Top 10 rock-pool finds

We are lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time on the rocky shores of the Dalebrook Marine Sanctuary in False Bay, South Africa. Even though we visit regularly, we quite often find creatures that we have never seen before! And then there are those that we see again and again, but are so awesome that they stay on my list of favourites.
Here, in no particular order, are my personal “top 10” rock-pool finds – often documented with just a fleeting photo:

1. Juvenile leafy klipfish
   

   Juvenile leafy klipfish, Smithichthys fucorum.

2. Albino Cape urchin
   

   Albino Cape urchin, Parechinus angulosus.

3. Tuberculate cuttlefish
   

   Tuberculate cuttlefish, Sepia tuberculata.

4. Shaggy sponge crab
   

   Shaggy sponge-crab, Dromidia hirsutissima.

5. Variable sea hare
   

   Variable sea-hare, Aplysia juliana, with its mass of spaghetti-like eggs.

6. Warty pleurobranch
   

   Warty pleurobranch, Pleurobranchaea bubala, with its lacy egg ribbon .

7. Iridescent nudibranch (we never managed to take a photo of this one! But you can see some lovely photos here)
8. Sea swallow
   

   Sea swallow, Glaucus atlanticus.

9. Common octopus
   

   Common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, hiding under a rock.

10. Toothed decorator crab
    

    Toothed decorator crab, Acanthonyx dentatus.

Why don’t you head down to the rocks at low tide to see if you can find these, or any other, interesting creatures?
Happy rock-pooling!