Category Archives: Marine Invertebrates

The brown and the gray

A praying mantis and it's shadow in Hawaii
A Praying Mantis casts a its shadow on a rail.

This month’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Any shade of brown and/or gray.’ See more responses here.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Shadows. See more responses here.

A black and white image of grid shadows in Hawaii
Grill shadows.
A Reticulated Cowrie in the waters off Hawaii
A Reticulated Cowry.
A harrowed field in Hawaii
A newly-harrowed field in North Kohala.
Wooden handles on a door in Kapaau, Hawaii
Door handles in Kapaau.
Brown moss or lichen growing on a tree in Hawaii
Growth on a tree trunk. Not sure if this is moss or lichen or something else!
A sonoran carpenter bee near a sign in Hawaii
A Sonoran Carpenter Bee confirms that it’s not forbidden to drill nest holes in the fence.

Pallid Ghost Crab

A Pallid Ghost Crab on the beach at Kawaihae, Hawaii

I was looking for shadow photo opportunities one late afternoon when I spotted this Pallid Ghost Crab on a small beach at Kawaihae. It fit the bill and when they’re stationary a photo is easy to take, but when they move they’re practically a blur!

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Shadows. See more responses here.

Claws and hooves

A Green Anole on a roof in Hawaii
A Green Anole on a metal roof. They can climb metal walls using their claws.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Hooves and Claws.’ See more responses here. First claws.

An A'ama crab in Hawaii
An A’ama crab uses its claws to grip the rocks.

Then hooves.

A Goat on a rock in Hawaii
A goat on a rock.
A bull and cattle egret in Hawaii
A bull with attendant Cattle Egret.

Also Posted for Becky’s Squares: Shadows. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #96

The space tracking station near South Point.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 218. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A fireweed control moth (Secusio extensa)
Two Pacific Day Octopuses.
A bee clambers out of a water cooler after collecting water for the hive.
The beach at Keawaiki.
A Monk Seal and pup at Kekaha Kai.
A tug and barge entering Kawaihae harbor.

The Numbers Game #93

A Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron fishes
A juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron fishing.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 215. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A cow and calf next to a road in North Kohala
Mother and child on the loose!
The lone palm at Keawaiki stands out against a cloudy sky.
A lonesome palm.
Helmet urchins on the North Kohala coast
Helmet Urchins.
A hibiscus tiliaceus at the Golden Ponds of Keawaiki on The Big Island of Hawaii
Hibiscus tiliaceus flowers, which change from yellow to red during the day.
Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A dead tree in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The Numbers Game #89

An A’ama Crab molt.
Grasshopper on a windscreen.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 211. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The Kohala Welcome Center under a full moon.
Zebra Doves grooming.
A Flowery Flounder swimming.
Whitemouth Moray Eel.
Horses by the sea.

Yellow Acorn Worm

The casts of Yellow Acorn Worms in the waters off Hawaii

I took this photo when I saw what looked to me like a couple of brains resting on this sandy bottom. In fact they’re the castings of a Yellow Acorn Worm. These worms live under the sand and filter it to extract organic matter. The mounds are what’s left after this process.

I’m not likely to ever see, let alone photograph, an acorn worm. If they are dug up, the mass of sand inside them often causes their thin-walled bodies to burst!