NEW YORK HARBOR ESTUARY

SPECIESIDENTIFICATIONGUIDENEW YORK HARBOR ESTUARY

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

2 | FISH

Billion Oyster Project
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
2019 Hudson River Estuary Grants for River Education (Round 29)

FISH | 3

TABL E OF CONTE NTS
06

08

10

About this Book

Species Covered

Intertidal Habitat

12

44

70

Fish

Mobile Invertebrates

Sessile Organisms

98
Glossary

4 | FISH

Billion Oyster Project thanks the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Hudson
River Estuary Program for funding the creation and distribution of this guidebook. The opinions, results,
findings and/or interpretations of data contained in this document are put forth solely by Billion Oyster Project,and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, interpretations, or policies of NYSDEC.

FISH | 5

ABOUT THIS BOOK
Billion Oyster Project (BOP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization whose mission is to restore oyster reefs
to New York Harbor through public education initiatives.
Why oysters? In the process of feeding, oysters remove
particles from the waters, hence they act as living water
filters. Oysters naturally form three-dimensional reef
structures that can help shield New York City shorelines
during storm events. This book is about anotherimportant function that oysters play in NYC waters.
Oyster reefs provide an essential habitat for numerous
marine organisms. Many of these organisms arehighlighted in this book, which is meant to help identify
species and can be used when exploring the riches of
New York City’s aquatic habitats.
BOP believes that restoration must include education
to be an effective long-term strategy. We also believethat students’ learning outcomes improve when
they contribute to real-life restoration projects. For
those reasons, ongoing collaborations with The Urban
Assembly New York Harbor School and other New York
City public schools are fundamental to BOP’s work.
Through the lens of oyster restoration, BOP has crafted
extensive science curriculum for middle school teachers,
and numerous lessons and activities across Science,
Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), English Language
Arts (ELA), and Social Studies available to all pre-K to P-12
students, teachers, and families. In addition, we haveengaged thousands of volunteers who have contributed
to the fabrication of vital restoration equipment andbuilt an extensive network of 75+ restaurants that
donate discarded oyster shells for use in our hatcheryoperations. As of May 2021, BOP has installed 47 million
oysters across 15 reef sites, representing 12 acres of
New York Harbor.

6 | ABOUT THIS BOOK

Over the last five years of working with students in thefield on oyster restoration, BOP has identified a needfor a compact guide to help identify marine organisms
found in New York Harbor. We use and recommend manyother excellent guides to neighboring ecosystems suchas the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. This bookfocuses on the unique mix of species found in New York
Harbor because our students know how special ourcity’s dynamic estuarine environment is. Our students
feel a unique connection to and responsibility toward its
inhabitants, and our students deserve a resource thatmeets their needs in the field.
BOP is excited to present the New York Harbor Estuary
Species Identification Guide to educators, students, andcommunity scientists throughout New York City andbeyond. The New York Harbor Estuary, New York City’s
largest public space, is one of the most biologicallydiverse and productive estuary systems in the world,
yet relatively few New Yorkers recognize its value inthe context of their daily lives. Oyster restoration canconnect young people to New York Harbor, and we areglad to share this guide with young scientists as they
identify the biodiversity that exists just beyond theirdoorstep.
We welcome questions and comments about this guide:
email us at educate@nyharbor.org.
To learn more about Billion Oyster Project, subscribe to
our email list at bit.ly/bopnews, and follow @billionoyster
on Twitter and Instagram and @billionoysterproject on
Facebook.

ABOUT THIS BOOK | 7

1

3

2
4

10

27

16

28 29
30

36

37

31
38
45

5

11

15

22

32
46

47

9

8

7

13

12

18

17

23

39

6

20

19

14
21
26

25

24

34

33

41

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48
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50

51

Our New York Harbor and otherparts of the Hudson - Raritan Estuary
1. Bluefish 2. Striped Bass 3. Lined Anemone 4. Northern Pipefish
5. Atlantic Needlefish 6. Sea Lettuce 7. Skilletfish 8. Cunner 9. Blue
Mussels 10. Slipper Snails 11. Blackfish 12. Eastern Oysters
13. Striped Killifish 14. Northern Puffer 15. Ribbed Mussel 16. Atlantic
Menhaden 17. Black Sea Bass 18. Atlantic Silverside 19. Oyster Toadfish
20. Moon Jelly 21. Blue Crab 22. Rock Gunnel 23. Flounder 24. Agardh’s
Red Weed 25. Orange-Striped Green Anenome 26. Carnation Worm/
Hard Tube Worm 27. Clam Worm 28. Golden Star Tunicates 29. Frilled
Anemone 30. Hydroids 31. Lacy Bryozoan 32. Lined Seahorse 33. Mud
Crab 34. Spider Crab 35. Dahlia Anemone 36. Chain Tunicates
37. Eastern Mudsnail 38. Boring Sponge 39. Grass Shrimp 40. American
Eel 41. Red Beard Sponge 42. Barnacles 43. European Sea Squirt
44. Oyster Drill 45. Horseshoe Crab 46. Sand Shrimp 47. Whelk
48. Pacific Shore Crab 49. Blood Worm 50. Mummichog 51. Blenny

SPECIES COVEREDThe New York Harbor Estuary is a remarkably abundant
ecosystem with hundreds of different species of flora(plants) and fauna (animals). Many of the species in thisguide thrive in brackish water, and the rest are salt water
species that we find a lot at BOP restoration sites in shallow waters. Those criteria effectively exclude a numberof marine creatures that are well known to New Yorkers,
such as shad, sturgeon, and whales. For the species

8 | SPECIES COVERED

we have been able to include, this guide aims to present
detailed information about identification and morphology,
life history and seasonal behavior, diet and predation, andsocioeconomic and ecological significance. A few groupsof species we describe (amphipods and isopods) may
require specific tools (eg, microscopes) and prior training
to identify.

SPECIES COVERED | 9

Splash or Spray Zone
This is the zone just above the water’s surface. It’s
never completely covered in water, but water oftensplashes this area. Lichens, and blue and green
algae can be found growing in the splash zone.
High Tide Zone
Water covers this area twice a day, during high tide.
Here you can find barnacles, oysters, salt marsh
plants, and other organisms that can live mostly inthe open air but twice a day under water.
Middle Intertidal Zone
This area is completely exposed to the air during
low tide. Some estuary animals can tolerate beingout of the water for short periods of time, such asmussels, barnacles, snails, brown algae, bryozoans,and crabs. You can find these animals in the middle
intertidal zone.
Low Intertidal Zone
This zone is underwater most of the time, except
for a few hours at the lowest tides, just a few days
each month. Crabs, mollusks, sponges, hydroids,
anemones, tunicates, shrimp and some fish can befound here.

INTERTIDAL HABITAT

Subtidal Zone
This zone is always under water and is home tomost fish and invertebrates that can’t survive outof water.

Intertidal zones exist where the ocean meets the land--they
are simply the terrain, sometimes covered with water andsometimes not, that lies between the high and low tide lines.
It is easier to observe these zones on shorelines with a naturaledge--rocky ledges, sandy beaches and mudflats. Of coursemuch of the waterfront of New York Harbor has been modified
and armored, which can make it hard to observe these naturalzones. This illustration is meant to depict how intertidal zones
may look in New York Harbor.

10 | INTERTIDAL HABITATINTERTIDAL HABITAT | 11

FISH
American Eel
Atlantic Silverside
Atlantic Needlefish
Oyster Toadfish
Atlantic Menhaden
Striped Killifish
Mummichog
Skilletfish
Blennies
GobiesCunnerBlackfish
Striped Bass
BluefishBlack Sea Bass
Scup
Rock Gunnel
Butterfish
Northern Kingfish
Sculpins
Sea Robins
Northern Puffer
Flounders
Northern Pipefish
Lined Seahorse

12 | FISH

FISH | 13

AN G U I L L A R OST R ATA

MENID IA MENID IA

AMERICAN EELATLANTIC SILVERSIDEClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Anguilliformes “Eels” • Family Anguillidae “Freshwater Eels”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Atheriniformes “Silversides” • Family Atherinopsidae “Neotropical Silversides”

Thin, snake-like fishwith pointed tailYoung “glass eels” areslender and transparent

One long fin that runs
all the way along theirback, tail, and belly

Olive-green tobrown on top

No pelvic fin

Cream-colored belly

Tiny mouth

White belly ends rightbefore anal fin

Small pectoral fin

Pictured: A slender, transparent “glass eel” (top) and anolive-green adult eel (below). American eels are snakelike fish with a single, long dorsal fin.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATSTATUS

Pictured: An adult Atlantic silverside. Atlantic silversides
are small, slender fish with tiny mouths and one long,silver stripe on each side.

IUCN Population Status:
Endangered • Declining

HABITAT

American eels spend most of their adult lives in freshwater streams, lakes, and rivers, brackish estuaries,
and along the coast. During the daytime, these bottomdwellers hide in any small space they can find, including
human-made objects like pipes.

DIET
Adult eels eat many different kinds of organisms, including small fish, worms, insects, vegetation, frogs, crustaceans (like blue crabs), mollusks, and even smaller eels.
Eel larvae eat tiny plankton and marine snow as they drift
along in ocean currents.

Striped bass, catfish, gulls, osprey, and bald eagles eat
American eels.

New York State Conservation Status Rank:
Imperiled to Vulnerable • S2S3ASFMC New York Trend Analysis:
Declining

In the summer, you are most likely to see Atlantic
Silversides in salty, brackish, or freshwater creeks andtidal marshes, usually at a depth of less than 10 feet(around 3 meters). They often swim among seagrasses
and algae.

DIET
Atlantic silversides eat amphipods, copepods, and othersmall crustaceans, as well as algae, bristle worms, zooplankton, young squid, barnacle larvae, and insect larvae.

14 | FISH

Scientists have never seen American eels breed in the wild!

Silver stripe outlined in blackfrom pectoral to tail fin

COMMON PREDATORS
Predators of Atlantic silversides include large fish such as
striped bass, bluefish, and Atlantic mackerel, as well asother animals like blue crabs, egrets, herons, gulls, terns,
cormorants, and raccoons. Small fish like mummichogs
eat silverside eggs during the summer breeding season.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Stable
New York State Conservation Status Rank:
Imperiled to Vulnerable • S2S3DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?
25 - 75 cm
1.5 m maximum

Small, slender fishwith two dorsal finsFirst dorsal fin is often folded
down and hard to see

11 cm;
Maximum 15 cm

Atlantic silverside reproduction is closely tied with the lunar
cycle. They usually spawn during the day right around a newor full moon.
FISH | 15

ST RO NGYLUR A MAR I NA

ATLANTIC
NEEDLEFISH

Pictured: An adult Atlantic needlefish. Atlantic needlefish
are long, skinny fish with pointy, needle-like jaws.

HABITATIn the summer, you can see needlefish out at sea, in estuaries, and even in freshwater rivers. They usually skim
the surface of the water, or hunt in shallow water withvegetation. Needlefish are attracted to lights and sometimes swim around docks or jetties at night.

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes”
Order Beloniformes “Needlefish & Relatives”
Family Belonidae “Needlefish”

DIET
Upper body is blue-green, blending
to silvery on the sides and white below
Large eyes relative
to their head

Needle-like jaw and hundredsof small, sharp teeth

Juvenile needlefish eat mostly shrimp and amphipods.
Adults are fish-eating carnivores that hunt silversides,
killifish, anchovies, juvenile river herring, and other small
fish.

Small dorsal and anal fins thatare far from their head andclose to their tail fin

Long and thin
Lower jaw is often slightly
longer than the upper jaw

COMMON PREDATORS
Bottlenose dolphins, lemon sharks, seabirds (such as
terns and gulls), and bald eagles eat Atlantic needlefish.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend
New York State Conservation Status Rank:
Imperiled to Vulnerable • S2S3DID YOU KNOW?
Needlefish are closely related to flying fish. Needlefish
can’t really fly, but they do leap and skitter out of thewater while chasing their prey.
61 cm; Maximum length is 111 cm
16 | FISH

FISH | 17

OP SANU S TAUBR EVOORTIA TYR ANNUSOYSTER TOADFISHATLANTIC MENHADENClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Batrachoidiformes “Toadfish” • Family Batrachoididae “Toadfish”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Clupeiformes “Herrings & Anchovies” • Family Clupeidae “Herrings”

Narrow body and tailClose-set eyes
near top of head

Large flattened head

Latin name Opsanus means“looking upward”

Dark spot behind and above gills

Has the shape of an
overgrown tadpole from above

Deeply forked tail fin

Often followed by many smaller
spots in up to six rough lines

Enormous mouth

Wart-like bumps
or fringes aroundlower jaw
Slightly jutting lower jaw

Fan-shaped pectoral fins
No scales and slimy skin
Dark brown, yellow,
or olive color

Flattened from side to side
Shimmering yellow and blue
upper body that shades tosilver on the sides

Often has darker stripes
and mottling on their fins

Pictured: A juvenile oyster toadfish (left) and an adultoyster toadfish (right). Oyster toadfish are dark brown,mottled fish with large heads and mouths covered inbumps and fringes.

such as blennies and gobies, as well as the larvae of black
sea bass and flounder. They also eat worms, shrimp, mollusks such as snails, oysters, and squid, and crustaceanssuch as mud crabs.

Pictured: An adult Atlantic menhaden. Atlantic menhaden
are small, blue-green and silver fish with at least one
large black spot behind their gills.

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Oyster toadfish live near oyster reefs in marine or brackish water. They can also thrive near human-made structures, like jetties, and even in garbage. Toadfish prefershallow waters at a depth of less than 16 feet (around5 meters).

Oyster toadfish have few natural predators because of
their powerful bite. Sharks are some of the only animals
that can successfully capture and eat them.

Atlantic menhaden usually school in the shallows, at lessthan 65 feet (around 20 meters) below the surface. Juveniles stay in bays, inlets, and brackish estuaries, while
adults venture into the deeper ocean.

STATUSDIETIUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

Juvenile menhaden filter-feed on microscopic algae,
bacteria, and other phytoplankton. Adult menhaden eat

DIET

HABITAT

18 | FISH

Striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, sharks, seals, and dolphins eat Atlantic menhaden. Fish-eating birds such as
osprey, bald eagles, and gulls also eat menhaden.

STATUSASFMC Stock Assessment:
Not Currently OverfishedDID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?
30 cm; Usually less than
5 cm in oyster cages

COMMON PREDATORSIUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Increasing

Oyster toadfish have a broad diet that includes small fish

Male toadfish have the fastest-moving muscles of any
vertebrate on Earth! They use these muscles to vibrate theirswimbladders and make their “foghorn” call.

larger plankton including amphipods, mollusk larvae, fishlarvae, and other zooplankton.

30 - 38 cm; Maximum
length is 50 cm

The word “menhaden” comes from the Narragansett word
munnawhatteaug, which means “he enriches the earth.”
Indigenous peoples of the Atlantic coast traditionally usedmenhaden to fertilize their crops.
FISH | 19

F UND ULU S MA J AL I S

FUND ULUS HETER OCLITUS

STRIPED KILLIFISHMUMMICHOG

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Cyprinodontiformes “Toothcarps” • Family Fundulidae “Topminnows & Killifish”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Cyprinodontiformes “Toothcarps” • Family Fundulidae “Topminnows & Killifish”

They get their name fromthe wavy black stripes
along their sides

Adult females have
2-3 horizontal stripes

Small, stout fish with asilvery-yellow coloration

Stocky and minnow-like

Adult males have 15-20
vertical stripes
Juveniles of both sexes
have only vertical stripes

Adult males turn golden-orange along
their sides and on their pectoral finsduring breeding season

Pictured: An adult male striped killifish. Striped killifish
are stout, minnow-like fish. Male striped killifish havevertical black stripes along their sides. Female stripedkillifish (not pictured) have horizontal black stripes.

HABITAT
Striped killifish prefer salty or brackish habitats withtides, like estuaries, salt marshes, and sandy beaches.
They are shallow-water fish that almost never swim
deeper than 3 feet (around 1 meter) below the surface.
Striped killifish can often be found in tide pools during
low tide.

Mouth is slightly
upturned
Olive-green to brown

Males have silvery vertical
stripes on their sides

Pictured: An adult male mummichog. Mummichogs are
small, stocky fish. Males have bright silvery stripes andmottling along their sides. Female mummichogs (not pictured) have fainter stripes and mottling.

COMMON PREDATORSCOMMON PREDATORSHABITATSTATUS

Bluefish, striped bass, and blue crabs eat striped killifish.
Water birds such as herons, egrets, terns, and gulls also
eat killifish.

Mummichogs stay close to the shore in brackish estuaries, salt marshes, muddy creeks, and eelgrass flats. They
also sometimes live in freshwater lakes and rivers.

STATUS

DIET
Mummichogs eat copepods, amphipods, worms, grass
shrimp, eelgrass, dead animals, and fish eggs.

Striped killifish can flop across twelve feet of dry land to getback to the water!

Rounded anal fin

Aquatic animals like striped bass, American eels, white
perch, and blue crabs eat mummichogs. Birds such as
herons, egrets, and gulls also eat mummichogs.

IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Stable
New York State Conservation Status Rank:
Vulnerable

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

20 | FISH

Thick tail

Striped killifish eat bristle worms, mosquito and other insect larvae, horseshoe crab larvae, mollusk larvae, phytoplankton, amphipods and other small crustaceans. They
also scavenge dead plants and animals.

IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

12 - 18 cm

Males are smaller than females,and develop deep blue and yellow
markings with breeding

Rounded pectoral fin

Slightly larger and more
slender than their cousins,the mummichogs

DIET

Dorsal fin begins rightabove anal fin

7.5 - 9 cm; Maximum
length is 11 cm

Mummichogs were the first fish to visit space!
Mummichogs taught us that fish can learn to swim in low gravity.

FISH | 21

G OB I E SOX ST R UM OSU S

BLENNIIDAE FAMILY

SKILLETFISH

BLENNIESClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Gobiesociformes “Clingfishes” • Family Gobiesocidae “Clingfishes”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Blenniiformes “True Blennies” • Family Blenniidae “Combtooth Blennies”

Eyes are close together
near the top of their head

Their name comesfrom their shape
From above, they almost
look like a frying pan.
Body is flattened
from top to bottom

Wide mouthwith thick lips

Small, with a sucking disc on
the underside of their body

Skilletfish don’t have scales

Feather blennies have apair of feather-like cirri
just above their eyes

Can be anywhere from pale grey
to dark brown in color depending on
what kind of background they live on

Pictured: An adult skilletfish. Skilletfish are mottled
brown, frying pan-shaped fish with a sucking disc underneath their body.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Skilletfish prefer to live among oyster reefs. But you cansometimes find them around pilings, in eelgrass meadows, or in rocky, shallow water. They usually cling to hard
objects less than 3 feet (around 1 meter) below the surface. During the winter, they can descend to depths of up
to 108 feet (around 33 meters).

During breeding season,
males may have one ormore metallic blue spots
near the front of theirdorsal fin

Skilletfish like to eat isopods, amphipods, and bristle
worms.

We don’t know much about aquatic predators of skilletfish, but gulls and raccoons will pick skilletfish off ofrocks during low tide.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

The spot is sometimes
trailed by an orange stripe

Long dorsal fin that starts above
the gills and ends at the tail fin

Greenish-brown with light,
wavy stripes

Pictured: An adult male striped blenny. Blennies are
mid-sized, mottled brown fish with wavy stripes and along dorsal fin. During the breeding season, male blennies have a dark blue spot trailed by an orange stripe on
their dorsal fin. Feather blennies (not pictured) have twofeather-like cirri above their eyes.

HABITAT
Blennies live in salty or brackish habitats, usually amongoyster reefs but sometimes in sponges or eelgrassmeadows. Blennies prefer habitats with a thick layer ofdead and broken shells on the seafloor. You usually see
them at depths of less than 100 feet (around 30 meters).

Stout fish with no scales

DIET
Adult blennies eat small mollusks, crustaceans such as
small crabs and shrimp, and bristle worms. Juvenile blennies eat mollusk larvae.

COMMON PREDATORS
Oyster toadfish, striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish eat
blennies.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW?
4 - 5 cm; Maximum
length is 8 cm
22 | FISH

The skilletfish’s sucking disc evolved from two pelvic finsthat fused together.

8 - 10 cm; Maximum
length is 15 cm

As male blennies guard their eggs, they release a pheromone, or behavior-changing chemical, into water. This
pheromone attracts new females to lay even more eggs in
the males’ nest.
FISH | 23

G OB I OSOMA SP P.

TAUTOGOLABR US AD SPER SUSClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Gobiformes “Gobies & Relatives” • Family Gobiidae “True Gobies”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Labroidei “Wrasses, Cale, & Parrotfish” • Family Labridae “Wrasses”

GOBIES
Small fish that can vary incolor between individuals

CUNNER
Sharp, shiny rays
towards their head

Moderately slenderTwo dorsal fins
You can tell cunner apartfrom blackfish by theirpointed nose, thinner lips,
and flattened head

One dorsal fin
Softer rays toward
their tailRound tail fin

Naked gobies have shorter
pelvic fins and wider light
stripes than seaboard gobies

Often dark brown on top witheight to nine light vertical
stripes along the side

Pelvic fins are
fused together

Both species have almost
no scales, but seaboard
gobies have two scales atthe base of their tail fin

Pictured: An adult naked goby. Gobies are tiny, but longfish with light-colored stripes along their sides. Seabord
gobies (not pictured) have longer pelvic fins and narrower stripes than naked gobies.

DIET

HABITAT

American eels, sand shrimp, striped bass, bluefish, andweakfish eat gobies.

Gobies live in the shallow parts of estuaries and salt
marshes. You can sometimes find them over bare sand or
mud, but they prefer protected habitats like oyster reefs,
tide pools, underwater plants, piles of wood, or rubble.
Seaboard gobies especially like to live around limpet
shells.

Gobies eat bristle worms, amphipods, copepods, and larvae of bivalves, including oysters.

COMMON PREDATORSSTATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

Usually have shiny blue
markings from their mouthto their gill covers
Juvenile cunner look likejuvenile blackfish, but
cunner are smaller

Juveniles have a dark spot on
their dorsal fin and are often
deep green that blends in with
underwater vegetation

Pictured: An adult cunner. Cunner are large fish withpointed noses, flattened heads, and shiny blue markings.

HABITAT
Cunner usually live no more than five or six miles fromshore in salty and, rarely, brackish water. Cunner liketo hide among kelp or other underwater vegetation,near rocky ledges, and around piers, jetties, pilings, andshipwrecks at depths of 33 - 420 feet (around 10 – 128
meters).

4 cm; Maximum
length is 6 cm
24 | FISH

DIETThe cunner diet includes small crustaceans (isopods,
amphipods, shrimp, and young lobster), young sea urchins, eelgrass, mollusks, and small fish.

COMMON PREDATORS
American eels, sand shrimp, striped bass, bluefish, andweakfish eat gobies.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

DID YOU KNOW?

Oyster farmers can create habitat for gobies by throwing
clean, blank shells back into the water after harvestingoysters.

Color is anywhere from rustred, olive-green, to brownwith a bluish tint

DID YOU KNOW?
15 - 25 cm; Maximum
length is 38 cm

Cunner develop dark stripes at nighttime. These stripes
break up the cunner’s outline and confuse nocturnal
predators.
FISH | 25

TAUTOGA O N I T I S

BLACKFISH

Juveniles are lighter brown, andlook a lot like juvenile cunnerClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes”
Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish”
Suborder Labroidei “Wrasses, Cale, & Parrotfish”
Family Labridae “Wrasses”

Blunt nose andarched facial profile

Males are more uniform incolor with a paler belly

You can tell adult blackfish apartfrom cunner by their relatively
small mouth with thick lips

DIET
Juvenile blackfish mostly eat copepods and amphipods.
Blue mussels are a major part of the adult blackfish’s
diet, along with other mollusks, crabs, shrimp, andbristle worms.

Females have blotted
and uneven stripes
Soft, unscaled cheeks

Plump and olive-brown, with lighter
splotches across their body

COMMON PREDATORS
Pictured: An adult female blackfish (left) and a lightercolored juvenile blackfish (right). Blackfish are plump,olive-brown fish with thick lips and light splotches acrosstheir body. Female blackfish have blotted and unevenstripes along their side. Male blackfish (not pictured) are
more uniform in color with a bright white underside.

HABITAT18 - 26 cm;
Maximum length is 91 cm
26 | FISH

Blackfish live in estuaries and out at sea, but they rarely
travel more than 4 miles (around 6 km) from the shore.
In the summer, they stay in water that is less than 80
feet (around 24 m) deep. Blackfish prefer hard surfaces
with lots of crevices, including oyster reefs, rocky
ledges, mussel beds, and human-made structures likeshipwrecks, jetties, and pilings.

Diving birds (like cormorants, grebes, and loons) preyon juvenile blackfish. Predatory fish like dogfish, skate,
hake, sea ravens and goosefish prey on adult and juvenile
blackfish.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Vulnerable • Decreasing
ASFMC Stock Status:
OverfishedDID YOU KNOW?
Blackfish can live for more than 30 years! They get darker
as they get older.
FISH | 27

M OR ONE SAX AT I L I S

POMATOMUS SALTATR IXSTRIPED BASS

BLUEFISH

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Moronidae “Temperate Basses”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Poatomidae “Bluefish”

First dorsal fin has
hard, spiny rays

Mouth is large anddownturned, with many sharp,
cone-shaped teeth

Second dorsal fin
has soft rays

Large mouth andsmall teeth

Slightly jutting
lower jaw
Streamlined body

Silver, with seven to eightdark horizontal stripes

Pictured: An adult striped bass. Striped bass are large,
streamlined, silver fish with dark horizontal stripes along
their sides. Juvenile striped bass (not pictured) havebigger eyes and stripes that become fainter from top tobottom.

HABITAT
Striped bass live freshwater rivers, in estuaries, and in
the ocean. They prefer deep water along rocky and sandy
shores. Striped bass often live in bays, although some
populations are landlocked.

DIET
Juvenile striped bass eat fish larvae, bristle worms, insects, and small crustaceans. Adult striped bass mostly

Streamlined andtorpedo shaped

Juveniles look like white
perch, except for their two
separate dorsal finseat Atlantic menhaden, but they also prey on Atlantic silversides, anchovies, alewives, herring, smelt, eels, flounder, juvenile striped bass and yellow perch.

COMMON PREDATORS
Bluefish, Atlantic cod, silver hake, and adult striped bass
eat juvenile striped bass. Adult striped bass have few
natural predators besides seals and sharks.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend
ASFMC New York Stock Status:
Overfished

50 - 75 cm; Maximum
length is 1.5 m
28 | FISH

Second dorsal fin is longand curved inward

Dark blue-green upper
body that fades to silveron the sides

Pictured: An adult bluefish. Bluefish are torpedo-shaped,
bluish-silver fish with large, downturned mouths full of
sharp teeth.

HABITAT
Young bluefish prefer sheltered habitat like sandy
estuaries or salt ponds. They can also be found overmud, silt, or underwater plants. In the summer, adults
typically swim at depths of less than 65 feet (around 20
meters). They prefer warmer waters along the coast at
temperatures above 60° F (around 16° C).

DIET
Juvenile bluefish eat copepods, amphipods, and fishlarvae. Their diet becomes increasingly fish-based asthey get older. Adult bluefish are carnivores. They eat

Anal fin is longand curved inward

Tail is deeply forked

squid, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, butterfish, alewives,
Atlantic silversides, and dozens of other fish species.

COMMON PREDATORS
Adult bluefish have few natural predators because of
their size and speed. Tuna, sharks, dolphins, seals, andbillfish (like marlins) sometimes prey on bluefish.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Vulnerable • Decreasing
ASFMC New York Stock Status:
OverfishedDID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

Striped bass can grow to be as long as an adult human is
tall!

First dorsal fin isshort and spiny

30 - 60 cm; Maximum
length is 120 cm

Bluefish are very fast swimmers.
During their migrations, they can swim up to 70 miles in a single day!

FISH | 29

C E NT R OP R I ST I S ST R I ATA

STENOTOMUS CHRYSOPSClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Serranidae “Sea Basses & Groupers”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Sparidae “Sea Breams & Porgies”

BLACK SEA BASS

SCUP

Dorsal fin has
white spots

Larger mouth thanblackfish or cunnerTop ray of tailfin ends in along spine

Sharp, spiny rays on dorsal
fins stick out above soft rays

Small mouths (latin name
Stenotomus means “narrow
mouth”) and pointed teeth

Arched back and shiny scales

Juveniles have light orange
stripes around their head

Stout, with smoky, blackbrown body and grey belly
Darker horizontal
stripe on body

Pictured: An adult black sea bass (right). Adult black sea
bass are stout, blackish-brown fish with light blue scales
and a spine on their tail fin. A juvenile black sea bass
(left). Juvenile black sea bass have light orange stripes
around their head and a darker horizontal stripe on theirbody.

HABITAT
Adult black sea bass like to swim near large structures,
including oyster reefs, mussel beds, jetties, shipwrecks,
rocky ledges, and pilings. Juvenile black sea bass maturein brackish estuaries, but adults rarely leave saltwater
environments.

DIET
Juvenile black sea bass eat amphipods, isopods, crabs,
sand shrimp, small fish, and bristle worms. Adults eat

Scales are light in the center,and they lose their bluish color
when they leave the water

Upper body is blue, brown,
or dark yellow, shading tosilver on the sides.

Pectoral fin is yellow-brown

Oval-shaped and flattened
from side to side

invertebrates like young lobster, mussels, crabs, andsquid, as well as small fish.

COMMON PREDATORS
Juvenile black sea bass are prey to diving birds, as wellas weakfish, summer flounder, smooth dogfish, oyster
toadfish, bluefish, skate, and sea robins. Spiny dogfish,
Atlantic angel sharks, skate, hake, flounder, and goosefish eat adult black sea bass.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Stable
ASFMC New York Stock Status:
Not Overfished

Pictured: An adult scup. Scup are oval-shaped, goldenbrown fish with arched backs and gently sloping heads.

HABITAT
Scup live in many different ecosystems, from oyster reefs,
mussel beds, and rocky ledges, to open, sandy sea floors.
Juvenile and young adult scup live in bays and estuaries,
but schools of larger scup stick to deeper ocean waters.

20 - 30 cm; Maximum
length is 66 cm
30 | FISH

COMMON PREDATORS
Bluefish, Atlantic halibut, sharks, striped bass, weakfish,
goosefish, hake, and other carnivorous fish eat juvenile
scup. Sharks, dogfish, bluefish, stingrays, flounder, black
sea bass, weakfish, mackerel, and other large carnivorous
fish eat adult scup.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Near Threatened • Decreasing

DIET
Juvenile scup eat small mollusks, crustaceans, bristle
worms, and fish larvae. Adult scup eat amphipods, razor
clams, blue mussels, hydroids, anemones, small squid,
vegetation, insect larvae, and small fish.

DID YOU KNOW?

If there are too many females in a group of black sea bass,
the largest female will change into a male to balance out
the population.

You can tell scup apart frombutterfish by the scup’s gently
sloping head profile and spiny
dorsal fins

ASFMC New York Stock Status:
Not OverfishedDID YOU KNOW?
10 - 25 cm; Maximum
length is 46 cm

Most oyster reef fish spawn at night so that their eggs don’t
get eaten by daytime predators. But for reasons we don’t
understand yet, scup release their eggs in the morning.
FISH | 31

P H OL I S G UNNE L LU SPEPR ILUS TR IAC ANTHUS

ROCK GUNNELBUTTERFISHClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish”
Suborder Zoarcoidei “Wolffishes, Gunnels, & Eelpouts” • Family Pholidae “Gunnels”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Stromatoeidei “Butterfish & Relatives” • Family Stromateidae “Butterfish”

Flattened from side to side,
like a flounder set upright
Mouth is small with weak teeth

One long dorsal fin runs
the length of their body

9-13 dark spots at thebase of their dorsal fin

Thin, snake-like fish
Look somewhat like American eels,
except for their tail fin and thedark spots at their dorsal fin

Color varies fromdark grey to red

Round, distinct tail fin

Tail fin is deeply forked

Anal and dorsal fins areabout the same length

Small, round, and silver, withan extremely deep chest

Anal fin is about half as
long as their dorsal fin

No pelvic or ventral fins

Both fins curve inward

Pictured: An adult butterfish. Butterfish are small, round,silver fish, flattened from side to side with a deep chest.

Pictured: An adult rock gunnel. Rock gunnels are eel-like,spotted brown fish with a long dorsal fin and a tiny, roundtail fin.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORSRock gunnels mostly live in shallow, tidal environments.
But they can also descend to depths of up to 600 feet(around 180 m), especially during the winter. Rockgunnels usually hide under rocks, in crevices, or among
seaweed.

Rock gunnels eat amphipods, isopods, bristle worms,
and mollusks such as snails.

Wading birds (like herons), shorebirds, otters, raccoons,and carnivorous fish eat rock gunnels.

HABITAT
During the summer, butterfish remain within 180 feet(around 55 m) of the surface. They usually school overshallow, flat areas in bays, estuaries, or the surf zone
(where waves break near the beach). Juvenile andadult butterfish swim above sandy or muddy sea floors.
Juveniles often group up around floating objects.

You can tell butterfish apart fromscup by the butterfish’s roundedfacial profile and soft dorsal fin

COMMON PREDATORS
Butterfish have many predators, including marine
mammals (seals and dolphins), weakfish, goosefish,
bluefish, swordfish, hammerhead sharks, silver hake, andlongfin inshore squid.

STATUS
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Stock Status:
Not Overfished

DIET
Butterfish eat fish larvae, jellyfish, squid, and small
crustaceans.

DID YOU KNOW?

10 - 17 cm
32 | FISH

When rock gunnels are exposed to air during low tide, waste
products build up in their bloodstream. After an hour or two,these waste products reach toxic levels that would kill mostother fish. Scientists are still learning about how rock gunnels
survive out of water for so long.

DID YOU KNOW?
15 - 23 cm; Maximum
length is 30 cm

Butterfish store lots of oil in their muscles and organs.
This oil helps them float and makes them taste slightly buttery.

FISH | 33

ME NT I C I R R H U S SAX AT I L I S

MYOXOCEPHALUS SPP.

NORTHERN KINGFISHSCULPINSClass Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Sciaenidae “Croakers”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Scorpaeniformes “Mail-Cheeked Fishes” • Family Cottidae “Sculpins”

First dorsal fin ends
in a long spine

Two dorsal fins

Short, fan-like pectoral fins thatreach the second dorsal fin

Stout and spiny, with lots ofhead ridges and cheek spines

Slender, with an arched backLatin name Menticirrhus means“curly beard,” a reference tothe single barbel (or sensitive
whisker) underneath the chin

Silvery with chocolate
brown wavy stripes
Long, horizontal stripe
begins near pectoral fin
and runs to tail fin

Pictured: An adult northern kingfish. Mottled brown fishwith an arched back, long dorsal fin spine, and one chinwhisker.

HABITAT
Northern kingfish prefer to swim over gravel or sandalong coastal beaches, inlets, and bays. Juvenile kingfish
mature in the surf zone (where waves break near the
shore) and in estuaries.

small mollusks, bristle worms, decaying carcasses, andjuvenile fish.

They are usually light to darkgrey with darker mottling

Sharks and other large, carnivorous fish eat kingfish.

STATUS

HABITATIUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Stable

Little sculpin usually live less than 90 feet (around 27m) below the surface. You can find them among seaweed beds and swimming over sand or rocks near the
shore. Longhorn sculpin often swim around human-madestructures in estuaries, salt creeks, and river mouths.

COMMON PREDATORS

Kingfish are bottom-feeders that prey on shrimp, crabs,

DID YOU KNOW?

34 | FISH

Longhorn sculpin are named fortheir long cheek spines thatreach their gills

Pictured: An adult little sculpin (or grubby). Sculpin arestout, spiny fish with head ridges, cheek spines, andshort, fanlike pectoral fins. Longhorn sculpin (not pictured) have longer cheek spines than little sculpin.

DIET

25 - 35 cm; Maximum
length is 50 cm

Longhorn are typically green,brown, or yellow with darker
marbling on their body and fins

Little sculpin have shortspines on their head and gills

As they grow and mature, northern kingfish absorb their swimbladder, a gas-filled organ that helps fish float. Kingfish stayclose to the sea floor, so they don’t need to float as well as fishin the pelagic zone.

Longhorn are larger thanlittle sculpin

They sometimes descend up to 600 feet (around 180 m)
below the surface.

DIET
Sculpin are omnivorous scavengers that eat bristle
worms, small crustaceans, snails, sea slugs, mollusks,
and juvenile fish.

COMMON PREDATORS
Dogfish, cod, skate, sea ravens, and summer flounder eat
sculpin.

DID YOU KNOW?
12 - 15 cm; Max length is 20 cm
25 - 35 cm; Max length is 45 cm

In the winter, sculpin make an antifreeze protein in their cells. This amazing protein circulates in sculpin blood and keeps them warm, even if temperatures drop below freezing!

FISH | 35

P R I ONOT U S SP P.

SPHOER OID ES MAC ALATUS

SEA ROBINSNORTHERN PUFFER

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Scorpaeniformes “Mail-Cheeked Fishes” • Family Triglidae “Sea Robins”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Tetraodintoformes “Pufferfish & Relatives” • Family Tetraodontidae “Pufferfish”

Unusual-looking, bony fish
Large head has multiple
ridges and spines

Striped sea robins are larger
than northern sea robins
Reddish-brown or grey on top,
fading to a pale underbellyLong, wing-like pectoral fins
You can tell sea robins
apart from sculpin by
the 3 feelers on eitherside on their chinNorthern sea robins havea curved tail fin, vertical
stripes on their sides, anda shorter pectoral fin

Peppered with white and blackspots and small prickles
Beak-like mouth

Striped sea robins have astraight tail fin, dark horizontal
stripes on their side, and alonger pectoral fin

When not inflated, they areclub-shaped with a large
head and small body

Yellow/brown/olive
colored upper body

Color shades to alighter underbelly

Inflated size

Pictured: An adult northern sea robin. Sea robins are
bony, spiny-headed fish with three feelers in front of theirwing-like pectoral fins. Striped sea robins (not pictured)
have straighter tail fins, darker horizontal stripes on theirsides, and longer pectoral fins than northern sea robins.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Sea robins prefer to swim over sand or gravel, but theysometimes swim around rocks or reefs. They can descend up to 600 feet (around 180 m) below the surface,and like to remain near the sea floor. During the summer,
you can see sea robins in estuaries, bays, river mouths,
salt flats, and other coastal areas.

Sea robins mostly eat crustaceans like sand shrimp,
crabs, and amphipods. They also eat juvenile flounder,
scup, Atlantic silversides, bivalves, squid, and bristle
worms.

Their bony plates protect sea robins from most predators. Only large carnivorous fish like sharks can manage
to eat them.

STATUS

Pictured: An adult northern puffer in its normal, deflated
form. The dotted line represents the size of a fully inflated
northern puffer. Northern puffers are club-shaped, yellow-brown fish with large heads, beak-like mouths, andsmall bodies.

DIET

HABITAT

Very few predators can successfully eat puffers. Cobia,
sharks, and tuna can eat some species of puffer fish.

During the summer, northern puffers live in shallow waters near the shore, like bays and estuaries. You can findthem up to 600 feet (around 180 m) below the surface.

DID YOU KNOW?
30 - 45 cm / 25 - 30 cm
36 | FISH

COMMON PREDATORSSTATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Decreasing

IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend

Sea robins can actually “taste” their prey with the finger-likefeelers under their chins. As soon as they touch a morsel offood, they know it’s something delicious and quickly snap it up.

Northern puffers eat small crustaceans (like crabs,
shrimp, isopods, and amphipods), bivalves (like scallops), bristle worms, barnacles, and sea urchins.

DID YOU KNOW?
20 - 27 cm; Maximum
length is 35 cm

Northern puffers have toxic organs that can kill predators.
Humans have to remove northern puffer organs before eating them.

FISH | 37

PLEURO NECT I F O R MES O R D E R

FLOUNDERS

Summer flounder usually have manyeye-like spots on their body

Winter flounder bear their mouth and botheyes on the right side of their body

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes”
Order Pleuronectiformes “Flatfish”
Large, dinner plate shaped flatfish

Winter flounder have a smallermouth with fleshy lips

Summer flounder bear their mouth andboth eyes on the left side of their body

Pictured: An adult “left-facing” summer flounder. Flounder are large, flat, dinner plate-shaped fish with botheyes on the same side of their body. Winter flounder (notpictured) have both eyes on the right side of their body.

HABITAT
Flounder are mainly ocean-dwelling fish, but both summer and winter flounder visit estuaries during the breeding season. Flounder like to burrow in sand, mud, or lightgravel. When they are near the coast, you can find flounder in salt ponds, bays, tidal creeks, and seagrass beds.
Flounder usually stay less than 600 feet (around 180 m)
below the surface.

Summer flounder have relatively
large mouths with sharp teeth
Color changes dependingon the background, but is
usually dark or mottled

SUMMER

30 - 50 cm; Maximum
length is 100 cm
38 | FISH

DIET
Adult summer flounder eat mostly fish, and prefer herring, anchovies, and sand lance, as well as squid. Winterflounder eat more invertebrates, including bristle worms,
amphipods and other crustaceans, and sea anemones.

WINTERCOMMON PREDATORS

25 - 35 cm; Maximum
length is 58 cm

Carnivorous fish such as striped bass, bluefish, goosefish, spiny dogfish, oyster toadfish, and sea ravens, aswell as birds such as cormorants, herons, and osprey
eat adult flounder. Jellyfish and sand shrimp eat flounderlarvae.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status • Summer Flounder:
Least Concern • Decreasing
New York State Conservation Rank • Winter Flounder:
Possibly Vulnerable • S3?
ASFMC Stock Status • Summer Flounder:
Not Overfished
ASFMC Stock Status • Winter Flounder:
Unknown

DID YOU KNOW?
Flounder look like normal fish larvae for several weeks
after they first hatch, but during their metamorphosis,
one of their eyes slowly migrates over their head until
both eyes are on the same side!
FISH | 39

SYNG NAT H U S F U SC U SHIPPOC AMPUS ER ECTUS

NORTHERN PIPEFISH

LINED SEAHORSE

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Syngnathiformes “Pipefish & Seahorses”
Family Syngnathidae “Pipefish & Seahorses”

Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Syngnathiformes “Pipefish & Seahorses”
Family Syngnathidae “Pipefish & Seahorses”

Tube-shaped snout

Often have white lines that
follow the body contours

Dorsal fin is shortand delicate

Upright and bony fish

Horse-like head that iscovered in bony plates

Color varies depending on
the individual, but is usuallygreen or brown

Tube-shaped snout
Pipefish are long, thin, and rigid
Bony rings all along the body

Deep chest
Males have a broodpouch on their belly

No ventral or anal fins

Prehensile tailRound tail fin

Often have white spots
on their tail

Pictured: An adult northern pipefish. Northern pipefish
are long, thin fish with bony rings all along their bodies
and tube-shaped snouts.

COMMON PREDATORS
Oyster toadfish, bass, perch, drums, and weakfish eat
pipefish.

Pictured: An adult lined seahorse clinging to seagrasswith its prehensile tail. Lined seahorses are upright, bonyfish with horse-like heads, tube-shaped snouts, anddeep chests.

HABITATSTATUS

HABITAT

Pipefish mostly live among plant and algae in brackish or
saltwater habitats, including marsh creeks, estuaries,
and harbors.

DIET
Pipefish eat small crustaceans, like amphipods, isopods,
copepods, and shrimp.

IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend
New York State Conservation Rank:
Vulnerable • S3

During the summer, lined seahorses live in shallow areas
near the shore. You can find them among underwater
plants and algae, human-made structures, sponges, andoyster reefs.

DIET

40 | FISH

Color varies depending on theirbackground, but in New York
Harbor they’re usually dark

and other small crustaceans, as well as snails, and bristle
worms.

COMMON PREDATORSBlack sea bass, mako sharks, stingrays, bluefish, andtuna occasionally eat lined seahorses, as do seabirds andwading birds.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Vulnerable • Decreasing

Lined seahorses eat amphipods, copepods, small shrimp,
DID YOU KNOW?

10 - 20 cm

Lined seahorses are the only
species of seahorse that currently
lives in New York Harbor

Pregnancy is dangerous for male pipefish. Many get eaten by
predators or starve before they can give birth. Because of theuneven death rate, there can be as many as nine female pipefish
for every one male.

5 - 11 cm;
Maximumlength is 15 cm

DID YOU KNOW?

Lined seahorses communicate with little clicking sounds.
They make these sounds by tossing their heads against astar-shaped crest on their neck called a coronet.
FISH | 41

FISH OF NEW YORK HARBORATLANTIC SILVERSIDE
Menidia menidia

pg. 15AMERICAN EEL
Anguilla rostrata

pg. 14ATLANTIC NEEDLEFISH
Strongylura marina

pg. 16OYSTER TOADFISH
Opsanus tau

pg. 18

BLUEFISH
Pomatomus saltatrix

pg. 29BLACK SEA BASS
Centropristis striata

pg. 30SCUP
Stenotomus chrysops

pg. 31ATLANTIC MENHADEN
Brevoortia tyrannus

pg. 19STRIPED KILLIFISH
Fundulus majalis

pg. 20

MUMMICHOG
Fundulus heteroclitus

pg. 21

ROCK GUNNEL
Pholis gunnellus

pg. 32BUTTERFISH
Peprilus triacanthus

pg. 33NORTHERN KINGFISH
Menticirrhus saxatilis

pg. 34SKILLETFISH
Gobiesox strumosus

pg. 22BLENNY
Blenniidae Family

pg. 23GOBY
Gobiosoma spp.

pg. 24

SCULPIN
Myoxocephalus spp.

pg. 35

SEA ROBIN
Prionotus spp.

pg. 36NORTHERN PUFFER
Sphoeroides maculatus

pg. 37CUNNER
Tautogolabrus adspersus

pg. 25BLACKFISH
Tautoga onitis

pg. 26STRIPED BASS
Morone saxatilis

pg. 28FLOUNDER
Pleuronectiformes Orderpg. 38NORTHERN PIPEFISH
Syngnathus fuscus

pg. 40

LINED SEAHORSE
Hippocampus erectus

pg. 4142 | FISH

FISH | 43

MOBILE
INVERTEBRATESGreen CrabSpider CrabBlue Crab
Mud Crabs
Mitten Crabs
Pacific Shore Crab
Sand Shrimp
Grass Shrimp
Amphipods
Skeleton Shrimp
Isopods
Horseshoe Crabs
Slipper Snails
WhelksEastern Mudsnails
Oyster Drills
Bristle Worms
Oyster Flatworm
Comb Jelly
Moon Jelly

44 | FISH

FISH | 45

C A R C I NU S MAE NAS

LIBINIA SPP.

GREEN CRAB

SPIDER CRAB

Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Portunidae “Swimming Crabs”

Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Epialtidae “Spider Crabs”

Green, but can also be
mottled brown, grey, or red

You can count 5 blunt spines(or “teeth”) on each side of theircapace just behind the eyes

Uniform beige color
They drape their knobby,
spiny bodies in algae,
sponges, or other debris

Pointed snout andshort eyestalks

Long legs
Adult females have
red-orange underbellies

Pictured: An adult green crab. Green crabs are mid-sized
crabs that can be green, brown, grey, or red, with 5 blunt
spines on their carapace.

HABITATGreen crabs can live in many types of saltwater and estuarine habitats. You can often find them among vegetation, in salt marshes, and under rocks along the banksof tidal creeks.

Males and juveniles have yellow or green underbellies

DIET
Green crabs eat many different kinds of plants and animals from nearly 160 different genus groups. Some of
their preferred foods include snails, bivalves, (clams
and mussels), juvenile fish, algae, juvenile lobsters, barnacles, and bristle worms.

COMMON PREDATORS
Sea birds (including gulls), ducks, herons, raccoons, andblue crabs eat green crabs.

Triangular carapace

Pictured: An adult spider crab. Spider crabs are longlegged, beige crabs with knobby, triangular carapaces
and short eyestalks.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Spider crabs live near the sea floor on rocks, mud, andsand. You can find them in large numbers in fairly polluted
bays and estuaries. Spider crabs can descend to depths
of greater than 150 feet (around 45 meters) below thesurface.

6 - 10 cm • Carapace width
46 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATESLongnose spider crab
have about six spines
on their midline

Spider crabs eat algae, dead and decaying fish, mollusks,
barnacles, and sea stars.

Octopuses, pinfish, grouper, and oyster toadfish eat spider crabs.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

A single green crab can eat up to 40 half-inch clams per day!

Common spider crabs have aboutnine spines on their midline

5 - 8 cm • Carapace;
Maximum width is 10 cm

To make up for their bad eyesight, spider crabs have sensory
cells (like taste buds) at the end of each leg. These cells help
them find tasty morsels on the sea floor.
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 47

C ALLINECT ES SAP I D US

BLUE CRAB

Males have a narrow,tower-shaped apron on
their abdomen

Class Malcostraca
Order Decapoda “Decapods”
Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs”
Family Portunidae “Swimming Crabs”

Four serrated spines (or“teeth”) between their eyes
Nine spines on eitherside of their eyes

Deep blue claws often
have orange tips

Female blue crabs have awide, dome-shaped flap (or“apron”) on their abdomen

Three spines on
their first arms

Females carry their eggs
in a bright orange, spongy
mass on their apron

Large crab

8 - 17 cm • Carapace;
Maximum width is 23 cm
48 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Wide carapace with two longspines on either side

Pictured: An adult blue crab. Blue crabs are large crabs
with deep blue claws and two long spines on either sideof their carapace. Juvenile blue crabs (not pictured) areless brightly colored than adults.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORSBlue crabs spend most of their time underwater, onrocks, sand, or mud. During the summer, you can findthem in river mouths, tidal creeks, salt marshes, andsounds. Blue crabs like to live near human-made structures, such as docks, or near underwater plants andseaweed.

Blue crabs eat live and dead fish, fish larvae, shrimp,
bivalves (like oysters, mussels, and clams), snails, andvegetation (like eelgrass and sea lettuce).

Raccoons, herons, American eels, striped bass, oyster
toadfish, drums, and croakers eat blue crabs.

DID YOU KNOW?
Female blue crabs only mate once in their life, but they
can store male sperm for up to two years!
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 49

PAN OP E I DAE FAM I LY

ER IOCHEIR SINENSISMUD CRABSMITTEN CRABSClass Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Panopeidae “Mud Crabs”

Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Varunidae “Shore Crabs”

No spines between their eyes
Front claws are
typically unequal sizes

Black-fingered mud
crabs have a tooth-likenub on the upper partof their larger claw

You can tell mitten crabs apartfrom other crabs by the fine, lighthairs on their equal-sized claws

Notch between the eyes
Mid-sizedburrowing crab

white-fingered mud crabs
have light-tipped claws

Four or five blunt
spines (or “teeth”)
on both sides of
their carapace

Similar-looking familyof small crabs

Legs are about twice thelength of their carapace

Square carapace
Rear legs are pointed

Flatback mud crabs have asomewhat flattened carapace

Pictured: An adult black-fingered mud crab. Mud crabs arevery small crabs with four or five blunt spines on theircarapaces.

HABITAT
Mud crabs live in fresh to brackish water at up to 120
feet (around 37 meters) below the surface. They prefersheltered estuarine habitats near pilings and jetties,
sponges, bryozoans, eelgrass meadows, woody debris,rocks, or oyster reefs.

DIET
Larger species (like the black-fingered mud crab) eat
oysters, quahog clams, mussels, barnacles, and snails.
Smaller species (like the flatback mud crab) eat mainly
algae, decaying plant and animal matter, amphipods, andbristle worms.

Pictured: An adult mitten crab. Mitten crabs are mid-sizedburrowing crabs with square carapaces and fine, lighthairs on their claws.

HABITAT
Mitten crabs live in fresh, brackish, or salty water during different parts of their life cycle. In freshwater, they
prefer shallow, slow-moving pools near algae. In brackish
water, they make burrows in the sides of steep muddy
or sandy banks.

COMMON PREDATORSBlue crabs, wading birds (like herons), oyster toadfish,
and other carnivorous fish eat adult mud crabs. Atlantic
silversides, mummichogs, grass shrimp, and otherplankton-eating fish and invertebrates prey on the larvae.

COMMON PREDATORS
We don’t know for sure what animals in New York Harbor
might eat mitten crabs. Some carnivorous fish like American eels, striped bass, and catfish might prey on mitten
crabs. Other potential predators include raccoons, otters,
wading birds (like herons), and bullfrogs.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mud crab larvae have sharp spines that defend them against plankton-eating fish.

50 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Mitten crabs are flexible omnivores. They mainly eat algae, decaying matter, and dead fish. Juveniles sometimes
eat amphipods and snails because they need calcium fortheir growing shells.

FROM THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: “If you collect a Chinese mitten crab, do not release it back to the water. Keep
it and freeze it (preserve in alcohol if you can’t freeze it). Note date and location caught (GPS coordinates preferred but pinpointed on a map is acceptable)
and how you caught it. If possible, take a close-up photo. Please make a report within 48 hours of catch that includes photos and location information toisinfo@dec.ny.gov or 518-402-9425.”

DID YOU KNOW?
2 -4 cm • Carapace widthDIET

5 - 7 cm • Carapace;
Maximum width is 10 cm

Many organisms make their home in the mitten crab’s hairy claws, including bivalve and snail larvae,
amphipods, bristle worms, and algae.
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 51

H E M I G R A P SU S SAN G U I NE U S

CR ANGON SEPTEMSPINOSAPACIFIC SHORE CRAB

SAND SHRIMPClass Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Varunidae “Shore Crabs”

Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Caridea “Caridean Shrimp” • Family Crangonidae

Males have a fleshy bulb at
the base of their upper claw

One pair of hook-shaped claws
Stout, with a wide body thatgets thinner toward the tail

Small and dark-coloredLight, sandy-colored bodywith darker speckles
Square carapace

Color ranges frombrown, to red, to green

Pictured: An adult Pacific shore crab. Pacific shore
crabs are small, dark crabs with square carapaces andlight bands around their legs.

HABITAT
Pacific shore crabs usually live in the intertidal zone ofrocky estuaries. They can also live in the subtidal zone,
on sandy or pebbly beaches, jetties, pilings, mussel beds,
and oyster reefs.

Light-colored bands
around their legs

DIET
Pacific shore crabs are omnivorous. They eat many different species of plants and animals, including blue
mussels, quahog clams, oysters, soft-shell clams, snails,
algae, and seagrass.

COMMON PREDATORS

Unlike grass shrimp, sand shrimp
are flattened from top to bottom,
rather than from side to side

Short, beak-like rostrum
between the eyes

Pictured: An adult sand shrimp. Sand shrimp are stout,
sandy-colored shrimp with dark speckles and hookshaped claws.

HABITAT
Sand shrimp live on sand or mud in the shallow bottoms
of estuaries and salt marshes.

Tautog, cunner, oyster toadfish, striped bass, black sea
bass, green crabs, and gulls eat adult Pacific shore crabs.
Killifish and mummichogs eat Pacific shore crab larvae.

1 -3 cm • Carapace; ;Maximum width is 4 cm
52 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Sand shrimp eat decaying plants and animals, small
crustaceans (like amphipods), fish larvae, insects, andinvertebrate eggs.

COMMON PREDATORS
Flounder, striped bass, black sea bass, sea robins,skates, and other bottom-dwelling fish eat adult sandshrimp. Comb jellies and other plankton-eating species
eat sand shrimp larvae.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

Pacific shore crabs are immune to many toxins, including puffer
fish venom!

DIET

1 - 4 cm; Maximum
length is 7 cm

Sand shrimp eat lots of sand on purpose. It helps them grind up
the hard shells of insects and amphipods. In fact, sand shrimp
poop is mostly made of sand!
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 53

PAL AE M ON SP P. ( F OR ME R LY PAL AE M O NETE S )OR D ER AMPHIPODAGRASS SHRIMP

AMPHIPODSClass Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Caridea “Caridean Shrimp” • Family Palaemonidae

Class Malacostraca • Order Amphipoda “Amphipods”

Their head is fusedto their thorax
Unlike crustaceans,
amphipods don’t havea carapace

Tiny crustaceanswith four antennae

Flattened from side to sidewith arched backs, while
isopods are usually flattened
from top to bottom

Usually have five pairs of walking
legs in the front and three pairsof swimming legs in the backToothed rostrum, or long,
beak-like projection,
between the eyes

Slender and transparent

Flattened from side to side
Unlike sand shrimp, which areflattneed from top to bottom.

light, cinnamon-coloredspots on their body

Pictured: An adult grass shrimp. Grass shrimp are
slender, transparent shrimp with cinnamon spots andtwo pairs of claws on their front legs.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Grass shrimp live in many shallow coastal habitats,including salt marshes and estuaries. They spend a lotof time around eelgrass meadows and other underwater
plants and algae.

A mixture of amphipods, skeleton shrimp, and isopods in an
ordinary plastic spoon. These organisms are visible to thenaked eye, but it’s difficult to observe them in detail without
a microscope or magnifying glass.

Grass shrimp eat tiny algae, rotting vegetation,
phytoplankton, and small invertebrates.

Mummichogs, killifish, and other small fish eat grass
shrimp.

Pictured: An adult scud (a type of amphipod). Amphipods
are tiny crustaceans with four antennae and no carapace.
Their head is fused to their thorax.

HABITAT
Amphipods live in all kinds of saltwater, brackish, andfreshwater communities. People commonly see themamong underwater vegetation (like eelgrass meadows),
salt marshes, tide pools, sandy beaches, and rotting
seaweed.

DID YOU KNOW?

2.5 - 5 cm
54 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Some grass shrimp have a parasite that looks like a purplishbrown lump on their gills. This parasite is actually an isopod
called Probopyrus pandalicola.

DIET
Most amphipods are scavengers. They eat rotting algae,
seaweed, dead fish, other amphipods, isopods, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and insect eggs.

COMMON PREDATORS
Most of the fish species in New York Harbor eat amphipods during some part of their life cycle. Shorebirds,
crabs, and shrimp also eat amphipods.

DID YOU KNOW?

6 - 25 mm

Some amphipods will eat almost anything, including humangarbage. One study found that a group of amphipods can chew
a single plastic bag into 175 million pieces!
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 55

C A P R E L L I DAE FAM I LY

OR D ER ISOPODA

SKELETON SHRIMPISOPODSClass Malacostraca • Order Amphipoda “Amphipods” • Family Caprellidae “Skeleton Shrimp”

Class Malacostraca • Order Isopoda “Isopods”

Shield-like structurethat protects the eyes

Small, slender, and gangly
Segmented body

Four antennae

Usually transparent, but canbe mottled reddish-brown

One pair offolded forelegs
Two pairs of
paddle-shaped gills

Gills on theunderside

Three pairs ofhooked hindlegs

Pictured: An adult skeleton shrimp. Skeleton shrimp aretransparent, gangly amphipods with folded forelegs andpaddle-shaped gills.

HABITAT
Skeleton shrimp live in shallow estuaries and saltwater
environments. They are usually attached to hydroids,
sponges, sea stars, bryozoans, kelp, seaweed, algae, oreelgrass. Some species live freely on soft mud.

Small, armored crustaceans

Unlike amphipods, isopods are
typically flattened from top to bottom

Females may have large
egg sacs near their gills

DIET
Skeleton shrimp are omnivores. They feed on zooplankton, phytoplankton, crustacean larvae, and rotting bits ofplants and animals.

COMMON PREDATORSBlack sea bass, pipefish, seahorses, blennies, gobies, andribbon worms eat skeleton shrimp.

Pictured: A generic adult isopod (based on Idotea spp.).
Isopods are small, armored crustaceans with segmented
bodies and four antennae. There are many isopod species
in New York Harbor, but most look similar to the example
in this illustration.

1.5 - 3.5 cm
56 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Isopods eat dead animals, decaying algae and seaweed,
wood, and other rotting matter. Parasitic isopods eat the
blood of live fish.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATIn marine environments, isopods often crawl aroundunderwater algae and plants (like eelgrass), over rocks,
sand, or mud, on exposed rocks or pilings near the water,
and in tide pools.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sixty-two new species of skeleton shrimp have been discoveredin the last fifteen years. Scientists think that many more species
haven’t been discovered yet.

DIET

Many juvenile fish eat isopods, as do other small fish,
shorebirds, and crabs.

DID YOU KNOW?

Some parasitic isopods bite off a fish’s tongue and replace itwith their own body!
5 - 38 mm long
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 57

L I M ULU S P OLYP H E M U S

CR EPID ULA SPP. (C. FOR NIC ATA; C. PLANA; C. CONVEX A)

Subphylum Chelicerata “Arachnids, Sea Spiders, & Horseshoe Crabs” • Class Merostomata “Sea Scorpions & Horseshoe Crabs”
Order Xiphosurida “Horseshoe Crabs” • Family Limulidae

Class Gastropoda “Snails & Slugs” • Order Littorinimorpha “Sea Snails” • Family Calyptraeidae

HORSESHOE CRABSSLIPPER SNAILS

Large, saucepanshaped arthropod

Arched, rounded shell

5 pairs of limbs andbook-like gills hidden
under their shellLong, pointed tail(or “telson”)

Flat, white shelf on theunderside of the shell

Uniform brown color
Heavily armoredwith serrated edges

Pictured: An adult horseshoe crab with barnacles anda slipper snail hitchhiking on its shell. Horseshoe crabs
are large, brown, saucepan-shaped arthropods, heavily
armored with a long, pointed tail.

HABITAT
Horseshoe crabs breed on sandy beaches. Outside of
the breeding season, horseshoe crabs live in shallow anddeeper water over almost any type of sea floor.

DIET
Horseshoe crabs prefer to eat mollusks (including blue
mussels, soft-shell clams, and surf clams). But horseshoe crabs also eat plant matter, bristle worms, algae,
small crabs and other crustaceans.

Some species form stacks
of up to twelve snails

Can be pearly white
to brown in color

COMMON PREDATORS
Shorebirds and raccoons eat horseshoe crab eggs. Sand
shrimp, blue crabs, striped bass, killifish, Atlantic silversides, and other surf zone fish eat juvenile horseshoe
crabs. Adults are well-defended and have few natural
predators. Sea turtles sometimes eat adults at sea, andgulls eat stranded adults on the beach.

STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Vulnerable • Decreasing
ASFMC New York Stock Status:
Poor

Pictured: A stack of slipper snails as they might appear
on an oyster reef (left). Slipper snails have rounded,mottled, light brown shells. On their undersides, slipper
snails have a white “shelf ” that protects the snail’s body
(middle). You would be able to see the soft, pale mollusk
inside if the “shelf ” were transparent (right).

HABITAT
Slipper snails live in the subtidal or intertidal zones ofcoastal marshes, tide pools, and beaches. They are often
attached to hard surfaces (like rocks, oyster reefs, andshells), other animals (like horseshoe crabs and hermit

DID YOU KNOW?
Up to 60 cm long with
tail, 30 cm carapace
width. Males are smaller.
58 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Ten percent of horseshoe crabs die every year when they
become stranded on the beach upside down. If you see one on
its back, you can help by flipping it over – they don’t bite!

crabs) or blades of eelgrass. Slipper shells can live up
to 50 feet (around 15 meters) below the surface of thewater.

DIET
Slipper snails are filter feeders. They eat phytoplankton
and other particles in the water.

COMMON PREDATORS
Whelks, hermit crabs, boring sponges, oyster drills,
flounders, and sea stars eat slipper snails.

DID YOU KNOW?

As slipper snails grow larger, they gradually change their sex
from male to female.
1 - 5 cm
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 59

B U SYCONI DAE FAM I LY

TR ITIA OBSOLETA (FOR MER LY ILYANASSA)WHELKS

EASTERN MUDSNAILS

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies • Class Gastropoda “Snails & Slugs” • Order Neogastropoda • Family Busyconidae “Whelks”

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies • Class Gastropoda “Snails & Slugs”
Order Neogastropoda • Family Nassariidae “Nassa Mud Snails”

Knobbed whelks have pointed knobs
near the top of their shells
Large sea snails with spiral-shaped
shell that ends at a point

Channeled whelks have deep grooves,or channels, at the seam that separates
each whorl of their shell

Both knobbed whelks and channeledwhelks have right-handed shells

Pictured: A channeled whelk. Whelks are large sea snails
with spiral-shaped shells that taper to a point. Knobbed
whelks (not pictured) have pointed knobs on their shells.

HABITAT
Whelks live in the intertidal and subtidal zones of estuaries and out at sea. They live on the sea floor at up to
165 feet (around 50 meters) below the surface. Empty
shells often wash ashore on sandy beaches, but you’remore likely to find live whelks around oyster reefs andmussel beds.

Small, oval shaped shellthat gradually tapers
toward the pointed end

Shell is covered in a darkbrown, nearly black “skin”(called periostracum)

Shell has six to seven whorls
Eastern mudsnail shells areright-handed, meaning that the
opening is on the right side

White shell often peeks
through where the dark skinhas started to wear away

DIET

DIET

Pictured: An eastern mudsnail. Eastern mudsnails are
small, mottled brown snails with an oval-shaped shellthat ends in a point.

Whelks eat bivalves, including quahog clams, oysters,
and blue mussels.

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORSCOMMON PREDATORS
Crabs, sea stars, and sea urchins eat whelks.

Eastern mudsnails live in the intertidal zone in mudflatsand salt marshes. You can also find them in eelgrassmeadows, oyster reefs, and mussel beds.

Like people, most whelks are “right-handed.” That means that the opening of their shell is on
their right side. But every now and then, a whelk is born “left-handed.”60 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES

Turtles, crabs, shorebirds, wading birds (like herons),
and fish eat eastern mudsnails.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?
13 - 23 cm

Eastern mudsnails eat bacteria, phytoplankton, decomposing algae, and animal carcasses.

2.5 - 3 cm

In New York Harbor, diamondback terrapins (a type of
turtle) love to eat eastern mudsnails. Some parasites have
evolved to live in both terrapins and mudsnails.
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 61

MURICIDAE ( UR O SAL P I N X CI NE R E A , E U P L E U R A C AUDATA )OYSTER DRILLS
Small snails with spiral-shaped
shells that end in a point

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies
Class Gastropoda “Snails & Slugs”
Order Neogastropoda
Family Muricidae “Rock Snails”

Shells are reddish-brownand have smooth edges

Thick-lipped drill shells are grey
and have slightly jagged edges

As their name suggests, thick-lipped
drills have a thicker lip near the
opening of their shells

Pictured: An Atlantic oyster drill (top). Atlantic oyster
drills have reddish-brown, spiral-shaped shells withsmooth edges. A thick-lipped oyster drill (bottom). Thicklipped oyster drills have grey shells with slightly jagged
edges and a thicker lip near the opening of their shell.
Vase-shaped oyster drill egg cases
attached to vegetation, with bright yellow
eggs inside each case1 - 2.5 cm
62 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATESHABITAT
Oyster drills live in the intertidal zone and shallow partsof the subtidal zone, in estuaries and near the shore. You
can find them among seagrass meadows, mud flats, oyster reefs, pilings with barnacles, and rocks at up to 120
feet (around 36 meters) below the surface of the water.

COMMON PREDATORSDIETDID YOU KNOW?

Oyster drills eat oysters, slipper shells, mussels,
barnacles, bristle worms, and bryozoans.

Sea stars, blue crabs, flatworms, and other carnivorous
snails eat oyster drills.

A single oyster drill can eat up to 200 juvenile oysters
in one season!
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 63

P OLYC H AETA C L ASSSTYLOCHUS ELLIPTICUS

BRISTLE WORMSOYSTER FLATWORM

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies • Phylum Annelida “Worms” • Class Polychaeta “Polychaete Worms”

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies • Phylum Platyhelminthes “Flatworms”
Order Polycladida “Free-Living Marine Flatworms” • Family Stylochidae

Clam worms can be brightgreen, blue, or pink, oftenwith thick, orange parapodia

Clam worms have dark jaws at theend of their short proboscis, which
is a tube-shaped mouthpart

Tube-building bristle worms
have a crown of featherygills on their head and canbe up to 7 cm long

Flattened from top to bottom

Usually have a few darker
eyespots on one half of their body

They usually hide inside of
the hard, twisted tubes theybuild on bivalve shells
Segmented bodies with one pairof parapodia on each segment

Blood worms have a pointed
head and very long proboscis
which is usually withrawn

Blood worms are pink withpatches of red blood(Not pictured) Whip mudworms areusually light yellow and up to 3 cm long,with two long tentacles on their head

Blood worms and clam worms
are typically around 8 cm long,
but can be much longer

Pictured: A common clam worm (top), which is anothertype of bristle worm. Clam worms are brightly coloredwith thick, orange legs and dark jaws. A blood worm
(bottom), which is a type of bristle worm. Blood worms
are pink with red patches, and they have a pointed head.
A group of tube-building worms attached to a clam shell(right). These worms build brittle, coiled tubes all overshells. Tube-building worms feed by poking their heads
out of their tubes and trapping phytoplankton in theirfeathery gills.

Different bristle worm species have different diets. Manybristle worms eat animal carcasses, algae, phytoplankton, small amphipods, fish larvae, and other bristle
worms.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATBristle worms live in all kinds of saltwater and estuarine

Light cream-colored withcinnamon colored speckles

habitats. You can find bristle worms in mud and sand,seaweed, oyster reefs, mussel beds, rocky cliffs, seagrass meadows, and human-made structures.

DIET

Many species of fish, crustaceans, and birds eat bristle
worms.

Small, leaf-shaped worms

Symmetrical acrosstheir midline

Pictured: An oyster flatworm. Oyster flatworms are small,leaf-shaped, flattened worms, light cream-colored withdark eyespots.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Oyster flatworms live on oyster reefs and among
barnacles. They prefer brackish or salty water. Flatworms
usually remain near the surface of the water. You cansometimes find them inside empty oyster shells, orunderneath rocks in shallow water.

DID YOU KNOW?

2 - 75 mm
64 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATESBlood worm jaws are made with metal! These worms produce a
copper-containing mineral that helps them pierce through theirprey and inject their venom.

Juvenile oyster flatworms eat red algae. Adult flatworms
eat oysters and barnacles

Plankton-eating fish like Atlantic menhaden eat oyster
flatworm larvae. We don’t know much about predatorsof adult flatworms, but omnivorous fish and crustaceansprobably eat them.

DID YOU KNOW?

Less than 2.5 cm

If there is not enough food around, oyster flatworms cantemporarily shrink in size by up to 50%. That way, flatworms
don’t have to eat as much to sustain themselves.
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 65

MNE M I OP SI S I E I DYIAUR ELIA AUR ITACOMB JELLY

MOON JELLY

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies • Phylum Ctenophora “Comb Jellies” • Class Tentaculata • Order Lobata • Family Bolinopsidae

Category Snails, Worms, & Jellies • Phylum Cnidaria “Jellyfish” • Class Scyphozoa “True Jellyfish”
Order Semaeostomeae • Family Ulmaridae

Common southern comb jellies aretransparent, jellyfish-like animals

Eight rows of glittering, comb-likeplates along their body

Two long lobes, like bunny ears, thatbegin near the top of their body anddroop down over their mouth

Pictured: A comb jelly. Comb jellies are transparent, ovalshaped animals with eight rows of sparkling combs
around the outside of their body.

HABITAT
Common southern comb jellies usually live near the
shore, in bays and estuaries. But people sometimes see
comb jellies several hundred miles away from the shore,
in open ocean. Comb jellies prefer murky, brackish water,
but they can live in salty and almost fresh water as well.

DIET
Common southern comb jellies eat any type of zooplankton, including fish, crustacean, and mollusk larvae. They
also eat phytoplankton, floating fish eggs, and copepods.

COMMON PREDATORS
Large jellyfish like sea nettles, other comb jelly species,
sea turtles, harvestfish, and butterfish eat common
southern comb jellies.

Can be anywhere from pink,
to orange, to white in color

As medusas, moon jellies
are large, round jellyfish

Fringe of many short tentacles andfour longer tentacles, called oral arms

As polyps, moon jellies arealmost microscopically small
Polyps live in colonies and look
like tiny sea anemones

Pictured: A side-view of a moon jelly (left) and a top-downview of a moon jelly (right). Moon jellies are transparent,round jellyfish with a fringe of short tentacles and four
longer tentacles. They have four horseshoe-shaped
reproductive organs (gonads) that you can see fromabove.

HABITAT
Moon jellies are found around the world in open water.
They drift into bays, estuaries, and other shallow, protected waters during the summer.

3 - 12 cm

66 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATESPolyps have a narrow stemthat broadens into a cup
with 10-15 slender tentacles
arranged around the edge

DIET
Moon jellies eat phytoplankton (like algae) and zooplankton (like the larvae of mollusks, bristle worms, fish, andcrustaceans).

COMMON PREDATORS
Other jellyfish (like lion’s mane jellyfish), sea turtles, andocean sunfish eat moon jelly medusas. Sea slugs eat
moon jelly polyps.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

Some comb jellies have a parasite that looks like a thin, pink worm living inside their transparent bodies.
This parasite is actually a type of sea anemone called the lined anemone.

Transparent with four C-shaped
reproductive organs (gonads) thatare visible from above

Medusas: 5 – 40 cm in diameter.
Polyps: < 1 cm and difficult to
see with the naked eye.

If moon jelly medusas get sick or injured, they can heal
themselves by reversing their life cycle and transforming backinto polyps.
MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 67

MOBILE INVERTEBRATES OF NEW YORK HARBOR

GREEN CRAB
Carcinus maenas

pg. 46SPIDER CRAB
Libinia spp.

pg. 47

BLUE CRAB
Callinectes sapidus

pg. 48SLIPPER SNAILS
Crepidula spp.

pg. 59WHELKS
Busyconidae Family

pg. 60EASTERN MUDSNAILS
Tritia obsoleta

pg. 61

MUD CRAB
Panopeidae Family

pg. 50MITTEN CRAB
Eriocheir sinensis

pg. 51

PACIFIC SHORE CRAB
Hemigrapsus sanguineus

pg. 52OYSTER DRILL EGG CAPSULES
Muricidae Family

pg. 62OYSTER DRILLS
Muricidae Family

pg. 63

CLAM WORM
Polychaeta Classpg. 64

SAND SHRIMP
Crangon septemspinosapg. 53

GRASS SHRIMP
Palaemon spp.

pg. 54

AMPHIPODS
Order Amphipoda

pg. 55CARNATION WORM
Polychaeta Classpg. 64OYSTER FLATWORM
Stylochus ellipticus

pg. 65

COMB JELLY
Mnemiopsis leidyi

pg. 66

SKELETON SHRIMP
Caprellidae Family

pg. 56ISOPODS
Order Isopoda

pg. 57HORSESHOE CRAB
Limulus polyphemus

pg. 58MOON JELLY
Aurelia aurita

pg. 67

68 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATESMOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 69

SESSILE
ORGANISMS
Barnacles
Ribbed Mussels
Blue Mussels
Jingle Shells
Eastern Oysters
Northern Quahog
European Sea Squirt
Sea Vases
Sea Grapes
Chain TunicatesGolden Star Tunicates
Boring Sponges
Red Beard Sponge
Hydroids
Orange-Striped Green Anemone
Frilled Anemones
Dahlia Anemones
Lined Anemones
Bushy Bryozoan
Lacy Bryozoan
Sea Lettuce
Agardh’s Red Weed

70 | FISH

FISH | 71

B AL AN I DAE ( SE M I B AL AN U S B AL AN OI D E S; AM P H I BALNAU S E B E RNE U S )GEUKENSIA D EMISSABARNACLESRIBBED MUSSELSClass Hexanauplia • Order Sessilia “Acorn Barnacles” • Family Balanidae

Phylum Mollusca “Mollusks” • Class Bivalvia “Bivalves” • Order Mytilida “True Mussels” • Family Mytilidae “Sea Mussels”

Adult barnacles are sessile
crustaceans that attach
themselves to hard substrates

It is difficult to tell northern rockbarnacles and ivory barnacles
apart without detaching them

Glossy, bean-shaped mussels

Both species are pale
whitish-yellow color

51

Beak-like gill cover in thecenter of their plates

Protected by a ring of strong,overlapping plates

Pictured: A group of barnacles attached to an oyster
shell. Barnacles are sessile, armored crustaceans thatare protected by a ring of bony plates and a beak-like gillcover.

DIET

HABITAT
Barnacles live in the intertidal zone, in salty or brackish
water. They can attach themselves to any rough, hardsurface, including oysters, rocks in tide pools, pilings,
jetties, and ships. Barnacles can tolerate fairly fresh

Inside of their shell isiridescent pink, blue, or purple

Vary in color form olive
green to dark brown

Lined, corduroytextured shellwater, which means that they can live in far upstream
in estuaries.

DIET

Barnacles are filter-feeders that eat phytoplankton andother particles in the water.

Pictured: An Atlantic ribbed mussel. Atlantic ribbed
mussels are glossy, bean-shaped bivalves with corduroytextured shells.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Oyster flatworms, oyster drills, blennies, sea stars, sea
slugs, and bryozoans eat barnacles.

Atlantic ribbed mussels live below the high tide line insalt marshes, oyster reefs, cordgrass, and soft mud.

DID YOU KNOW?

1 - 2.5 cm diameter
72 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Like all crustaceans, barnacles have to molt their skin as theygrow. When they’re finished molting, they push the empty husk
out of their shell.

Atlantic ribbed mussels eat phytoplankton, bits of decaying animals, algae, zooplankton, and other particles.

Blue crabs, mud crabs, and shore birds eat Atlantic ribbed
mussels.

DID YOU KNOW?
5 - 10 cm

Atlantic ribbed mussels can re-attach themselves to cordgrass ifthey get knocked out of place.

SESSILE ORGANISMS | 73

M YT I LU S E D UL I SANOMIA SIMPLEXBLUE MUSSELSJINGLE SHELLS

Phylum Mollusca “Mollusks” • Class Bivalvia “Bivalves” • Order Mytilida “True Mussels” • Family Mytilidae “Sea Mussels”

Phylum Mollusca “Mollusks” • Class Bivalvia “Bivalves” • Order Pectinida “Scallops & Relatives” • Family Anomiidae “Jingle Shells”

Shells are smooth and roundedBlue mussel flesh is yellow

Concentric growth linesthat start at the pointed
hinge of their shell

Smaller bottom shellwith a hole in it

Large top shell

Often dark blue, but canalso be purple or brown
They have thin, brown threads
that extend from their closed shelland attach them to surfaces

Small andiridescent bivalves

Sometimes they have whitepatches where the outer coating(or periostracum) of their shell has
worn away

Pictured: A blue mussel with yellow byssal threads, which
they use to attach themselves to surfaces. Blue mussels
are smooth, rounded bivalves with concentric growthlines. They can be dark blue, purple, or brown.

Blue mussels live in dense beds in the subtidal and intertidal zones. You can find them on rocky shores, pilings,
and empty shells, usually less than 32 feet (around 10
meters) below the surface. Blue mussels prefer salty water and do not grow well in brackish water. They usually
settle closer to the mouth of estuaries.

Blue mussels eat phytoplankton, including algae, and bitsof rotting vegetation.

Jellyfish and young fish eat mussel larvae. Sea stars,
crustaceans, tautog, cunner, and some seabirds eat
adult blue mussels.

Pictured: The upper shell (left) and lower shell (right) of
a common jingle shell. Jingle shells are small, iridescentbivalves with thin, translucent shells that are pearly
white to orange. Their lower shell has a hole in it to allow
byssal threads to pass through.

HABITAT
Jingle shells live on hard surfaces, including oyster reefs,
mussel beds, and on rocks among eelgrass. You can findScientists have studied blue mussels’ byssal threads to learn
how to make stronger, stretchier materials.

74 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

them in the intertidal and subtidal zones of beaches,bays, and estuaries.

DIET
Jingle shells filter-feed on phytoplankton, algae, small
bits of rotting plants, and other particles.

COMMON PREDATORS
Predatory snails, crabs, and fish eat jingle shells.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

5 - 10 cm

Can be pearly white, toorange, to grey in color

DIET

COMMON PREDATORSHABITAT

Both shells are thin andtranslucent, but strong

2.5 - 7.5 cm

Although jingle shells look fragile, they are actually surprisingly
strong. Jingle shells cling very tightly to adult oyster shells andare difficult for predators to remove.
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 75

CRASSO ST R EA VI RG I N I C A

EASTERN OYSTERS
Phylum Mollusca “Mollusks”
Class Bivalvia “Bivalves”
Order Ostreida “Oysters”
Family Ostreidae “True Oysters”
Rough-textured,
bumpy bivalves

Top shell is flat, while thebottom shell is cupped

There is a purple scar
where the flesh was attached

Oyster Reproductive Cycle

Pictured: A group of living adult oysters and oyster spat
growing on an empty oyster shell. Oysters are roughtextured, bumpy bivalves that are greyish-brown in color.
Empty oyster shells have a purple scar where the flesh
was attached.

Oysters eat phytoplankton and suspended particles.

When water conditions are just right, adult oysters release eggs and sperm. The sperm enter the eggs in thewater and fertilize them. Oyster larvae swim freely forseveral weeks, and then sink down to the sea floor. They
use their foot to crawl around and search for an adultoyster to settle on. When they find a good spot, the larvae absorb their foot, cement themselves to the surface,
and transform into spat. Two to three years later, theoyster is fully grown and ready to breed.

COMMON PREDATORSDID YOU KNOW?

HABITAT

Oyster spat are thinand translucent

Unlike jingle shells, oyster spat
have dark, radiating stripes

5 - 15 cm
76 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Usually dirty
grey in color

REPRODUCTIVE CYCYLE

Oysters live in estuaries, bays, and coastal ponds in theintertidal and subtidal zones. They usually live in dense
reefs attached to hard surfaces, including rocks, pilings,
other human-made objects, and mollusk shells.

DIET

Shorebirds (including oystercatchers and gulls), flatworms, oyster drills, whelks, and oyster toadfish eat
oysters.

People traditionally only ate oysters during months that
contained the letter “R.” That’s because oysters becomethin and watery after they reproduce in the summer.
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 77

ME R C E NA R I A ME R C E NA R I A

ASCID IELLA ASPER SANORTHERN QUAHOGEUROPEAN SEA SQUIRT

Phylum Mollusca “Mollusks” • Class Bivalvia “Bivalves” • Order Venerida • Family Veneridae “Venus Clams”

Phylum Chordata “Chordates” • Subphylum Tunicata “Tunicates” • Class Ascidiacea “Sea Squirts”
Order Phlebobranchia • Family Ascidiidae

Thick, heavy-shelled clams

Equal-sized shells that areshaped like rounded triangles

Concentric growth lines thatstart at the hinge of their shell

Violet staining around theinternal edge of the shell

Pictured: A northern quahog with an attached barnacle(left). Northern quahogs are thick, heavy-shelled clams
with concentric growth lines on their shells. They are
greyish-yellow with purple staining around the inneredge of their shell (middle). If you look at a quahog fromthe side, the hinge of their shell looks like a heart (right).

HABITATWhite to grey in color
European sea squirts usually livein groups on hard surfaces

Hinge of the shell isheart-shapedLight grey andsemi-transparent

Oval-shaped body

Two siphons, one at the topof their body and one abouta third of the way down

Usually wreathed withmucus and algae

Pictured: A group of algae-covered European sea squirts
growing on a rock. European sea squirts are oval-shaped,
light grey, semi-transparent tunicates with two siphons.

DIET

Quahogs eat phytoplankton, algae, bacteria, bits of rotting plants, and other small particles.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

DIET

Gulls, oystercatchers, tautog, pufferfish, rays, blue crabs,
green crabs, oyster drills, and whelks eat quahogs.

Quahogs live in sand and mud flats in the intertidal andsubtidal zones. You can find them in estuaries, bays, andon sandy shores.

European sea squirts can live on any type of hard surface,
including rocks, oyster reefs, and human-made objects.
You can find them in the subtidal zone at up to 300 feet(around 91 meters) below the surface. European sea
squirts prefer protected habitat such as estuaries, bays,
and harbors.

European sea squirts eat phytoplankton, algae, bits ofrotting organisms, and other particles in the water.

Adult European sea squirts have few predators in New
York Harbor, but some carnivorous snails eat them.

DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW?

Quahogs can live as long as 40 years – unless something eats them first!
2.5 - 10 cm
78 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

5 - 13 cm

Like all tunicates, European sea squirt larvae have a primitive
backbone that they lose in adulthood. This means that sea
squirts are chordates, and they’re more closely related to humans than they are to jellyfish, coral, or any other invertebrates.
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 79

C I ONA I NT E ST I NAL I S

MOLGULA MANHAT TENSISSEA VASESSEA GRAPES

Phylum Chordata “Chordates” • Subphylum Tunicata “Tunicates” • Class Ascidiacea “Sea Squirts”
Order Phlebobranchia • Family Cionidae

Phylum Chordata “Chordates” • Subphylum Tunicata “Tunicates” • Class Ascidiacea “Sea Squirts”
Order Stolidobranchia • Family Molgulidae

Relatively tall, soft,
retracting tunicates

Rubbery andsemi-transparent

Translucent, paleyellow-green body

Small, round tunicates thatare olive-brown in color

Two siphonsnear the top

Two siphons thatare close together
One siphon isshort and stout
The other siphon islonger and thinner

Siphons are usually different
sizes and are sometimes
outlined in bright yellow

Covered in tiny, hairy projections
which often gather algae and silt

Sometimes they have orange or
red spots along their body

Pictured: A group of sea vases growing on a wooden
dock. Sea vases are tall, semi-transparent tunicates, paleyellow-green in color with two siphons near the top of
their body.

HABITATSea vases often grow in shallow water on hard and soft
surfaces, including eelgrass, bivalve shells, and rocks.
They can also live on human-made items like docks,
pilings, aquaculture gear, and metal. Sea vases preferprotected waters like estuaries, harbors, and bays.
They can grow at depths of up to 325 feet (around 100
meters).

Pictured: Three algae-covered sea grapes growing on
a rope. Sea grapes are small, round, semi-transparent
tunicates with two siphons, one thinner than the other.

DIET

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Sea vases eat phytoplankton and bacteria.

COMMON PREDATORS
Fish, crabs, sea stars, and carnivorous snails eat adultsea vases. Moon jellies eat sea vase larvae.

Sea grapes are common in urban ports and harbors.
You can find them attached to hard or soft surfaces (including rocks, sand, oysters, ships, pilings, jetties, andaquaculture gear) at depths of up to 300 feet (around
90 meters).

If you gently touch a sea grape, they might squirt a jet of waterat you!

Sea vases have pale orange organs, which you can see through their body.

80 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Mud crabs and carnivorous snails eat sea grapes.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?
4 - 14 cm

Sea grapes feed on phytoplankton, bacteria, and otherparticles in the water.

1 - 3.5 cm in diameter
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 81

B OT RYL LOI D E S V I OL AC E U S

B OTRYLLUS SCHLOSSER ICHAIN TUNICATES

GOLDEN STAR TUNICATES

Phylum Chordata “Chordates” • Subphylum Tunicata “Tunicates” • Class Ascidiacea “Sea Squirts”
Order Stolidobranchia • Family Styelidae

Phylum Chordata “Chordates” • Subphylum Tunicata “Tunicates” • Class Ascidiacea “Sea Squirts”
Order Stolidobranchia • Family Styelidae

Grow in flat sheetswith an uneven outline

Colonial, encrustingtunicates that arevery brightly colored

Flat, encrusting,colonial tunicates

Made of brightly coloredzooids in a transparent,
rubbery matrix

Zooids areteardrop shaped

Zooids are arranged in clusters
that form wandering chains
within a jelly-like matrix

Can be anywhere from orange,
to red, to purple, but eachcolony is one uniform color

Orange Sheath Tunicate
Botrylloides digensis

Can be anywhere fromorange, to blue, to grey

You can tell this species apartfrom the chain tunicates by
their star-shaped zooid groups

Zooids in one colony arealways the same color

Pictured: A chain tunicate growing on a sea grape. Chaintunicates are brightly colored, flattened tunicates with
teardrop-shaped zooids arranged in wandering chains.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Chain tunicates grow on many hard and soft substrates,
including rocks, pilings, docks, jetties, boat hulls, buoys,
seaweed, and bivalves. Chain tunicates mostly live in theshallow, intertidal zone of bays and estuaries. But you
can find them at depths of up to 160 feet (around 50
meters).

Chain tunicates feed on phytoplankton and other particles in the water.

Grazing fish, such as cunner, eat newly settled adult tunicates. In New York Harbor, fully grown chain tunicateshave few predators. Some flatworms, spider crabs, sea
slugs, and sea snails can eat large chain tunicates.

Pictured: Two golden star tunicates growing on a blue
mussel. One golden star tunicate is blue and the otheris orange, but both are the same species. Golden startunicates are flattened tunicates with brightly colored,star-shaped groups of zooids in a jelly-like matrix.

HABITAT
Golden star tunicates grow on many hard and soft surfaces, including underwater vegetation, oyster cages,
docks, jetties, rocks, and wood. Golden star tunicates

2.5 mm in diameter; Colonies can be up to
20 cm across and 2 - 3 mm thick82 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

DIETGolden star tunicates eat phytoplankton, zooplankton,
and other particles in the water.

COMMON PREDATORS
Crabs and carnivorous snails eat golden star tunicates.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

Colonial tunicates like chain tunicates are some of the only animals made mostly ofcellulose, a material that forms plant cell walls.

thrive in shallow, protected waters like harbors, bays,
and estuaries.

2.5 – 5 mm in length; Colonies
are usually less than 10 cm
across and 3 mm thick.

Colonial tunicates like golden star tunicates are the only animals
with backbones (“chordates”) that can reproduce both bybudding and by spawning.
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 83

C L I ONA SP P.

CLATHR IA PR OLIFER A

BORING SPONGESRED BEARD SPONGE

Phylum Porifera “Sponges” • Class Demospongiae “Demosponges” • Order Clionaida • Family Clionaidae

Phylum Porifera “Sponges” • Class Demospongiae “Demosponges” • Order Poecilosclerida • Family Microcionidae

Thick and firm,with large pores

Bushy and brightorange to red in color

Bright yellow

Shrink in size slightly
when removed from water

Can grow on surfaces orstand on their own

Pictured: A boring sponge in its “beta” stage growing
on an oyster shell (left). Boring sponges are thick, firm,
sulfur-yellow sponges with large pores. They can growon objects or stand alone. Boring sponges drill many tinyholes into bivalve shells (right).

HABITAT
Boring sponges live near the coast in many different
kinds of habitat, from rocky ocean shores to polluted
estuaries. They are always found growing on or nearcalcium-containing surfaces, such as limestone, oyster
reefs, or mussel beds.

Branches sometimes fuse andbecome fan-like in shape

Many thick, flexible
branches grow fromtheir base

They attach themselves
to a surface with a thin,encrusting base

DIET

Pictured: A red beard sponge growing on a rock. Red
beard sponges are bright red sponges with many thickbranches that grow from a thin, encrusting base.

Boring sponges eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, andother particles in the water.

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS
Snails, isopods, crabs, and sea urchins.

DIET
Red beard sponges eat plankton and other small particles.

Red beard sponges are common in protected, shallow
waters such as bays, estuaries, salt marshes, eelgrassmeadows, and harbors. They can live up to 50 feet(around 15 meters) below the surface. Red beard

DID YOU KNOW?
Vary greatly in size. Up to 1 m
across; Pores: 2 - 5 mm in diameter
84 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Tiny mud crabs have a symbiotic relationship with boringsponges. Mud crabs live inside the sponges’ large pores and pay
rent by cleaning algae off the sponge.

sponges commonly grow on the underside of rocks,
jetties, shells, and oyster reefs.

COMMON PREDATORS
Crabs and sea slugs eat red beard sponges.

DID YOU KNOW?
Up to 20 cm tall, 30 cm wide.
Encrusting base: < 3 mm thick

Red beard sponges can regenerate their bodies from a tiny
broken fragment.

SESSILE ORGANISMS | 85

ECTOP L E U R A C R OC E A

D IAD UMENE LINEATAHYDROIDS

ORANGE-STRIPEDGREEN ANEMONE

Phylum Cnidaria “Cnidarians” • Class Hydrozoa “Hydroids” • Order Anthoathecata “Athecate Hydroids” • Family Tubulariidae

Stems are topped with acrown of rose-colored tentacles

Phylum Cnidaria “Cnidarians” • Class Anthozoa “Sea Anemones & Corals”
Order Actiniaria “Sea Anemones” • Family Diadumenidae
Individuals hydroids look liketall, thin sea anemones

Tubular hydroid colonies
look like a tangled mass

Small, with between 50 - 100
semi-transparent tentacles

Tentacles aregreen-grey or yellow

In water

Hundreds ofgreyish-brown stems

Pictured: A colony of tubular hydroids. Tubular hydroids
are long, thin hydroids that grow in a tangled, bushy
mass. Each hydroid has a crown of pink tentacles. The
hydroid on the right has been enlarged for detail.

DIET
Tubular hydroids eat zooplankton, including fish,
crustacean, and mollusk larvae.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITAT
Tubular hydroids grow on hard surfaces in the subtidal
zone. You can find them on oyster reefs and mussel beds,
and on human-made objects like shipwrecks, docks,
pilings, boats, and pipes. Tubular hydroids commonly livein polluted coastal environments like urban harbors.

10 - 13 cm
in height

Sea slugs, snails, sea stars, flounder, cod, and haddock
eat tubular hydroids.

Out of water

Pictured: An orange-striped green anemone in thewater (left), with tentacles extended and ready to feed.
Orange-striped green anemones are small, greenishbrown anemones with semi-transparent, green-grey
tentacles.
An orange-striped green anemone out of the water(right). It has retracted its tentacles into its orangestriped base for protection.

(like the undersides of rocks, docks, pilings, wood, andoyster reefs). But they can also grow on cordgrass roots
in salt marshes. Orange-striped green anemones preferto live in sheltered bays, harbors, and estuaries.

DIET
Orange-striped green anemones eat zooplankton andother small organisms.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITAT
Orange-striped green anemones live on hard surfaces

Sea slugs and sea stars eat orange-striped green
anemones.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

Each hydroid colony can eat its weight in zooplankton every day!
2 – 3 cm tall; 0.5 – 2 cm
wide at the base86 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Base is usually greenish-brown,
sometimes with orange or whitevertical stripes

Orange-striped green sea anemones can survive completely
drying out during the summer and being covered in ice during
the winter!
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 87

MET RIDIUM S EN I L E

Pictured: A frilled anemone in the water, with tentacles
extended and ready to feed (left). Frilled anemones arelight-colored, palm tree-shaped anemones with up to
1,000 fluffy-looking tentacles. A frilled anemone out of
the water (right), with tentacles retracted for protection.

Phylum Cnidaria “Cnidarians”
Class Anthozoa “Sea Anemones & Corals”
Order Actiniaria “Sea Anemones”
Family Metridiidae

HABITATFRILLED ANEMONES
Up to 1,000 thin tentacles thatgive them a fluffy appearance

Frilled anemones prefer to settle on hard surfaces, likerocks, pilings, docks, oyster reefs, and mussel beds.
You can find them in areas of the subtidal zone with astrong current. They can live up to 330 feet (around 100
meters) below the surface.

DIET
Overall shaperesembles a palm tree

Frilled anemones eat zooplankton, including the larvae ofbristle worms, bivalves, and crustaceans. They also eat
copepods and amphipods.

COMMON PREDATORS
Sea slugs, sea stars, sea spiders, flounder, and sea snails
eat frilled anemones.

DID YOU KNOW?
Frilled anemones never use their “fighting tentacles”
on their parents or offspring. They can tell by touch if anearby rival is a relative or a stranger.

Light colored, and can bewhite, orange, yellow, or reddish
Smooth column that isnarrower than their baseIn water

7.5 - 15 cm diameter at base;
Varying heights: 2.5 – 30 cm
88 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Out of water

SESSILE ORGANISMS | 89

U RT I C I NA F E L I NA

EDWAR D SIELLA LINEATADAHLIA ANEMONES

LINED ANEMONE

Phylum Cnidaria “Cnidarians” • Class Anthozoa “Sea Anemones & Corals” • Order Actiniaria “Sea Anemones” • Family Actiniidae

Phylum Cnidaria “Cnidarians” • Class Anthozoa “Sea Anemones & Corals” • Order Actiniaria “Sea Anemones” • Family Edwardsiidae

Have up to 160 short tentacles
grouped in multiples of ten

Color varies between individuals,
but are often orange with red
stripes around the base of
their tentacles

Large, stout anemonesthat are brightly colored

Have about 40 tentacles at the
top of a slender mucus tube

Can be whiteor pale brown

Small, delicate,flower-like anemones

In their parasite form, lined
anemones are a threadlike, pink
worm that lives inside comb jellies

Mucus tube

When they retract theirtentacles, they look like alump of gravel

Base is covered in grey warts
that usually have debris or
gravel stuck to them

Pictured: A dahlia anemone. Dahlia anemones are large,
stout anemones, often brightly colored with stripes
around their short tentacles.

DIET
Dahlia anemones eat crabs, limpets, shrimp, bristle
worms, and amphipods.

Pictured: An adult lined anemone. Lined anemones
are small, pale, flower-like anemones with around 40
tentacles. Lined anemones can also take the form of apink, wormlike parasite that lives inside comb jellies (notpictured).

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORSHABITATSea slugs, fish, crabs, sea stars, and large bristle worms
eat dahlia anemones.

Adult lined anemones nestle in crevices among rocks
and tube-building bristle worms. They can also burrow
into soft sand or mud. You can find them at up to 65 feet(around 20 m) below the surface in the subtidal zone.

Dahlia anemones prefer shallow, rocky or pebbly areas in
the subtidal zone with strong wave action. But you canalso find them in mussel beds, among kelp, in estuaries,
and at depths of greater than 300 feet (around 91 m).

DID YOU KNOW?
Base is 7 – 12 cm in diameter;
Up to 30 cm with tentacles spread
90 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Dahlia anemones can live for up to 50 years!

2.5 – 3.5 cm
tall; parasitic
form is about
2.5 cm longIn their parasitic form, lined anemones live inside comb
jellies.

DIET
Adult lined anemones eat zooplankton and fish larvae. As
parasites, they eat the gut contents of comb jellies.

COMMON PREDATORS
Plankton-eating fish prey on lined anemone larvae. We
are still learning about which animals might prey on adultanemones.

DID YOU KNOW?

You can actually see parasitic lined anemones through thetransparent bodies of comb jellies – the anemones look like pinkworms.
SESSILE ORGANISMS | 91

B U G UL A SP P.

MEMBR ANIPOR A MEMBR ANACEA

BUSHY BRYOZOANLACY BRYOZOAN

Phylum Bryozoa “Bryozoans” • Class Gymnolaemata • Order Cheilostomatida • Family Bugulidae

Phylum Bryozoa “Bryozoans” • Class Gymnolaemata • Order Cheilostomatida • Family Membraniporidae

Can be dark orange,
purple, or brown

Branching, flexible
invertibrates

Form a thin, white, lacy
covering over kelp, rocks,
shells, and other surfaces

Zooids are visible tothe naked eye

Look a little bit likeseaweed, but they’reactually animals

Made up of thousands ofbox-shaped zooids arranged
in double rows

Different species are
difficult to tell apart withouta hand lens or microscope

Pictured: A bushy bryozoan colony (left). Bushybryozoans are branching, dark-colored invertebrates
made of thousands of box-shaped zooids. If you lookedat the zooids under a microscope, you could see theirfeeding tentacles and round, white egg cells (right).

Individual zooids arerectangular and evenly
spaced with a white border

DIET
Bushy bryozoans eat plankton and other small particles
in the water.

COMMON PREDATORS
Sea slugs, sea urchins, and grazing fish eat bushy
bryozoans.

HABITAT
Bushy bryozoans prefer to grow on hard surfaces,
including human-made objects and oyster reefs. You canfind them in shallow, protected waters such as harbors,
estuaries, and eelgrass meadows.

2 - 30 cm talldepending on
species92 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

New colonies are circular

Pictured: A lacy bryozoan colony growing inside an
empty oyster shell. Lacy bryozoans are thin, white, lacy
invertebrates with rectangular, evenly spaced zooids.

DIET

HABITATCOMMON PREDATORS

Lacy bryozoans grow on kelp leaves, rocks, and shells inthe shallow waters of the subtidal zone.

Sea slugs eat lacy bryozoans in their native range. We
don’t know of any lacy bryozoan predators in New York
Harbor.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

Bushy bryozoan larvae can recognize their siblings and will try to settle near them.

Lacy bryozoans eat phytoplankton, bacteria, and othersmall particles in the water.

Variable; Colonies: up to 8 cm
width; Zooids: 0.5 mm length

Lacy bryozoan zooids can grow spines to defend themselves
against sea slug attacks.

SESSILE ORGANISMS | 93

ULVA L ACT U C A

AGAR D HIELLA SUBULATA

SEA LETTUCE

AGARDH’S RED WEED

Phylum Chlorophyta “Green Algae” • Class Ulvophyceae • Order Ulvales • Family Ulvaceae

Phylum Rhodophyta “Red Algae” • Class Florideophyceae • Order Gigartinales • Family Solieriaceae

Upright, branching red algae

Pale green and lettucelike, with ragged edges
Can float freely at thesurface of the waterFlat algae

Often dotted withgrazing holes from snails

Attaches to surfaces witha round holdfast, which is aroot-like structure

Pictured: A piece of sea lettuce. Sea lettuces are lettucelike green algae that can grow on a surface or float freely
in the water.

DIET
Sea lettuces are photosynthetic.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATSea urchins and sea snails eat sea lettuces.

Sea lettuces grow in the shallow intertidal zone. They areoften attached to rocks or shells, but can also be freefloating. Sea lettuces are particularly common in polluted
bays and estuaries.

Usually red, but can
range from yellow, topink, to brown

Texture is rather fleshy
Grows from a disc-shaped holdfast,
which is a root-like structure

Pictured: An Agardh’s red weed. Agardh’s red weed isan upright, branching red algae with delicate, rounded
fronds.

DIET
Agardh’s red weed is photosynthetic.

COMMON PREDATORSHABITATSea slugs and sea snails eat Agardh’s red weed.

Agardh’s red weed lives in the intertidal and subtidal
zones. It usually grows on hard surfaces like rocks andshells, but it can also float freely in the water.

DID YOU KNOW?
15 - 60 cm
tall

94 | SESSILE ORGANISMS

Delicate, rounded fronds

Sea lettuces have symbiotic bacteria that tell them to how
to develop. Without these bacteria, sea lettuces grow as
disorganized clumps of loose cells.

10 – 40 cm inheight; Fronds
are 2 – 4 mm indiameter

DID YOU KNOW?

Agardh’s red weed grows on stones or shells. But it can survive
and continue reproducing if strong currents or storms rip it free.

SESSILE ORGANISMS | 95

SESSILE ORGANISMS OF NEW YORK HARBORBARNACLES
Balanidae

pg. 72

RIBBED MUSSEL
Geukensia demissa

pg. 73BLUE MUSSEL
Mytilus edulis

pg. 74HYDROIDS
Ectopleura crocea

pg. 86

ORANGE-STRIPED GREEN ANENOME
Diadumene lineatapg. 87FRILLED ANENOME
Metridium senile

pg. 88JINGLE SHELL
Anomia simplex

pg. 75EASTERN OYSTERS
Crassostrea virginica

pg. 76NORTHERN QUAHOG
Mercenaria mercenaria

pg. 78

LINED ANENOME
Edwardsiella lineatapg. 91

BUSHY BRYOZOAN
Bugula spp.

pg. 92LACY BRYOZOAN
Membranipora membranacea

pg. 93EUROPEAN SEA SQUIRTAscidiella aspersa

pg. 79SEA GRAPES
Molgula manhattensis

pg. 81CHAIN TUNICATES
Botrylloides violaceus

pg. 82

SEA LETTUCE
Ulva lactuca

pg. 94

AGARDH’S RED WEED
Agardhiella subulate

pg. 95

GOLDEN STAR TUNICATES
Botryllus schlosseri

pg. 83

BORING SPONGE
Cliona spp.

pg. 84

RED BEARD SPONGE
Clathria prolifera

pg. 85

96 | SESSILE ORGANISMSSESSILE ORGANISMS | 97

Adaptation (noun): An adaptation is a change that a species makes to become better suited to its environment.
Adaptations evolve over several generations through theprocess of natural selection. An adaptation can be a bodystructure (like a specially shaped fin), a behavior (likehiding in seagrass), or a physical tolerance (like the ability to breathe in low-oxygen water). Adaptability might
help a species survive the effects of climate change.
Algal Bloom (noun): An algal bloom is a sudden increase
in algae in the water. During an algal bloom, algae often
completely cover the surface of the water. Algal blooms
usually happen when an ecosystem becomes eutrophic
because of pollution (like sewage or fertilizer from farming). Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous run into
the water and make algae grow very quickly. Algal blooms
can harm the entire ecosystem by blocking sunlight, eating up all the oxygen in the water, and even releasing
toxins that can kill fish.
Algonquian (adjective): Algonquian languages are a groupof languages spoken by indigenous peoples of North
America from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains.
Ambush Predator (noun): Ambush predators are also
called sit-and-wait predators. Ambush predators conceal
themselves by hiding or with camouflage and wait forprey to pass by. Then, they launch a surprise attack andquickly capture their prey.
Amphibious (adjective): Amphibious animals can live bothon land and in water.
Amphipod (noun): Amphipods are tiny crustaceans thatlive in many aquatic environments. Amphipods have nocarapace and they are usually flattened from side to side.
Amphipods are an important food source for many species of fish, crabs, shrimp, worms, and sea anemones.
Apron (noun): An apron is a flap on a crab’s underside.
The apron is shaped differently in male and female crabs.
Arctic Ocean (noun): The Arctic Ocean is the ocean thatsurrounds the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean is the world’s
northernmost and coldest ocean. On the North Americanside, the Arctic Ocean begins at the very top of Alaska
and Canada.
98 | GLOSSARY

Arthropod (noun): An arthropod is an invertebrate animal
with a segmented body and many-jointed legs. Arthropods are a huge group of animals that includes insects,
crustaceans, spiders, ticks, horseshoe crabs, centipedes,
and millipedes.
Atlantic Ocean (noun): The Atlantic Ocean is the secondlargest ocean in the world, after the Pacific Ocean. The
Atlantic Ocean separates North and South America from
Europe and Africa.
Ballast (noun): Ballast is any heavy material (like rocks,
gravel, sand, or water) that people place in the bottomof ships to make them more stable in rough seas. People
often collect ballast from wherever the ship is docked.
When people collect ballast, they also collect all the organisms that were living in the rocks or swimming in thewater. When the ship arrives at its destination, people
sometimes dump the ballast and all the organisms backinto the water, even if they’re halfway around the world.
Ballast is a major pathway for invasive species introductions.
Barbel (noun): A barbel is a sensitive, fleshy whisker thatgrows from a fish’s mouth. Fish use barbels to look forfood in dim, murky environments.
Benthic Zone (noun): The benthic zone is the ecologicalzone at the very bottom of a body of water. The benthic
zone is home to organisms that live on the sea floor, orburied into the sand/mud.
Biodiversity (noun): Biodiversity is the variety of organisms that live in an ecosystem. Healthy ecosystems often
have high biodiversity, or many different species living inthem. Oyster reefs are an example of an ecosystem withhigh biodiversity. You can find many different species offish, crustaceans, worms, mollusks, and algae all living
together on oyster reefs.
Bioindicator (noun): A bioindicator species tells scientists
something about the health of the ecosystem that they
live in. Bioindicator species can show us that an ecosystem is healthy or unhealthy simply by existing. For example, high bristle worm populations are a sign that an
estuary might be polluted. On the other hand, healthy
cunner populations are a sign that the water quality is
acceptable. Some bioindicators, like grass shrimp, store

toxins in their bodies. Scientists can study grass shrimp
to understand how much pollution has entered theirhabitat.
Bivalve (noun): A bivalve is an aquatic mollusk that lives
in a shell. Bivalve shells are made up of a pair of “valves,”
which are the two cupped halves of the shell. Each valve isconnected by a hinge. Oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops are all bivalves.
Bottom Feeder (noun): A bottom-feeder is any aquatic
creature that feeds in the benthic zone, which is thevery bottom of a body of water. Many bottom-feeding fish
are scavengers who eat dead and decaying material thatsinks to the bottom of the ocean. Other bottom-feeders
eat living organisms in the benthic zone, like bristle
worms and clams.
Brackish (adjective): Brackish water is slightly salty water.
Brackish water can range in saltiness from slightly lesssalty than seawater to slightly more salty than fresh
water. You can find brackish water in habitats where
seawater and freshwater meet, like at river mouths or inestuaries.
Brood (verb): Brooding is a way of incubating eggs. Someanimals brood their eggs by sitting on them, carrying
them on the outside of their body, or keeping them insidea brood pouch. Seahorses and pipefish brood their eggs,
as do blue crabs and slipper snails.
Brood Pouch (noun): A brood pouch is a body structurethat seahorses and pipefish use to brood their eggs.
These fish protect their fertilized eggs inside of theirbrood pouches until the eggs are ready to hatch.
Bryozoan (noun): Bryozoans are a group of invertebrate
animals that live in water. All bryozoans are filter-feedersthat strain particles out of the water for food. Bryozoans are colonial animals. They are made up of individual
zooids that work together like cells in a body. Bryozoan
species can look very different from one another.
Budding (verb): Some organisms can reproduce without apartner though budding. Budding is when a small growthappears on an organism’s body. This growth eventually
separates from the body and becomes a new individual.

The new individual is basically a clone of the original organism, as they share the same DNA. Jellyfish, tunicates,
sponges, and bryozoans can all reproduce by budding.
Budding is a great way to reproduce if there are no othermembers of your species nearby.
Byssal Thread (noun): Byssal threads are thin threads
that some bivalves use to anchor themselves to surfaces.
Blue mussels and jingle shells can adjust their positionby shortening and lengthening their byssal threads.
Oysters don’t have byssal threads. Instead, they attach
themselves to hard surfaces with a cement-like fluid.
Calcium Carbonate (noun): Calcium carbonate is the main
ingredient in the shells of oysters, mussels, barnacles,
and many other marine animals. These animals can’t
make their own calcium carbonate - they have to get itfrom the seawater around them. Normally, there’s plentyof free calcium carbonate in the water that animals canuse. But with climate change, the ocean has become more
acidic, making calcium carbonate harder to find. Manyshelled animals now have difficulty growing and repairing
their shells.
Camouflage (noun): Camouflage is a type of colorationthat helps animals conceal themselves from predatorsand prey. Camouflage can make animals look like something they’re not. For example, spider crabs decorate
their body with other organisms so they look like a rockcovered in algae and sponges. Camouflage can also help
animals blend in with their background. For example,
grass shrimp are transparent, which is a type of camouflage that makes them difficult to see on any background.
Other species, like flounder and sea horses, can change
their color to blend in with different backgrounds. Countershading is an example of camouflage that many fishuse.
Carapace (noun): The carapace is the hard, outer shell ofa crab or shrimp.
Carbon Dioxide (noun): Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gasthat humans produce when we burn fossil fuels like coal,oil, and natural gas. In the last 200 years, the amountof carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased very
quickly because of human industry. Atmospheric carbon
dioxide is a major cause of global warming and climate
GLOSSARY | 99

change. Some of the carbon dioxide that we produce ends
up in the ocean, where it causes ocean acidification.
Carrageenan (noun): Carrageenan is a gelatin-like substance that red algae make. People add carrageenan to ice
cream, jelly, pudding, and cosmetics to make them thicker
in texture.
Cape Cod (noun): Cape Cod is a large coastal landformthat juts out into the ocean at the southeastern cornerof Massachusetts. Cape Cod is just north of Long Island
Sound. Above Cape Cod, the ocean becomes much colder
than it is around New York Harbor.
Cellulose (noun): Cellulose is the main ingredient in plant
cell walls. Cellulose is a tough and fibrous substance that
we use to make paper and clothes. Cotton balls are madeof 90% cellulose. Colonial tunicates are some of the only
animals on earth that can make cellulose.
Chesapeake Bay (noun): Chesapeake Bay is a long, narrow bay that makes up the largest estuary in the UnitedStates. Chesapeake Bay separates Maryland from Virginia,
and is south of Delaware Bay. Chesapeake Bay is critical
habitat for eastern oysters and blue crabs.
Chlorophyll (noun): Chlorophyll is a green pigment thatlives inside the cells of plants and green algae. Chlorophyll
helps these photosynthetic organisms make their own
food. Chlorophyll allows plants and algae to absorb energy
from sunlight and transform it into sugars and starches.
Chordate (noun): Chordates are a large group of animals
that have a simple backbone at some stage in their life
cycle. Humans and fish are both chordates and vertebrates, because we have relatively complex backbones
and many other bones that help us move. Tunicates arechordates because their larvae have a simple backbone
called a “notochord”. But tunicates are not vertebrates
like fish and humans, because tunicates don’t have acomplex backbone or any other internal bones.
Cilia (noun): Cilia are tiny, short, hair-like projections that
help filter-feeding animals trap plankton.
Cirri (noun): Cirri are slender, hairlike tendrils. In feather
blennies, cirri look like two feathery tentacles growing
100 | GLOSSARY

out of their head.
Colonial (adjective): Colonial animals live together ingroups. Some colonial animals (like bats, bees, and ants)
form colonies to breed and rest, but can move around
independently. Other colonial animals (like tunicates,
corals, and hydroids) are physically connected to one another and can’t live independently.
Copepod (noun): Copepods are a group of tiny, shrimp-likecrustaceans. Some copepods are zooplankton, while others live in the benthic zone. Copepods are an importantsource of food for many young fish and filter-feeding
animals.
Coronet (noun): A coronet is a crown-shaped, bony crest
on a seahorse’s head. Seahorses use their coronet tocommunicate with other seahorses. The coronet is a seahorse’s “thumbprint,” because each coronet is shaped
differently.
Countershading (noun): Countershading is a type of coloration that helps many marine animals camouflage.
Fish with countershading have dark-colored backs andlight-colored bellies. When a predator looks at a fish frombelow, the fish’s white belly blends in with the light sky
above it. When a predator looks at a fish from above, thefish’s dark back blends in with the dark water (or sea
floor) below it. Countershading helps fish blend in with
their background from many different angles.
Crustacean (noun): Crustaceans are a group of invertebrate animals that includes crabs, shrimp, amphipods,
isopods, and copepods. Crustaceans are a smaller groupwithin a larger group called arthropods, which includes
insects and horseshoe crabs.
Cyst (noun): A cyst is a tough, protective coating that
forms over some animals during droughts, freezing temperatures, or other harsh periods. Animals like orangestriped green anemones can remain dormant in cysts forseveral months while they wait for better conditions toreturn.
Decomposer (noun): A decomposer is an organism thateats dead or rotting material and breaks it down into
smaller pieces. Decomposers are very important in foodwebs. Without decomposers, ecosystems would be overrun with dead plants and animals. But if there are too
many decomposer bacteria in an aquatic ecosystem, they
can use up most of the oxygen.
Delaware Bay (noun): Delaware Bay is a large bay that
separates southwestern New Jersey from northeastern
Delaware. Delaware Bay is south of New York Harbor andnorth of Chesapeake Bay.
Dormant (adjective): When organisms become dormant,
they enter a state that is similar to a very deep sleep.
Their normal activities, like feeding, moving, and breathing, may slow down or even temporarily stop. Many fishin New York Harbor become dormant for several months
during the winter, when the water temperature is verycold. Dormancy helps animals survive through difficult
periods in the year when there isn’t a lot of food available.
Dredging (verb): Dredging is when people scoop out mudand rocks from the bottom of a waterway to make it
deeper. New York Harbor has been dredged many times
so that large ships can enter the harbor without scraping
the bottom. Dredging destroys the aquatic life on the sea
floor. It takes a long time for the ecosystem to return tonormal after it has been dredged.
Embryo (noun): An embryo is an organism’s developing,unborn (or unhatched) offspring. In many sea creatures,
embryos grow inside of eggs after they have been fertilized.
Encrusting (adjective): Encrusting organisms grow as athin layer (or crust) that is tightly attached to an underwater surface. Sponges, tube-building bristle worms, andtunicates are all examples of encrusting animals.
Erosion (noun): Erosion is a natural process that happens
when the repetitive movement of wind and water grinds
rocks to dust. Then, these same forces pick up the dust
and carry it far away. Storms, rainfall, currents, and human activities can all increase erosion on sea cliffs andriver banks. Erosion can happen slowly, over thousands ofyears. Humans and animals can also make erosion happen
too quickly, which is harmful to ecosystems. Some animals, like mitten crabs, make erosion worse by weakening
river banks. Other animals, like ribbed mussels, reduce

erosion by stabilizing plants that grow in river banks.
Eutrophic (adjective): All organisms need nutrients tosurvive. But too much of a good thing can cause problems. Eutrophic ecosystems have too much nitrogen,phosphorous, and other nutrients that algae love. In
eutrophic harbors and estuaries, algae and bacteria growout of control and suffocate the other organisms. In New
York Harbor, eutrophication is mostly caused by untreated sewage flooding into the Harbor during rainstorms.
That sewage is fuel for algal blooms, which can devastate
local ecosystems.
Fertilization (noun): Fertilization is the joining of a female
egg and a male sperm. Once the sperm fuses with theegg, the egg is fertilized. The egg can then begin to develop into an embryo.
Filter-Feeder (noun): A filter-feeder is an animal that
feeds by straining small particles out of the water. Filter-feeders often have unique body structures in theirmouths, gills, or tentacles that help them trap plankton.
Filter-feeders make the water clearer by removing algae,mud, and other particles from the water. Filter-feeders
are often keystone species, because they can drasticallychange how an ecosystem looks and functions.
Flatfish (noun): A flatfish is a flattened marine fish (like aflounder) that swims on its side and has two eyes on thesame side of its body.
Foot (noun): The foot is a muscular organ that some mollusks use to move around. Snails, whelks, and oyster drills
all move using their foot. Some bivalves, like blue mussels
and quahog clams, can also move by extending their footout of their shell and dragging themselves along the
ground. Oyster larvae have a foot, but they absorb it after
they settle down and metamorphose into spat.
Frond (noun): A frond is a soft, leaflike tendril that some
red algae and bryozoans have.
Gamete (noun): A gamete is a generic term for a male orfemale reproductive cell. Eggs and sperm are examplesof gametes. Fertilization happens when male and female
gametes fuse together. After fertilization, the embryo
can begin to grow and develop.
GLOSSARY | 101

Genus (noun): A genus is a category that people use totalk about groups of species that are very closely related.
When you look at an organism’s Latin name, the firstword is the genus category. For example, the Latin namefor striped killifish is Fundulus majalis, and the Latin namefor mummichog is Fundulus heteroclitus. Both species offish are in the genus Fundulus, which means they are very
close relatives.
Gill (noun): Gills are organs that many aquatic animals use
to breathe underwater. In fish, gills often look like thinslits near their head. In other animals, like bristle worms
and barnacles, gills can look like feathery tendrils. Oysters and other bivalves have gills inside of their shells.
Gills are perfectly adapted to remove oxygen from flowing water, but they don’t work very well in air. When you
handle aquatic animals, make sure to put them back in
the water as quickly as possible.
Gill Raker (noun): A gill raker is a body structure thatsome filter-feeding fish have on their gills. Gill rakers arebristly growths that look like tiny pipe cleaners. As water flows through the gills, plankton get trapped on thegill rakers. Larger gill rakers tend to trap larger prey, likezooplankton. Smaller gill rakers tend to trap smaller prey,
like phytoplankton.
Gizzard (noun): A gizzard is an organ that many birds, fish,
and invertebrates use to grind up tough food (like seeds
or mollusks) before it enters their stomach. Animals
with gizzards sometimes eat pebbles on purpose. These
pebbles stay in the gizzard and act like a second set ofteeth, helping the animal crush and crunch up their food.
Gonads (noun): Gonads are reproductive organs that produce either eggs or sperm.
Gulf of Maine (noun): The Gulf of Maine is a large water
body in the Atlantic Ocean. The Gulf of Maine begins above
Cape Cod and ends at the southern portion of Nova Scotia,
in Canada. The waters of the Gulf of Maine were historically very cold, but they are warming rapidly because ofclimate change.
Gulf Stream (noun): The Gulf Stream is a warm, fast-moving ocean current that starts in Florida, travels along thecoastline of northeastern North America, and then moves
102 | GLOSSARY

out to sea toward Greenland. The Gulf Stream current is
so large that it can influence weather on both land andsea. The Gulf Stream also serves as a highway for many
migrating marine fish.
Herbivore (noun): A herbivore is an animal that mainly
feeds on plants or algae.
Hermaphroditic (noun): Hermaphroditic animals can produce both eggs and sperm at some point in their life
cycle. Some animals start out life as female and eventually become male (or vice versa). Other animals can produce both eggs and sperm at the same time throughout
their life. Some hermaphroditic animals, like bryozoans,have male and female individuals living in a single, connected colony. Some hermaphroditic animals can fertilize
themselves.
Holdfast (noun): A holdfast is a root-like structure thatalgae, sponges, and bryozoans use to attach themselvesto rocks and other hard surfaces.
Host (noun or verb): Just like you might host a guest in
your home, some animals host other animals that live
on or in their bodies. Comb jellies host lined anemones,
which live inside the comb jellies’ guts as parasites during part of their life cycle. Parasites and hosts evolve together very closely. Some parasites can only live on one
host species.
Hudson River (noun): The Hudson River is a long river thatruns from north to south, beginning in the Adirondack
mountains of New York and draining into New York Harbor. The upper part of the Hudson is freshwater, but as
you travel closer to the Harbor, the water becomes morebrackish and estuarine.
Hybrid (noun): A hybrid animal is the product of two different species mating and reproducing. Most of the time,different species can’t successfully breed together. But
if they’re closely related (like lions and tigers), they cansometimes produce hybrid offspring. Hybrids don’t happen very often in the wild. Sometimes, hybrid animals aresterile and can’t have offspring of their own.
Hydroid (noun): A hydroid is a life stage for animals calledhydrozoans. Hydrozoans are related to jellyfish, corals,

and sea anemones. In hydrozoans, the hydroid stage issessile and attaches to hard surfaces. Like jellyfish andsea anemones, hydroids use tentacles to filter-feed. Hydroids can look very different from one another, but mostare colonial.

United States. The Iroquois confederacy is also known
as the Six Nations, and is made up of the Mohawk (orKanien’kehá:ka) Onondaga (or Onöñda’gaga’), Oneida(or Onyota’a:ka), Cayuga (or Gayogohó:no’), Seneca (orOnödowá’ga), and Tuscarora (or Skarù:rę) tribes.

Inlet (noun): In a large water body, an inlet is a long, narrow finger of water that juts into the shoreline. An inlet islike a very narrow bay.

Isopod (noun): Isopods are small, armored crustaceansthat usually live around water. Pill bugs (or roly-polys) areprobably the most famous isopods. All isopods have twopairs of antennae and hard plates covering their bodies.
Some isopods are parasites that suck the blood of fish.
Other isopods live freely and eat rotting wood, plants, orplankton.

Intertidal Zone (noun): The intertidal zone is the area ofthe shore that is above water during low tide and underwater during high tide. Many plants and animals are
adapted to live in the intertidal zone. Intertidal organisms
must be able to endure extreme environments, including
exposure to air for a few hours.
Introduced (adjective): An introduced species is an organism that humans have intentionally or accidentallybrought to a new part of the world. Introduced organisms
are not native, but they may or may not be harmful to theecosystem. People have introduced many species to New
York Harbor through international shipping. Green crabs
and sea vases are examples of introduced species in New
York Harbor.
Invasive (adjective): An invasive species is an introduced
species that harms the ecosystem and/or the economy.
Invasive species like mitten crabs play an important rolein their native ecosystems. But when people introduce invasive species to new parts of the world, they can throw
off the balance of the ecosystem. Often, invasive species
have few predators in their introduced range, so they cangrow out of control. In some cases, invasive species havecaused the extinction of other species.
Invertebrate (noun): An invertebrate is any animal that
doesn’t have a backbone. Most of the animals on earth are
invertebrates, including all insects, crustaceans, worms,
octopuses, squid, jellyfish, sea anemones, sponges, andbivalves (like oysters). Some invertebrates have external
skeletons (or “exoskeletons”). Other invertebrates havesoft bodies and live inside of shells.
Iroquois (noun): The Iroquois (or Haudenosaunee)people are an indigenous confederacy whose historical homelands extend throughout the northeastern

Jetty (noun): A jetty is a human-made structure thatsticks out into the water from the land. Jetties can bemade of wood, rocks, or concrete. In urban harbors, jetties act like artificial reefs that provide shelter for fish,crabs, and sessile organisms.
Juvenile (noun or adjective): A juvenile is a young animal.
Kelp (noun): Kelp is a large brown alga (or seaweed) thatgrows in dense, underwater forests. Kelp forests support
a lot of biodiversity, but they are threatened by climatechange and invasive species.
Keystone Species (noun): A keystone species is an organism that drastically changes the environment it lives in.
Keystone species are critically important to the health ofecosystems. Keystone species can be very small, like krill.
They can also be huge, like bison. Oysters are an example
of a keystone species. Estuaries with oyster reefs lookvery different (and support much more biodiversity) thanestuaries without oyster reefs.
Landlocked (adjective): A landlocked water body is completely surrounded by land and has no exit to the ocean.
Larva (noun): A larva is the hatchling (or newborn) form of
many marine animals. Larvae usually look quite different
from their adult form. Many sessile animals, like oysters,
have mobile larvae that swim around in the water. Eventually, the larvae will metamorphose into their adult form.
Lenape (noun): The Lenape (or Lenni Lenape) people are
an indigenous tribe whose historical homeland includes
GLOSSARY | 103

parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The Lenape were the main inhabitants of the New York Harborarea when the first Europeans made contact in the 16th
century.
Limpet (noun): A limpet is a type of aquatic snail. Limpets
have pyramid-shaped shells. They cling tightly to rocks in
the intertidal zone.
Long Island (noun): Long Island is a large, populated islanddue east of Manhattan. Long Island forms the easternborder of New York Harbor. The New York City boroughsof Brooklyn and Queens are on Long Island. The stretchof ocean in between Long Island and mainland New York/
Connecticut is known as Long Island Sound.
Marine Snow (noun): Marine snow is a shower of organic
particles that falls from the surface of the water down to
the depths of the ocean. Marine snow is made of bits ofdead animals, plankton, and fish poop!
Matrix (noun): In tunicates, the matrix is a jelly-like substance that holds zooids in place.
Medusa (noun): The medusa is the free-floating life stageof a jellyfish. The medusa is what you think of when you
imagine a jellyfish. Medusas have an umbrella-like shapeand stinging tentacles. Medusas reproduce by spawning
eggs and sperm into the water. Many jellyfish also have apolyp stage. Unlike medusas, polyps are sessile and reproduce by budding.
Metamorphosis (noun): Metamorphosis is when an animaltransforms from its larval form into its adult form. Caterpillars metamorphose when they turn into butterflies.
Just like caterpillars, many aquatic creatures metamorphose at some point in their life. Fish larvae undergo
metamorphosis when they transform from zooplankton
into young fish.
Midden (noun): A midden is a trash dump where people
once threw out unwanted material, like bones, vegetable
matter, and shells. Modern-day humans can learn a lot
about earlier societies by looking at their middens.
Migration (noun): A migration is a long journey that someanimals undertake at certain times of year. Animals mi104 | GLOSSARY

grate for many reasons, including to find food, to escapeextreme weather, and to breed.

members of the Iroquois (or Haudenosaunee)
Confederacy.

Mollusk (noun): Mollusks are a large group of invertebrate
animals. Snails, slugs, bivalves (like mussels and oysters), octopuses, and squid are all mollusks. Mollusks
have soft, squishy bodies that are often covered withhard, protective shells. Mollusks usually live in or nearwater.

Oral Arms (noun): Oral arms are four long, stinging tentacles that jellyfish use to hunt and eat. Jellyfish use
their oral arms to stun plankton and bring them to theirmouth.

Molt (verb): Molting is when animals shed their skin,shells, feathers, or hair. Crustaceans (like crabs andshrimp) have to molt their carapaces every now and thenas they grow larger.
Monogamous (adjective): Monogamous animals have only
one mate at a time. Seahorses are a rare example of amonogamous fish.
Mycobacteriosis (noun): Mycobacteriosis is a fish diseasecaused by harmful bacteria.
Narragansett (noun): The Narragansett people are an
indigenous tribe whose historical homeland is in Rhode
Island. The Narragansett language is in the Algonquianlanguage family.
Narragansett Bay (noun): Narragansett Bay is a narrow
bay and estuary at the southern boundary of Rhode Island, southwest of Cape Cod and northeast of Long Island.
Ocean Acidification (noun): Ocean acidification is a harmful
consequence of climate change. When humans burn fossil fuels (like oil), we release lots of carbon dioxide as awaste product. Some of the carbon dioxide we release enters the ocean and dissolves in seawater. Carbon dioxide
has made the ocean more acidic today than it has been for
millions of years. Animals that make shells, like oysters,
have difficulty growing and surviving in acidic water.
Omnivore (noun): An omnivore is an animal that eats a
mixture of plants and animals.
Onondaga (noun): The Onondaga (or Onöñda’gaga’)
people are an indigenous tribe whose traditional homeland is in upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario and in
the vicinity of the Finger Lakes. The Onondaga people are

Parapodia (noun): Parapodia are bristly structures thatbristle worms use to crawl, swim, hunt, and/or breathe
underwater.
Parasite (noun): A parasite is an animal that lives on or
inside another animal. Parasites always harm their hostanimal in some way. Some parasites steal a portion ofwhatever their host eats. Other parasites suck their
host’s blood or burrow into their flesh. Some parasites
weaken and eventually kill their host, but most parasites
have less-than-lethal effects.
Pelagic Zone (noun): The pelagic zone is the area from thesurface of the water to just above the sea floor. Pelagic
animals spend much of their time swimming in the watercolumn, unlike benthic animals which live on or in the sea
floor.

Pilings (noun): Pilings are sturdy posts that hold up docks
and piers. Pilings can be made out of wood, metal, or concrete. In urban harbors, pilings act as habitat and shelter
for many aquatic plants and animals.
Poaching (verb): Poaching means illegally hunting, fishing,or collecting plants. Hunting and fishing laws are meant
to protect wildlife populations and make sure that nobody harvests too many plants or animals. When people
poach plants and animals, they put those species at ahigher risk of becoming endangered or locally extinct.
Polyp (noun): A polyp is the sessile life phase of a jellyfish.
Polyps look like tiny sea anemones. They grow attachedto surfaces and use their stinging tentacles to capture
plankton. Polyps reproduce by budding. Polyps also produce medusas, which are the free-floating life phase ofa jellyfish.
Prehensile (adjective): Prehensile tails are able to grasp
tightly onto objects. Many monkeys have prehensile tails,
as do seahorses.

Periostracum (noun): The periostracum is a skin-like coating on the surface of some animals’ shells.

Proboscis (noun): A proboscis is a tube-shaped organ thatbristle worms use to capture prey. Some bristle worms
keep their proboscis tucked away unless they are hunting. When it’s time to eat, they extend their proboscis,
which often has a pair of jaws at the end of it.

Pheromone (noun): A pheromone is a chemical that animals produce and release into their environment. Other
animals smell the pheromone and it changes their behavior in some way. Pheromones can trigger animals to run
away, attack, group up, or get ready to breed.

Radula (noun): Snails and slugs have radulas, which are
sandpapery, tongue-like organs. Herbivorous snails use
their radulas to scrape algae off of rocks. Carnivorous
snails like oyster drills use their radulas to drill into bivalve shells.

Photosynthesis (noun): Photosynthesis is how green
plants and algae create their own food from sunlight,
carbon dioxide, and water. Photosynthesis involves agreen pigment called chlorophyll that is found inside ofplant cells.

Ram-Feeding (noun): Ram-feeding is a hunting strategy
that some carnivorous fish use to capture their prey.
Ram-feeding predators swim forward quickly with theirmouth open and swallow their prey.

Phytoplankton (noun): Phytoplankton are microscopic,
plant-like organisms that use photosynthesis to create
their own food from sunlight. Phytoplankton are usuallysmaller than zooplankton, which are animal-like plankton
that eat other plankton.

Ray (noun): Fish fins have long, thickened rays which support the thinner webbing that makes up the fin. Fin rays
can be hard and bony (sometimes called spines), or softand flexible.
Rostrum (noun): In crustaceans (like shrimp and crabs),
the rostrum is a beak-like snout in between their eyes.
GLOSSARY | 105

The rostrum is part of the carapace.
Sac (noun): A sac is a body structure that acts like a bagor pouch. Egg sacs are simply hollow, flexible structuresthat carry eggs.
Sargasso Sea (noun): The Sargasso Sea is a large sea in
the Atlantic Ocean. The Sargasso Sea stretches from theeast coast of North America to the west coast of Africa,
and from northern Canada to the Caribbean. The Sargasso
Sea is surrounded by four currents that swirl around its
edges, but the Sea itself is very calm. The Sargasso Sea
is the only place in the world where American eels breed.

Sperm (noun): Sperm are male reproductive cells. Spermcan swim freely with the help of a long tail. Fertilization
happens when an egg and a sperm fuse together. After
fertilization, the embryo can begin to grow and develop.
Spermatophore (noun): A spermatophore is a small package that contains lots of sperm and (sometimes) nutrients. In some species, the male animal creates spermatophores and passes them over to the female.
Spore (noun): In algae, spores are reproductive cells.
Spores can swim freely, and they don’t need to be fertilized to grow and develop into a new individual.

Scavenger (noun): A scavenger is an animal that eats
dead, rotting plants and animals. Scavengers don’t huntand kill their own food. Instead, scavengers spend muchof their time searching for carcasses and other decaying
material.

Streamlined (adjective): Streamlined animals have a body
shape that helps them move quickly through the water.
Streamlined fish are often shaped like a torpedo or a jet
plane, with a pointed snout and a wider body. Streamlining reduces drag on the animal’s body as they swim.

School (noun): A school is a large group of fish that swims
together, often in coordinated patterns.

Stress (noun): In wild animals, stress is simply a responseto threats and challenges. Stress can be a good thing,because it helps animals escape from potentially dangerous situations. But too much stress can be harmful to an
animal’s health.

Sessile (adjective): Sessile organisms stay in one spot formost of their adult lives. Oysters are examples of sessile
animals, although oyster larvae do swim around before
their metamorphosis. Some animals are only partly sessile – they are capable of moving if necessary, but most of
the time they remain fixed in place.
Siphon (noun): A siphon is a tube-shaped organ thatsome animals use to inhale water, oxygen, and food andto exhale waste and larvae.
Sound (noun): In geography, a sound is a long, thin stretchof ocean that separates two bodies of land. A sound is likea large inlet.
Spat (noun): Spat are oyster larvae that have settled
down and attached themselves to a hard surface.
Spawn (verb): Spawning is when aquatic animals release
their eggs and sperm into the water. The eggs and sperm
mingle in the water and fuse randomly. Spawning usually
happens at certain times of year, when water conditions
are just right.

106 | GLOSSARY

Subtidal Zone (noun): The subtidal zone is the part of theocean that is below the low tide line, but still relatively
shallow and close to shore. The subtidal zone is coveredby water at all times. The subtidal zone is home to organisms that cannot tolerate being exposed to air, but still
like to live in shallow, coastal water.
Surf Zone (noun): The surf zone is the part of the ocean
where waves break near the shore. The surf zone is relatively shallow, and is home to many crabs, clams, andyoung fish.
Sustainable (adjective): Sustainable activities don’t use
up natural resources faster than they can be replenished.
In sustainable fisheries, the fish population remains stable or grows even with some amount of fishing. Scientists
have to study fish populations very carefully to make surethat fisheries remain sustainable.
Swimbladder (noun): The swimbladder is an air-filled organ that helps fish float. Fish control how much air fills

up their swimbladder depending on where they want toswim. When fish want to rise to the surface, they inflate
their swimbladder with oxygen from the surrounding water. When fish want to sink to the sea floor, they deflate
their swimbladder. Some fish don’t need a swimbladder,because they spend their whole life near the sea floor.
Symbiosis (noun): A symbiosis is any close relationshipbetween two different species. Parasitism is a type of
symbiosis where one animal benefits and the other animal is harmed. “Mutualism” is another type of symbiosis
where both animals benefit from the relationship. A classic example of a mutualistic symbiosis is the relationshipbetween sea anemones and clownfish. Sea anemones
protect clownfish from predators, while clownfish feed
sea anemones with their droppings.
Telson (noun): A telson is a tail-like appendage that somearthropods have. Horseshoe crabs use their telson tomaintain their balance and to flip themselves over if they
get turned upside down.
Territorial (adjective): Territorial animals defend a piece ofhabitat from other animals of the same or different species. Territorial animals can be aggressive to other animals, and might chase away or even try to hurt intruders
in their territory.
Thorax (noun): In arthropods, the thorax is the middle
section of the body in between the head and the abdomen.
Trait (noun): In biology, a trait is a physical attribute or behavior that comes from your DNA. You inherit many traits
from your biological parents. Having dimples, being lefthanded, and enjoying the taste of cilantro are all traits.
The traits that animals inherit can determine whether
they survive or die, especially in changing environments.
Trophic Cascade (noun): Trophic cascades happen when
one level of the food web disappears from the ecosystem,
usually because of human activities. Trophic cascades
cause compounding problems in the ecosystem that canbe difficult to predict. Overfishing can cause trophic cascades in lakes and estuaries. When people harvest too
many predatory fish, zooplankton-eating fish grow out ofcontrol and eat all of the zooplankton in the ecosystem.

Without zooplankton, phytoplankton grow out of control
and turn the surface of the water green.
Tunicate (noun): Tunicates are a group of marine invertebrate animals that includes sea squirts. Tunicates are
sessile (non-mobile), and often grow on hard surfaces inharbors. Tunicates can be colonial or live independently.
Tunicates use two siphons to filter-feed on plankton in
the water.
Upstream (adjective): Upstream means in the opposite direction of water flow in a river. If you head upstream, youwill be traveling toward the source of the river and awayfrom the river mouth, which is near the ocean.
Vertebrate (noun): A vertebrate is an animal that has abackbone and (usually) an internal skeleton. Humans andfish are vertebrates. Crustaceans, insects, snails, andmost of the animals in the world are invertebrates.
Vulnerable (adjective): Vulnerable species are likely to become endangered in the future. In a more general sense,
vulnerable can mean that an animal is sensitive to environmental conditions or at risk of declining.
Wampanoag (noun): The Wampanoag (or Wôpanâak)people are an indigenous confederation of tribes whose
historical homeland is in southeastern Massachusetts.
Wampum (noun): Wampum are cylindrical beads madeout of whelks and quahog clams. Indigenous peoples of
New York use wampum in storytelling, ceremonies, andtrade. Wampum are very important to dozens of tribes
Eastern North America.
Zooid (noun): In tunicates and bryozoans, zooids are theindividual animals that make up a colony. Zooids are likecells in an organism. Each zooid has different functions
and abilities. Zooids can reproduce by budding.
Zooplankton (noun): Zooplankton are microscopic, animal-like plankton that eat other plankton. Zooplankton
are often larger than phytoplankton. Many fish, crustaceans, and bivalves (including oysters) start out theirlives as zooplankton before they metamorphose into
their adult form.

GLOSSARY | 107

AGATA PONIATOWSKI | EDITOR

Agata Poniatowski is the Outreach and Engagement Manager at the Billion Oyster
Project. Agata manages the Oyster Research Station Program engaging with schools
throughout New York City, providing outdoor education opportunities, community
engagement and developing harbor related informal education curriculum. She graduatedwith a B.S in Sustainable Development and Natural Resource Management through the
CUNY BA program. In the past, she interned with WWF Bhutan, WCS in Coney Island andOrganization for Aquatic Resource Management in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka.

ANN FRAIOLI | DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONAs a founding teacher of New York Harbor School, Ann brings her knowledge of field
science and love of teaching to the Billion Oyster Project. When she’s not in the classroom
or at the water’s edge educating others, you will find her enjoying the outdoors andspending time with her sons, Theo and Benji. Ann is a pathfinder currently working to
expand harbor literacy through the development of new Harbor Schools focused on themarine environment and careers.

LARA BRENNER | SCIENTIFIC WRITER

Lara Brenner is an Island Scientist with The Nature Conservancy who works mainly on the
remote California Channel Islands, but has always carried a torch for urban conservation
ever since her childhood spent exploring the bayous of Houston, Texas. In her spare time,
she loves snorkeling, botanizing, and cooking at home.

SHIERE MELIN | SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATOR

Shiere Melin is a creative leader with a strong aesthetic, refined technical skills andpassionate confidence backed up with scientific know-how. This combination translates
to accurate, educational, and compelling visuals. Shiere has worked as a graphic designer
and illustrator in corporate and agency environments and currently does businessas BluBlaze Creative. Her combined interest in science and art lead to a MFA from the
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in Medical and Biologic Illustration. She has continued
her illustration interest by achieving a Foundational Certificate in Botanical Art andIllustration at the Denver Botanical Gardens.

ERIN COUGHLIN | DESIGNER

Erin Coughlin is a graphic designer, digital designer, and illustrator living in Brooklyn. Byday, she creates digital products at the agency Work & Co. In her free time, she pursues
projects that help bring an appreciation of the natural world to the public. When she’s
not designing, you’ll find her exploring local parks, volunteering with the Audubon
Society, and spending time upstate at her favorite place, Beaver Lake Nature Center, in her
hometown of Baldwinsville, NY.

108 | ABOUT THE CREATORSABOUT THE CREATORS | 109