Brittle Star, Ophioderma brevispinum, Sunset Beach, NC, 08/28/13

Hogchoker, Trinectes maculatus. Although it resembles flounders, it is in a separate family, the flatfish family Achiridae. Android photo. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/28/13.

Horseshoe Crab, Limulus australis variant, exterior. This is the first nearly intact dead specimen I have found anywhere in 19 years. Previously I have found empty molts or exoskeletons. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/28/13

Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus, interior with Sea Whip tangled inside. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/28/13

Grinders surrounding mouth of Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/28/13

Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus, with ruler showing size of 11.5 inches. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/28/13

Cannonball Jellyfish, Stomolophus meleagris, juvenile about 2 inches in diameter. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/22/13

Reddish Egret, juvenile, dancing around while catching fish. Two different fish are shown. 08/21/13

Members of this family spent an hour trying to haul in a large fish. The fish dragged them down the beach. Eventually their fishing line broke. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/10/13

The view from the Jenks Creek side of the far east end of Sunset Beach. The area shown, along with much adjacent area, is a portion of the largest shorebird nesting area south of Wilmington. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/03/13

Box Jellyfish, Chiropsalmus quadrumanus. The "warts" on this species are visible. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/08/13

Video of Chiropsalmus quadrumanus still pulsating on my kitchen table, 08/03/13

http://s1009.photobucket.com/user/jookeefe/media/100_1927.mp4.html

Chrysaora, another species of Jellyfish, live. Sunset Beach, NC, 08/08/13

Reddish Egret, juvenile, Sunset Beach, NC, July 3, 2013 -- Note: this egret stands in the surf far down on the east end nearly daily.

This cabana succumbed to the strong wind. Sunset Beach, NC, 8/10/13

Striped Sea Star, Luidia clathrata, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/26/13

Box Jellyfish, Quadrumanus chiropsalmus, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/ 22/13

I had barely stepped onto the beach today when children ran toward me asking what I had found. While I had not yet found anything, they reported seeing a huge crab with a huge claw -- back there, near a tide pool, far away. A half hour later I found the Stone Crab, Menippe mercenaria. I took photos of it in the water and out and in my bucket and on sand. A gentleman joined me and took the lower two photos before releasing the crab in the ocean. In particular I loved the decoration on the smaller claw and legs. Sunset Beach, NC, 07/24/13

Atlantic Mole Crab, also called Sand Crab, Emerita talpoida -- referred to by some persons as Sand Crabs and Sand Fleas, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/20/13

Striped Sea Cucumber, Thyonella gemmata, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/14/13. I unsuccessfully searched for these for years at the request of a Smithsonian researcher who wanted specimens. Suddenly today I found six healthy live ones, all of which were released back into the ocean.

Wilson's Plover chick, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/09/13

Wilson's Plover chicks foraging at the edge of the ocean, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/09/13

Snake or Worm Eel, Sunset Beach, NC, 07/08/13

American Oystercatchers changing places at nesting site, Sunset Beach, NC, 05/27/13

American Oystercatcher on nest, Sunset Beach, NC, 05/27/13

Egg in nest, Sunset Beach, NC, 05/27/13

Wilson's Plover, Sunset Beach, NC, 05/27/13

Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, live, Sunset Beach, NC, 06/14/13

Striped Sea Star, Luidia clathrata, Sunset Beach, NC, 06/15/13

Wilson's Plovers -- chick on left in left photo, and again in right photo, Sunset Beach, NC, 06/17/13