The Red Octopus: Masters of Mimicry

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Truly a great find yesterday while tidepooling at Davenport Landing, Octopus rubenscens, the red octopus! Watch closely and you will see that it’s spotted appearance mimics the bits of shell that are adhering to the sea anemones in the background. The spots disappear for a moment and the body develops a deep red hue as it passes over a patch of purple urchins then quickly develops the molted spots as it nears the shell laden anemones again. Incredible.
Octopus are masters of disguise and accomplish their pigment changes using chromatophores,1000’s of color cells that are embedded in their skin. By expanding or contracting these sacs of pigment they can instantaneously alter their color to match their surroundings. They may even morph the texture of their skin to mimic algae, rocks or coral.

Man in The Gray Suit

http://www.bluewaterventures.org.

A budding shark enthusiast, a mere 10 years of age and part of my Marine Science Camp excitedly shared a memorable factoid with me a few years ago. “Ya know Kim, you are more likely to die from a toilet seat whirling through the air than a shark”.
I suppose this fact may be true if you reside in Kansas but not if you kayak the open coast of Central California from Davenport to Santa Cruz. Today we set off on such an adventure, part of a staff enrichment paddle with Blue Water Ventures. Armed with a marine radio, compass, extra fleece and a cell phone, 3 of my seasoned guides and a Blue Water fan set off on a 15 mile paddle along the rugged California Coast.

The coastal scenery was spectacular. Sea caves, arches and rocky pour overs dotted the coastline. Paddling a mile or so offshore we admired the scenery from a far keeping a safe distance from a menacing surf zone. We hoped to encounter a few California Gray Whales as they make their perilous journey from the calving lagoons of Baja to their rich feeding grounds of Alaska. While several whales surfaced at close range, our real focus was to keep upright as falling seas lunged us forward and chaotic wind swell hit our kayaks broad side. We were slightly gripped, thirsty yet unquenched as we made our steady path down the coast. Four women focused and alert engulfed in blue seas.

Then a stealthy shape silently appeared slicing across the chaotic seas gliding along side us for a few seconds then disappearing. The Man in the Gray Suit, a real buzz kill, an uninvited guest and an apex predator, The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias decided to crash our training. Our guess is that our little friend sporting the gray suit just cruised by mildly curious. Like most white shark encounters with humans, our visitor directed its attention elsewhere. An excited sea lion porpoised moments later, perhaps escaping the jaws of the shark or providing a meal.
Admittedly, there was a sigh of relief as we tucked around Seal Rock and enjoyed a relaxing observation of a sea otter mom and her pup wrapped up in kelp.

Tidepooling Field Trip, Natural Bridges Santa Cruz, CA

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Join the naturalist of Blue Water Ventures as we explore and discuss the tidepools of California’s Central Coast. Discover how tides work, how beaches form and about the survival strategies of intertidal inhabitants. Activities may include collecting data from designated study sites, line transects and a beach discovery walk. As professional educators, we know how to design educational and fun activities to the appropriate age level.