Ptilosarcus gurneyi (sea pen)

Found in area 5 until the 1980’s. I could not get pictures of the sea pen since they are extinct on our beach. The picture here is one I shot at the Seattle Aquarium.

They were fairly common in the 1970’s at extreme low tides, according to people who lived there and were familiar with the beach. They are colored bright orange like the color of some Nucella lamellosa shells. They have what looks like a toothpick at one end. That’s their anchor. When they are covered by water, they unfurl and look like a feather. The name sea pen comes form their resembling a feather pen like our ancestors used.