Isla San Francisco, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Today we visited Isla San Jose in the morning, and Isla San Francisco in the afternoon. Tidepooling in the latter island was quite interesting, as we saw a variety of invertebrates under many of the rocks exposed by the low tide. Among them were a number of worms, especially the fire worm Nereis, who with its silica setae can burn your hand if touched. Even the humble hermit crab made an appearance eliciting exclamations from many of us, as it peeked out of a borrowed shell. Among the higher invertebrates were a good variety of sea stars with different arm numbers, as well as sea cucumbers, both of which are considered to be the precursors to vertebrates. A few small rockfish were seen, as well as a great variety of gastropods or seashells, mostly hiding under rocks for protection against desiccation. Later that afternoon we had a delicious barbecue at the beach, with a campfire and story telling.
Today we visited Isla San Jose in the morning, and Isla San Francisco in the afternoon. Tidepooling in the latter island was quite interesting, as we saw a variety of invertebrates under many of the rocks exposed by the low tide. Among them were a number of worms, especially the fire worm Nereis, who with its silica setae can burn your hand if touched. Even the humble hermit crab made an appearance eliciting exclamations from many of us, as it peeked out of a borrowed shell. Among the higher invertebrates were a good variety of sea stars with different arm numbers, as well as sea cucumbers, both of which are considered to be the precursors to vertebrates. A few small rockfish were seen, as well as a great variety of gastropods or seashells, mostly hiding under rocks for protection against desiccation. Later that afternoon we had a delicious barbecue at the beach, with a campfire and story telling.
