When I highlighted Weird Bug Lady‘s work about a month ago, she mentioned that she does custom work. Aha! What else besides anatomically correct plush invertebrates could possibly commemorate my dear friend JEByrnes‘ doctorate/Very Important Decadal Birthday?
Since Herr Doktor Byrnes did his thesis on biodiversity in fouling communities, I requested that Weird Bug Lady create a diverse fouling community. And hot damn, she outdid herself. I can’t recommend her highly enough for all your nerd-plush needs.
Here is JEByrnes’ fouling community, covered in actual California fouling species. You get a virtual cookie if you can name one! For extra awesome, the bryozoan zooids and the limpet (and possibly other critters – I haven’t seen them in person yet) are removable so you can snuggle them.
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ooooh, ooooh!
the reddis-orange one is watersipora subtorquata
YES! A chocolate babka (and a copper-tolerant invasive bryozoan) to Rick!
IT IS AMAZING! And there is an adorable limpet that runs about freely. Additional pictures to come….
You are a GENIUS! As is Weird Bug Lady. I didn’t think I had nerd plush needs, but now maybe I do…
Or is the Brozoan W. arcuata? How could we find out??
i love you both.
MF: given that it was from a fouling community, and (I’m guessing) based on the one I work on, it is indeed W. subtorquata. It’s pretty dominant in the harbors around Bodega Bay.
Hee!
I love humans.
that is the greatest thing EVER!
jebyrnes: indeed W. subtorquata is great at fouling man-made structures, and is dominant all over Central and NorCal bays and harbors. However, in SoCal, W. arcuata is also pretty abundant.
p.s. my post was an inside joke for our favorite blogmistress Miriam.
p.p.s. I used to work as a Bryozoan taxonomist, and I can show you a relatively easy way to tell the difference between the two species if you really want to know.
OH! MF! I DO want to know the difference. As a fouling community guy (from NorCal) who has recently moved to SoCal, this would be strangely useful.