Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch

Posted on April 18, 2025 by tspuckler

While doing some San Francisco Area tidepooling, we came across a few examples of this colorful creature. This pink nudibranch brightens local tide pools. Nudibranchs, also called sea slugs, are sea snails without a shell.

This stunning creature is named for its vibrant, rosy-pink coloration, which it gets from its diet of pink encrusting bryozoans, just like flamingos get their flamboyant pink hue from the shrimp they eat. The Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch is found in the intertidal zone, where it can be seen on rocks, pilings, and other hard surfaces.

It is most common in the warmer waters of Southern California, but its range extends from Northern Baja California, Mexico, to the lower Oregon coast. Historically, it was rare to see Hopkin’s rose nudibranchs north of San Francisco, but in recent years they have become more common in southern Oregon.

Many nudibranchs wear bright colors that may warn predators that they taste bitter or foul. Usually the only animals that eat nudibranchs are other nudibranchs. The name “nudibranch” means “naked gill,” and the feathery gills of these animals take many fancy forms.

The species grows to be about an inch long and is nearly weightless. Like other marine gastropods, this nudibranch has a flat, muscular “foot” along the ventral or bottom side of its body that it uses to crawl along the substrate.

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Black Prickleback

Posted on April 11, 2025 by tspuckler

I caught this super cool creature while tidepooling on the California Coast. The Black Prickleback has an elongated eel-like body and is dark reddish brown to black in color with a pale head.

The head is small with two distinctive dark bands radiating from each eye. It has a long dorsal fin that runs into its tail fin giving the illusion of having a full-body fin. It grows to about a foot in length.

This fish prefers to live in rocky terrain with algae cover. It can be found under rocks and gravel; smaller examples are commonly found in tidepools. They are capable of breathing air and can be out of water for up to a day. When not submerged under water, they keep moist by burrowing under seaweed and wet rocks.

The Black Prickleback is found mostly on coastlines from the Gulf of Alaska to southern California, where it consumes green and red algae, crustaceans, polychaetes, snails and surfgrass.

Spawning takes places from February to April off the west coast of the United States and from April to mid-May off the coast of British Columbia. Females lay 700 to 4000 eggs under rocks or other protected areas. The eggs are deposited one by one and fertilized by the male. They are then shaped into spherical clusters by the mother and father. The father then guards the eggs until they hatch.

Pricklebacks belong a family of elongate fishes found in the cool northern oceans, with most species in the northern Pacific. In most species, all the dorsal rays are strong, sharp spines – which is the source of the common name “Prickleback.”

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Gumboot Chiton

Posted on April 4, 2025 by tspuckler

While tidepooling in California, I came across this fine creature. Also known as the Giant Western Fiery Chiton or the Giant Pacific Chiton, it is the largest of the chitons, growing to 14 inches and capable of reaching a weight of more than 4 pounds.

This creature is found along the shores of the northern Pacific Ocean from Central California to Alaska. It inhabits the lower intertidal and subtidal zones of rocky coastlines.

The Gumboot Chiton’s appearance has led some tidepoolers to refer to it, fondly, as the “Wandering Meatloaf.” The name “Gumboot Chiton” seems to derive from a resemblance to part of a rubber Wellington boot or “gum rubber” boot.

Chitons are mollusks that have eight armored plates running in a flexible line down their back. Unlike most chitons, the Gumboot’s plates are completely hidden by its leathery upper skin that usually is reddish-brown or brown, but occasionally is orange in color.

Chitons have long arrays of fine teeth that are partially made of magnetite, making them hard enough to scrape algae off rocks. The Gumboot Chiton’s underside is orange or yellow and consists mostly of a large foot similar to that of other mollusks such as snails or slugs, with gills found in grooves running along the outer edge of the foot.

The Gumboot Chiton has a lifespan of more than 40 years.

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Monterey Ensatina

Posted on March 28, 2025 by tspuckler

This was a neat “ghost” version of what usually is a brightly colored amphibian. This is a type of lungless salamander that conducts respiration through its skin and the tissues lining its mouth. Being lungless requires it to live in damp environments and to move about only during times of high humidity.

The young develop in an egg and hatch directly into a tiny terrestrial salamander with the same body form as an adult. (They do not hatch in the water and begin their lives as tiny swimming larvae breathing through gills like some other types of salamanders.)

When it feels severely threatened by a predator, an Ensatina may detach its tail from its body to distract the predator. The tail moves back and forth on the ground to attract the predator while the Ensatina slowly crawls away to safety. The tail can be re-grown. The tail also contains a high density of poison glands. When disturbed, an Ensatina will stand tall in a stiff-legged defensive posture with its back swayed and the tail raised up while it secretes a milky white substance from the tail, swaying from side to side.

Monterey Ensatinas eat a wide variety of invertebrates. They expel their relatively long, sticky tongues to capture the prey and pull it back into their mouth where it is crushed and killed, and then swallowed. Typically feeding is done using sit-and-wait ambush tactics, but sometimes Ensatinas will slowly stalk their prey.

This creature inhabits moist, shaded evergreen and deciduous forests and oak woodlands, mixed grassland, and chaparral. It often find it under rocks, logs, other debris, especially bark that has peeled off and fallen beside logs and trees.

Ensatinas have several subspecies. They have been described as a “ring species” in the mountains surrounding the Californian Central Valley. The complex population of subspecies forms a horseshoe-shape around the mountains.

Finding this neat amphibian was definitely a herping highlight of my visit to southern California.

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Ovate Shieldback

Posted on March 21, 2025 by tspuckler

I found a couple of these cool creatures while driving at night on little-used Mojave Desert roads. It was the first time I’ve encountered these rather bizarre looking insects.

Ovate Shieldbacks are related to crickets and grasshoppers. They have a prominent plate-like structure called a pronotum that covers part of their body that resembles a shield. They are a mottled brown, blending in with dead grasses and the desert floor.

Shieldback Katydids are the linebackers of the katydid world, with robust bodies and a fierce looking demeanor (they may look mean, but like most katydids, they are harmless when handled). An extremely diverse group, there are 123 species of Shieldback Katydids in North America – nearly all are western in distribution.

These are usually the first katydids to emerge as adults. Males can be heard singing as early as mid-to-late June in weedy fields and brushy woodland understories.

Females have a long curved ovipositor protruding from the abdomen. It is not a stinger, though it looks like one. Ovipositors are used to deposit fertilized eggs deep into the soil.

Unlike their vegetarian relatives, Shieldback Katydids are scavengers on dead insects and are active predators of other insects. They do eat plants too, though.

These were a super cool find on my Las Vegas Area adventure.

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Baja California Treefrog

Posted on March 14, 2025 by tspuckler

While herping SoCal, we came across this cool frog with a large head, large eyes, a slim waist, round pads on the toe tips, limited webbing between the toes, and a wide dark stripe through the middle of each eye that extends from the nostrils to the shoulders.

The name “treefrog” is not entirely accurate. This frog is chiefly a ground-dweller, living among shrubs and grass typically near water, but occasionally it can also be found climbing high in vegetation and on trees.

Male Baja California treefrogs are just under two inches long and generally green or dark gray, with a creamy underside. Females are gray or brown and a bit larger than the males.

This species utilizes a wide variety of habitats, often far from water outside of the breeding season, including forest, woodland, chaparral, grassland, pastures, desert streams and oases, and urban areas.

During the daytime, individuals seek refuge in cavities or small depressions on the surfaces of the boulders lining streams, often fully exposed to direct sunlight. These perches are usually within a few jumps from the nearest pool.

Like most frogs, Baja California treefrog eats a wide variety of invertebrates. Typical of most frogs, prey is located by vision, and then the frog lunges with a large sticky tongue to catch the prey and bring it into the mouth to eat.

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Western Kingbird

Posted on March 6, 2025 by tspuckler

While visiting the Las Vegas Area, I came across bird from time to time. An eye-catching creature with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is a familiar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. Characteristic of kingbird species, the Western Kingbird is very territorial.

These are fairly large members of the Flycatcher Family, with large heads and broad shoulders. They have heavy, straight bills, long wings, and a medium-length, square-tipped tail. Often found perched upright on fences and utility lines, they snag insects from the air or fly out to pick invertebrate prey off the ground.

The name “kingbird” is derived from their “take-charge” behavior. These birds aggressively defend their home turf, even against much larger birds such as hawks.

They will attack humans, livestock, and pets when they think their young are in danger. The males warn off intruders with harsh buzzes or whirring wings. Both sexes snap their bills and raise their red crowns (normally hidden) when provoked.

Western Kingbirds live in open habitats, where they perch on utility lines, fences, and trees. They prefer valleys and lowlands, including grasslands, deserts, sagebrush, agricultural fields, and open woodlands. The Western Kingbird was originally known as the Arkansas Kingbird, but scientists changed its name to acknowledge its wide range.

Occupying the western half of the United States, this bird’s breeding range has been spreading for the last century as an unplanned result of human activities.

By planting trees and installing utility poles in open areas, people have provided hunting perches and nest sites, and by clearing forests they have created open habitats suitable for foraging.

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Short-horned Walking Stick

Posted on February 28, 2025 by tspuckler

I’ve only found a few Walking Stacks in my travels, but these bizarre-looking, slow-moving, plant-eating insects are hard not to like. Not only do they have a widespread distribution, fossil records indicate that they have evolutionary roots that reach back more than 200 million years, to the Triassic geologic period.

These intriguing creatures have raised camouflage to a art form. This is the only example of one that I’ve ever found in the desert and it’s easy to see how well it blends in with dead twigs. Its taxonomic family name, “Phasmatidae,” is derived from the Greek word “Phasma,” which means, appropriately, phantom or apparition.

Short-horned Walking Sticks are found in dry, arid regions of the Southwestern United States in the Summer and Autumn. Their habitat is in chaparral and open fields where they can be found feeding on the foliage of Globemallow, Deerweed, and other native plants.

The “short-horned” part of their common name refers to their antenna, which are just little stubs. The species that lives near me has much longer antenna, about one-third of the insect’s body.

The walking stick is the longest of all the modern insects, with a documented specimen from Borneo measuring more than two feet in length. Its other common names: Specter, Devil’s Horse, Devil’s Darning Needle and Witch’s Horse – reflect its hold on the human imagination.

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California Goldfield

Posted on February 21, 2025 by tspuckler

It was hard not to notice this wildflower while travelling around the Las Vegas area – in some cases, it was growing right along the edge of the road.

This species is native to a large part of California, Oregon and surrounding areas, where it is a very common member of the flora community in a number of habitats.

Large populations of this species bloom at once in the Spring to produce the carpets of yellow on hillsides and in meadows – this phenomenon gives this plant its common name.

California Goldfield is usually just a few inches tall, with many short, slender, reddish-green stems bearing narrow leaves, mostly near the base.

With a flower no larger than a quarter, it attracts a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

California Goldfields are variable in appearance as they adapt to their environment. The plants grow taller with more rainfall, whereas the leaves grow smaller and tougher with less rainfall.

This tough species is known to tolerate soil better that is less than optimal for other plants.

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Cliff Chipmunk

Posted on February 14, 2025 by tspuckler

While exploring the Cerbat Mountains in Arizona, I came across my first-ever example of this small, bushy-tailed squirrel that typically lives along cliff walls or boulder fields bordering pinyon-juniper woodlands in the Western United States and Mexico.

Rather than being brown like a typical chipmunk, it instead has a ground color that is mostly smoky gray. This rodent forages for juniper berries, pine seeds, and acorns. It is an opportunistic in its diet and consumes a wide range of plant material. Seeds are gathered during their prime availability and are carried in cheek pouches and to temporary caches.

This delightful little ground squirrel is a cousin of the Eastern Chipmunk, albeit smaller. Unlike many species of chipmunk, the Cliff Chipmunk lacks bold stripes on its back – instead they are rather faded. This animal’s size varies from 8 to 10 inches, and they weigh an average of 2-1⁄2 ounces. They have a remarkably long lifespan for a mammal of their size, with one specimen living 12-1⁄2 years.

It was an unexpectedly fun find to watch this creature easily maneuver about the rocky terrain habitat.

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Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch

Black Prickleback

Gumboot Chiton

Monterey Ensatina

Ovate Shieldback

Baja California Treefrog

Western Kingbird

Short-horned Walking Stick

California Goldfield

Cliff Chipmunk