Elleda Wilson: In One Ear: Salps ashore
Jul. 1—"Walking along the shoreline, you might come across some of these guys," Tiffany Boothe, of the Seaside Aquarium, wrote. "They are a species of salp called, salpa fusiformis." Her photo is shown.
"This species of salp can grow to 1.5 inches in length ... They often undergo daily vertical migrations coming up to the surface at night, and diving down to over 1,600 feet during the day ... Typically found offshore, occasional nearshore swarms do occur, like right now."
Salps are tunicates, which belong to the same phylum as vertebrates.
"Though as adults they do not have a backbone," she explained, "developing larvae possess a tail, a dorsal nerve cord and a dorsal stiffening structure called the notochord; because of this, tunicates are thought to be more closely related to vertebrates, such as fish and people."
"They move by means of jet propulsion," Tiffany added, "and feeding is accomplished by pumping plankton-laden water through the body, where a mucous net is used to extract food particles. They can be found individually or in large aggregations consisting of millions of individuals."
