its tube when above water but under water can be seen to have green tentacles

Location found: These Sinistral Spiral Tube Worms were found on rock surfaces in tidal pools at the easternmost tip of Nahant, MA.

Habitat types: Their range extends from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Cod, and they can be found intertidally on seaweed fronds or hard surfaces.

Physical description: The Sinistral Spiral Tube Worm is a small snail-like tube that adheres to seaweeds and hard surfaces. As it grows, it coils counterclockwise from the opening to the center of the coil. The head has one modified tentacle that serves as an operculum. Color is whitish, max size is 3mm.

Fun fact: Unlike most polychaete worms, it is hermaphroditic: male gonads in the rear section of abdomen, female gonads in front section.

Martinez, Andrew. Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape May. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. 1994.

Common name: sinistral spiral tube worm
Location found: Tide pool, attached to a small rock, found alive
Habitat types: Found on hard substrates such as rocks and shells; epiphytic on algae (often found on eelgrass)
Physical description: can grow to about 3 mm in diameter. White or cream-colored.
Fun fact: Closely related to Spirorbis spirillum (dextral spiral tube worm). S. spirorbis curves in a clockwise direction (from the head), while S. spirillum curves counterclockwise.

This blue mussel was found along the rocky intertidal zone of Boothbay, Maine. They are generally found in muddy gravel from Greenland to North Carolina. The shell is oval and thick, and its beaks are close to the front end. The center of the valves is smooth while the remainder of the surface is covered with concentric lines that are crossed with many fine ribs. A fun fact is that since it is a burrowing mussel it prefers a soft bottom. (Marine Life of the North Atlantic, Andrew J. Martinez)

This sea star was found while scuba diving off of Canoe Beach in Nahant. They are generally found inter tidally on rock, sand and gravel bottoms from Massachusetts to Texas. They have four arms but can be seen with up to five or seven. They are stout and blunt at the tips with a moderately sized central disc that is often dome shaped. The dorsal side is rough with spines of various sizes and underneath each arm is a row of tube feet. This species can also be identified by its orange madreporite. A fun fact is that this sea star everts its stomach and excretes digestive juices.
(Marine Life of the North Atlantic, Andrew J. Martinez)

Spirorbis borealis, commonly known as the sinstral spiral tube worm, is found on sublittorally on both coasts of the north Atlantic typically growing on rocks, seaweeds, and shells. This set of individuals were found on a rock located in the intertidal zone. This species is known for the small off-white calcareous tube into which they retreat when above water. This tube is typically around 5 mm in diameter, forming a flat, counter clockwise spiral coil. A fun fact about this species is that it is a hermaphrodite, the organism's front segments being female and the back segments being male

References:
Martinez, Andrew. Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape May. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. 1994.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirorbis_borealis

Commonly called the portly spider crab or nine-spined spider crab. Found alive at Canoe Beach in Nahant attached to algae wrack on the beach. Typically found hidden amongst algae at depths up to 150 feet deep. Individuals are triangular in shape, can be up to 1 foot long, and are tan in color. They can be distinguished from similar species by the 9 spines along the center of their carapace. They are a decorator crab and will cover themselves in algae and other objects as camouflage (Marine Life of the North Atlantic by Andrew J. Martinez).

Scientific name:Spirorbis borealis

Common name:sinistral spiral tubeworm

Location:Found in intertidalzone at East point, Nahant, MA, United States

Distinguishing feature: very small, unridged, off-white, calcareous tube. This is about five millimetres in diameter and forms a flat, clockwise spiral coil as seen from above. The worm retreats into its tube when above water but under water can be seen to have green tentacles

Scientific name:Lunatia heros

Common name:Northern Moonsnail

Location:Found when scuba diving at Canoe beach, Nahant, MA, United States (average depth was 16ft)

Distinguishing feature:Northern Moonsnails can reach the size of 4in. They are distinguished by its opening umbilicus, and their colors range from gray to tan.

Scientific name:Homarus americanus

Common name:American Lobster, Northern Lobster, Maine Lobster

Location:Found when scuba diving at Canoe beach, Nahant, MA, United States

Distinguishing feature:Homarus americanus has a hard exoskeleton that is brown to olive green, flecked with red, orange, and/or brown. It can grow up to 60 cm in length and weigh over 18 kg. It has five walking legs, including large claws. It also has two antennae, many pleopods on the abdomen, a tail with a central telson, and four fins or uropods (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada).

Common name: Acadian Hermit Crab
Location found: This crab was found in the rocky intertidal zone at Canoe Beach, Nahant, MA.
Habitat types: They are found on gravel or rocky bottoms of tide pools from the Arctic to Chesapeake Bay. (Martinez, 2003)
Physical description: The species was identified based on the orange stripe down the middle of the crab's claws. The hermit crab's shell was about 2-3 cm in length.
Fun fact: Hermit crabs oftentimes have growths of algae on their shells and can sometimes have symbiotic relationships with other organisms like anemones. (https://www.thoughtco.com/fun-facts-about-hermit-crabs-2291854)

This species can be found all along the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. They have a hard white-gray oblong shell and are heavily farmed in aquaculture.

Fun fact: a single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water in 24 hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_oyster

This common slipper snail was found dead during a dive in Maine in East Boothbay at Grimes Cove.

The common slipper snail is identified compared to the white slipper snail (Crepidula plana) by coloration and size/shape. The common slipper snail has a much higher arch, is purple and yellow both on the outside and inside of the shell, and is usually much larger in surface area as well. Common slipper snails also have thicker shells with a pale white shelf-like structure, as seen in the picture. In white slipper snails, this shelf is much smaller if present at all, and they are almost completely flat and entirely white.

Individuals of this species are sequentially hermaphroditic, meaning that they begin as males and eventually become females. This species is often found in stacks attached to each other, with the largest at the bottom being a female, and the rest being males. Once the bottom female dies, is removed, or the males get detached through other means, the bottom male will become a female.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/slipper-shell

Common Name: Soft-Shelled Clam

Found in Ipswich, MA in the Great Marsh area. Found in the shallow water on top of the muddy substrate.

Habitat: Generally found on mudflats intertidally from Arctic to North Carolina.

Physical Description: Common bivalve with, when alive, noticable gap between valves at posterior end. Shell is white to gray in color. Can grow up to 4 inches.

Fun Fact: Anthropogenic pollutants have made some clam flats unsafe for harvest and human consumption of these popular "steamers"

Source: Marine Life of the North Atlantic Field Guide App - Martinez

Location found: These Sinistral Spiral Tube Worms were found on rock surfaces in tidal pools at the easternmost tip of Nahant, MA.

Habitat types: Their range extends from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Cod, and they can be found intertidally on seaweed fronds or hard surfaces.

Physical description: The Sinistral Spiral Tube Worm is a small snail-like tube that adheres to seaweeds and hard surfaces. As it grows, it coils counterclockwise from the opening to the center of the coil. The head has one modified tentacle that serves as an operculum. Color is whitish, max size is 3mm.

Fun fact: Unlike most polychaete worms, it is hermaphroditic: male gonads in the rear section of abdomen, female gonads in front section.

Martinez, Andrew. Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape May. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. 1994.

Common Names: yellow periwinkle, smooth periwinkle
Location found: large rock covered with algae (including Fucus spp.), found alive
Habitat types: Found in the rocky intertidal and on surfaces covered with algae, especially Ascophyllum nodosum.
Physical description: Grows to 12.7 mm. Flat spire, top of shell is round. Color ranges from brown to olive green to yellow, but may also be orange or black.
Fun fact: Color is more yellow in clear, marine habitats, and darker in stagnant or brackish water.
References: Pollock, Leland W. A Practical Guide to the Marine Animals of Northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press, 1998, pp. 123-124.
Weiss, Howard M. Marine Animals of Southern New England and New York. State Geological and Natural Histort Survey of Conncecticut, Hartford, Connecticut, 1995, p. 7.05

Common name: sinistral spiral tube worm
Location found: Tide pool, attached to a small rock, found alive
Habitat types: Found on hard substrates such as rocks and shells; epiphytic on algae (often found on eelgrass)
Physical description: can grow to about 3 mm in diameter. White or cream-colored.
Fun fact: Closely related to Spirorbis spirillum (dextral spiral tube worm). S. spirorbis curves in a clockwise direction (from the head), while S. spirillum curves counterclockwise.

Common Name: Coil worm, dextral spiral tube worm
Location found: tide pool, attached to a rock, found alive
Habitat Types: Typically found on the surface of algae (often found on eelgrass), or attached to a hard substrate. Found in the littoral zone.
Physical description: Color ranges from white to cream. Can grow to 6.4 mm in diameter.
Fun fact: Closely related to Spirorbis spirorbis, the sinistral spiral tube worm. However, S. spirillum coils counterclockwise (from the head end) while S. spirorbis coils clockwise.
Reference: Pollock, Leland W. "A Practical Guide to Marine Animals of Northeastern North America." Rutgers University Press, 1998, p. 199-201.

Common Name: Atlantic surf clam
Location Found: sandy beach, found dead
Habitat Types: Found in sandy and muddy substrates from the subtidal to 100 feet (31 m) depth.
Physical Characteristics: Shells heavy and relatively triangular. Strong hinge, large, triangular chondrophore. Shell is yellowish white, periostracum ranges from olive to black. Can grow to a length of 20 cm and a height of 14 cm.
Fun fact: S. solidissima is used by humans for canning and as bait for fish.
References: Martinez, Andrew J. "Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape May." Aqua Quest Publications, 2010, pp. 134-135.

Common Names: Atlantic Razor Clam
Location Found: on the beach, among other shells and algae, shell was empty
Habitat Types: found on sand flats, from low-tide line to shallow water
Physical Description: long posterior tooth and 2 vertical cardinal teeth, shell is white and the periostracum is brownish green, can grow up to 25cm long
Fun Fact: This species of clam is hard to catch because of how quickly they can burrow into the bay bottom!
Source: 'Marine Life of the North Atlantic' - Andrew J. Martinez
Barnegat Bay Shellfish - http://barnegatshellfish.org/clams01.htm

The common names of this species are troll hair or sea felt. This species was found in a free floating mat while scuba diving. The habitat that it is usually found in is on rocks, free floating or epiphytically on other algae. It commonly grows on rock weed and can be found in the intertidal on protected shorelines and estuaries. The algae ranges from the Artic Ocean to Russia to southern California to southern Australia. The thallus consists of many fine filaments, which gives the species an appearance of dense matted hair out of the water and fluffy in the water. The filaments are highly branched, but a microscope is needed to see the opposite branching pattern. A fun fact is that reproductive cells can sometimes be seen characteristically along the filament instead of at the tip. Information from: https://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/sea-felt-bull-pylaiella-littoralis.html