#0029 - Broad chiton (Callochiton dentatus)

Meet the Broad chiton, a dorsally flattened mollusk endemic to South Africa’s intertidal zones. This low-profile grazer is a master of survival, equipped with a powerful muscular foot that anchors it to substrates, and a compact form that reduces drag in turbulent waters. Ranging in size from 20-55mm in total body length, Broad chitons have eight shell plates surrounded by a soft fleshy mantle, and dark spots, or ‘shell eyes’, on the side areas and growth lines. Solitary and herbivorous, these orange- to chestnut-hued animals use a radula – a tongue-like structure lined with rows of teeth – to scrape algae off rocks. First described by Danish naturalist Lorenz Spengler in 1797, the Broad chiton belongs to an organism group that has lived in our oceans for millions of years. Chitons trace back to the earliest lineages of mollusks, yet their design is anything but simple – their teeth are made of magnetite, the hardest material made by a living organism, and their ‘shell eyes’ have a crystalline lens and a pigmented photoreceptive retina.

@saveourseasfoundation #seachangeproject #1001species #1001seaforestspecies #1001project #greatafricanseaforest #taxonomy #marinebiology #chiton

#0028 - Red-spotted ascidian (Ascidia incrassata)

These solitary ascidians are so named because their outer coverings are inflated (‘incrassate’ means swollen, dense, or more substantial). An interesting feature of these outer tests is that they are composed of cellulose, a material normally associated with plants and found only in this group of animals. Cellulose might be a good choice for a protective coating as few animals have enzymes capable of digesting this material! Endemic to South Africa, Red-spotted ascidians – purple to red in colour – have inhalant siphons directed upwards and exhalant ones to the side, with the tips of both siphons folded into eight lobes. These are used to filter feed: seawater is drawn through the inhalant siphon and filtered though a net of mucous, which is continuously generated and passed across the mesh-like walls of the pharynx, before being rolled up into a threadlike cord and transported to the oesophagus. Even the simplest forms can harbour extraordinary complexity!

@saveourseasfoundation #seachangeproject #1001species #1001seaforestspecies #1001speciesproject #marinescience #taxonomy #storytelling #greatafricanseaforest

#0027 - Buoy barnacle (Dosima fascicularis)

There are goose barnacles that attach themselves to floating objects … and then there are go-it-alone goose barnacles that make their own floats. Translucent blue in colour, with a short stalk and thin, transparent shell plates, Buoy barnacles have the unique ability to secrete polystyrene-like floats using modified cement glands at the base of the stalk. This rare trait is exclusive to adults – larvae must first settle on small floating substrates – plastic pellets, feathers, Spirula shells or other fragments – before maturing into rounded aggregations suspended beneath their self-fashioned floats. This progression from young hitchhiker to self-sufficient grown-up is extremely rapid, and it takes about 45 days for animals to become reproductive adults. Such ingenious design!

Images: Jannes Landschoff
@saveourseasfoundation #seachangeproject #buoybarnacle #1001species #1001speciesproject #taxonomy #marinebiology #greatafricanseaforest

#26 Simon’s Town cuttlefish (Sepia simoniana)

Field identifications can be complex for many species, and few creatures illustrate this better than cuttlefish. Identifying local species is notoriously tricky due to their wildly variable colouration, body shape, and posture. Add to that their ability to transform their appearance in seconds, and you’ve got a recipe for confusion.
For years, we had called the large, common cuttlefish in the kelp forest the Patchwork cuttlefish (Sepia vermiculata). When working on the 1001 Species project and looking through hundreds of pictures of a decade of diving, we began to suspect that this name was not the right one. Looking at all the literature, we realised that another species of big cuttlefish, the Simon’s Town cuttlefish (Sepia simoniana), occurs in the region. Its mantle has a rougher texture compared to the Patchwork, and its clubs on the tentacles are different. Still, we couldn’t be certain from pictures alone.
That changed when we finally glimpsed its elusive tentacle clubs, thanks to an unexpected, whiskered ally. The specialised tentacle appendages, used for defence and hunting, are tucked away between the arms, making them nearly impossible to spot in the wild. But our furry companion revealed the crucial clue we needed to confidently identify the Simon’s Town cuttlefish.
Curious how the mystery unravelled? Dive into the full story in our latest blog. Link in bio.

Images: Craig Foster and Jannes Landschoff

@saveourseasfoundation #seachangeproject #cuttlefish #taxonomy #1001species #1001project #marinescience #marinebiology #greatafricanseaforest

#0025 - Feather-duster worm - Pseudobranchiomma longa

When we think of worms, we invariably conjure up drab, squirming critters devoid of flair. However, Feather-duster worms are anything but dull.

Common in rock pools and on rocky reefs, these large worms have a sausage-like body enclosed in a soft, muddy, parchment-like tube. In this state, they might not seem spectacular, but when they feed, they extend a pair of magnificent spiral crowns of tentacles to intercept passing food particles. Ranging from white, yellow, red or purple, these appendages – which, as the name suggests, resemble featherdusters – rapidly pull back into the tube at the slightest disturbance. Who knew worms could be so flamboyant?

#1001species #1001seaforestspecies #featherdusterworm #kelpforest #kelpforestecology #taxonomy #marinescience #natureconnection

#0024 - Split-fan kelp - Laminaria pallida

One of the largest and best known of regional algae, Split-fan kelp creates a kind of understory beneath its larger, floating cousin, Sea bamboo (Ecklonia maxima). As the name suggests, a single broad blade is split into several parallel longitudinal straps that are uniformly light-brown (often a luminous gold when caught in sunlight).

Like other kelp species, Laminaria pallida is anchored to rocks and other hard surfaces by a ‘holdfast’ – a root-like structure designed to grip and stabilise. However, unlike roots, holdfasts do not absorb nutrients, and Split-fans use nutrients directly from the water to photosynthesise and sustain themselves – and, in turn, support many animals.

They are important ‘ecosystem engineers’, creating habitat for numerous smaller species that colonise the holdfasts, stipes and blades. And during storms, they ensure the survival of future generations – the sweeping action of their blades across adjacent rock surfaces brushes away sea urchins and other grazers, giving sporelings a chance to grow into golden adults.

#1001species #1001seaforestspecies #splitfankelp #kelpforest #kelpforestecology #taxonomy #marinescience #natureconnection

#0023 - False plum anemone - Pseudactinia flagellifera

These large, purple-tipped anemones are known for their voracious appetite for a wide variety of food – even whole fish. Using their tentacles (of which there can be up to 230), they paralyse their prey with venomous stinging cells and drag their dinner into their mouths. False plum anemones have a penchant for gastropods (marine slugs and snails), bivalves (molluscs), isopods (crustaceans that resemble insects) and echinoderms (urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers), and they are the only regional species to occasionally snag a fish. With three to five rows of globular vesicles immediately beneath the tentacles used for combat, False plum anemones seem to have their attack mechanisms covered. However, they have unusually weak sphincters, which prevent them from withdrawing their tentacles and fully closing up when disturbed, hence they are permanently ‘open’. It seems no species is equipped for every contingency.

@saveourseasfoundation #1001species #1001seaforestspecies #falseplumanemone #taxonomy #marinescience #natureconnection

#0022 White-ringed turret sponge // Haliclona stilensis

It can be difficult for us humans to fully comprehend an animal that has no head, limbs or distinct organs, yet can still feed, reproduce and grow – just like us.
While many of us are familiar with the animated TV character, SpongeBob SquarePants, real-life sponges are far more simple in body plan, best thought of as colonies formed from a few types of collaborating cells.

This mauve-coloured endemic species is identifiable by its fragile texture and the white rings around large openings on the body surface. Called oscula, these variably-shaped openings work together with smaller ones to filter-feed. Water is drawn through the small openings, fine food particles are removed, and then the waste water is ejected via the oscula. And all of this happens within a delicate encrustation of about 10mm thick.

White-ringed turret sponges might not be SpongeBob savvy, but their simplicity belies a remarkable synergy that ensures its survival.

Photos: Jannes Landschoff

@saveourseasfoundation #1001seaforestspecies #1001species #seachangeproject #greatafricanseaforest #spinystarfish #taxonomy #marinescience

#21 Spiny starfish — Marthasterias africana

These large starfish are so ubiquitous in the Great African Seaforest that they sometimes go unnoticed. However, there’s so much to behold when you study them closely. Named in reference to the longitudinal rows of spines along their five gradually tapering arms, Spiny starfish are endemic to South Africa. Peer closely, and you’ll see pastel-coloured lumps and bumps – called papulae – between the spines, which act as organs of gas exchange. Then, train your eye along the contour of a moving starfish, and you’ll notice a multitude of tube feet, which it uses for locomotion. This ability to move around (albeit slowly) is key for helping the Spiny starfish meet its voracious appetite. With a penchant for mussels, barnacles, and sea squirts, the starfish often form dense feeding fronts that advance across reefs, gobbling up all in their path. Even urchins aren’t spared – the second image shows a hapless urchin trying to defend itself with a shell. However, this predation plays an important role in helping to maintain ecosystem balance – one could say that Spiny starfish are one of the backbones of the seaforest.

@saveourseasfoundation #1001seaforestspecies #1001species #seachangeproject #greatafricanseaforest #spinystarfish #taxonomy #marinescience

#0020 — Puffadder shyshark – Haploblepharus edwardsii

Endemic to South Africa, the Puffadder shyshark is so named due to its distinctive markings resembling those of a species of snake found in the country. Approach these small sharks (adults can grow up to 60cm in length) too enthusiastically, and they often curl into a ball, covering their eyes with their tail – hence the ‘shy’ descriptor. This behaviour not only protects their most delicate sensory organs, but also makes the shark harder to eat. When it comes to eating, male and female Puffadder shysharks have different favourites: males have an affinity for polychaete worms, and females tend to prefer crustaceans. The sexes even have different tooth shapes, with males having three-pointed teeth, while females have five-pointed teeth, likely driving their dietary preferences. Females lay pairs of light-brown, rectangular egg cases with long tendrils at each corner (see image 3). Incubation time is about three months, with the young born about 10cm long. Sadly, many of these individuals don’t make it to old age, which is estimated to be at least 22 years. Caught as bycatch during demersal trawls, their populations have declined in the last few decades, resulting in Puffadder shysharks being designated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Images: Craig Foster and Jannes Landschoff

@saveourseasfoundation #1001seaforestspecies #1001species #1001speciesproject #puffaddershyshark #shark #greatafricanseaforest #seachangeproject #taxonomy

0019 Cape rock crab – Guinusia chabrus

The most common shore crab along the southwest coast of South Africa, these medium- to large-sized crustaceans are wily and tough.

A hungry octopus approaching? No problem! Cape rock crabs are excellent swimmers, and use their flattened legs and hair fringes on them as efficient paddles, fleeing to safety onto higher reefs, exposed rocks, and into the kelp canopy.

A heaving tide rolling on? No worries! These crabs have incredibly strong legs and hooked dactyls, which make them perfectly adapted to the wave-exposed shores they dominate.

Cape rock crabs are also not picky eaters – they’re omnivorous and will eat anything from barnacles, amphipods and gastropods to seaweeds. But before they decide what’s for dinner, these crabs have to go through several laval stages, such as the brightly coloured megalopa stage in images 4 and 5.

During this final larval stage, they swim and walk around, scouting for the best neighbourhood in which to settle into adulthood.

#1001species #1001seaforestspecies @saveourseasfoundation #taxonomy #greatafricanseaforest #seachangeproject #storytelling #marinescience #caperockcrab #crustacean

#0018 Cape Triplefin — Cremnochorites capensis

Identifying marine species can be tricky – but, luckily, the scientific team working on our 1001 Seaforest Species project is out there collecting all this information. To a casual observer, this heavily camouflaged fish could be mistaken for a klipfish, but a key feature sets it apart: klipfish have a single dorsal fin, while the dorsal fin of the triplefin is divided into three separate parts. Endemic to South Africa, only one species is found in the Western Cape region, and is usually found hiding among dense growths of invertebrates or algae on the rock faces of shallow reefs. Those ‘bushy eyebrows’ are actually cirri, which the fish uses as sensory organs. Reaching up to 8cm in total length, the Cape triplefin is normally blotchy cream and brown, but breeding males become brightly coloured with broad orange or yellow mottled vertical bands and blue dots.

@saveourseasfoundation #1001species #1001seaforestspecies #capetriplefin #taxonomy #marinescience #greatafricanseaforest #saveourseasfoundation