I almost laughed underwater when I saw this spiral bryozoan (Bugulina californica) attached to the top of a graceful decorator crab! Decorator crabs tend to cover themselves in living organisms so they can easily blend into the rocky reef. This crab has a few light bulb tunicates attached, and to top it all off a fancy spiral bryozoan hat! Each spiral bryozoan colony is conical in shape, and looks similar to an evergreen tree. I think it’s interesting that the spiral colony is the end result of cloning from a single individual. Spiral bryozoan colonies can attain a height of 3 inches (7.5 cm), with a range that includes Hawaii, as well as BC to the Galapagos Islands.
