My Nature Blog
We only had three opportunities to go rockpooling at low tides this trip. We made sure to return to Pirates Cove – partially due to the variety of sea anemones found here previously.
We had mixed success finding sea anemones. I found a solid variety in a small area, but struggled to get good photos. I’m not sure if my struggles were because the tide was so low or because we mostly explored the section close to the stairs.
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One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Apollo Bay was to check out the colonial ascidians. We’d had a lot of luck finding large and unusual ascidian colonies in the past. My knowledge has improved significantly so I was looking forward to finding more… and possibly getting up close photos of Cycloporus flatworms.
We struggled to find ascidians in the harbour this trip. Most rocks didn’t have any or only had small colonies. We did have some luck in a small section of the harbour and managed to find a solid variety.
This post collects a variety of Botryllus, Botrylloide and Didemnidae specimens. I’ve organized them according to visual differences. Many of them are likely to be the same species but I’m reluctant to categorize them. There are way too many unknowns.
[Read more…] about Multiple Colonial Ascidians in Apollo Bay Harbour
Last year we noticed that seals were often frequenting the Apollo Bay boat ramp and nearby rocks on the harbour. Most people respected the seals and gave them space. Some morons were getting dangerously close to the resting seal.
It had been about 15 months since our last visit. Since then, new fencing and signage had been installed warning people about the seals. We didn’t see any this week, which allowed us to properly explore the harbour.
[Read more…] about Seal Warning Signage At Apollo Bay Boat Ramp
It was our first full day in Apollo Bay – and our first decent low tide. Our first port of call was the harbour. Seth decided to go to the boat ramp first to see if there were any fish around.
I was busy looking for sea squirts when he said that he had found a nudibranch. I didn’t believe him at first. Surely we couldn’t find one that quickly, especially as we’ve been visiting Apollo Bay for years. How could we have not found any before?
I put it on Facebook and it was quickly identified as Tambja verconis.
[Read more…] about Verco’s Nudibranch At Apollo Bay Boat Ramp
I was so excited when Seth found this sea slug in Apollo Bay harbour. It would be our second nudibranch for this trip – and our fourth for this year!
I shared the images online and was told that it wasn’t a nudibranch. Instead, it was a sacoglossan sea slug known as Aplysiopsis formosa.
The MRG Pictorial Guide lists this as a pest species. However, I’m finding forum posts from 2002 saying that this “species is quite common in southeastern Australia.”
[Read more…] about Aplysiopsis Formosa At Apollo Bay Harbour