vonscience's Identifications

The American Lobster ranges from the mid-Atlantic all the way up to the Northeast coast of Canada. It is a decapod that reaches 8-24in in length. Its claws are asymmetrical with one usually being larger than the other. Its colors range from reds and oranges to yellows and blues and greens.

Fun Fact:
Female lobsters can store sperm for up to 15 months.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_lobster

Common Names: Blue Mussel
Location Found: found in the intertidal zone at low tide, attached and alive, in a community of other mussels with other marine organisms present (snails and barnacles)
Habitat Types: solid substrate, rocky shores, and wharf pilings, intertidally to several hundred ft, found attached to rocks, other mussels using byssus threads
Physical Description: blue black to purple blue, can grow up to 102 mm, has 4-6 small, whitish teeth below the beak
Fun Fact: This animal switches locations by moving its foot, attaching a new byssus thread and then releasing the old one!
Source: 'Marine Life of the North Atlantic' - Andrew J. Martinez

Common name: Sand Dollar
Location found: This sand dollar was found in the intertidal zone of Long Beach, Nahant, MA.
Habitat types: Sand dollars are found on sandy bottoms at the low tide line from Labrador to Maryland.
Physical description: The sand dollar was grey in color, about 7 cm in diameter, and had the characteristic star shaped marking. The surface of the shell appeared to have a few scratches on it.
Fun fact: Sand dollars typically live in fairly large groups. 625 individuals have been observed in the same square meter of sand. (https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/things-you-dont-know-about-sand-dollars)

Common Name: Ribbed Mussel

Found in Ipswich, MA in the Great Marsh area. Found at the edge of the Marsh in the intertidal. Found amongst seagrasses and buried in the mud.

Habitat: Generally found in salt marshes and brackish water intertidally. Found from St. Lawrence to Florida.

Physical Description: Bivalve that differs from other mussels because of radiating ribs on the outside of the shell. Color varies from brownish yellow to brownish black. Size can get up to 4 inches.

Fun Fact: Ribbed mussels close their valves during low tide which keeps in components that are toxic to humans which is why they should only be harvested during high tide.

Source:
Marine Life of the North Atlantic Field Guide App - Martinez

https://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/fieldguide/critter/atlantic_ribbed_mussel

Ovalipes ocellatus, commonly known as the lady crab, is found along the eastern coast of North America on sandy/rocky bottoms from low tide down to 46 m in depth. This lady crab carapace was found washed up on shore. It is distinguished by its carapace being slightly wider than long, the five marginal teeth along the anterior of its carapace, and the yellow-grey color of its carapace with clusters of purple dots. Specifically, it is typically 8.9 cm wide and 7.5 cm long. A fun fact about this species is that it has a total of five larval stages.

References:
Martinez, Andrew. Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape May. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. 1994.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovalipes_ocellatus

Location Found- Strawberry Hill Salt marsh in Ipswich Ma. Found resting on exposed marsh mud.

Habitat-Brackish waters of up to 12 meters. Like lower salinity than most marine inverts

Physical Description- Shape is variable depending on growing medium. Color can range from bright white to light yellow.

Fun Fact- State mollusk of Connecticut!

Source: 'Marine Life of the North Atlantic' - Andrew J. Martinez 2010

Description: one of the more common sea stars they are found in the inter tidal all the way from Maine to Texas. Generally they have 5 arms but have been found with up to seven. This one was found on a rocky substrate
Fun fact: Although many people call them starfish, it is more scientifically correct to call them sea stars as they aren’t fish and don’t have a backbone

Common Name: European Flat Oyster

Found in Salem Harbor, MA during mid-tide on the sandy beach.

Habitat: Invasive to New England, found intertidally and subtidally. Found on hard substrates.

Physical Description: Typically rounder than native oysters, flat grey-whitish shell, can grow up to 8 in. in length!

Fun fact: Salem Harbor in MA has some of the densest concentrations of european flat oyster in the Gulf of Maine.

Source: https://www.salemsound.org/mis/MISOstrea.pdf