Marine Invertebrates

Index

Search by the following parameters:

Marine

Land

Freshwater

Cnidarians

• Anemone
• Comb Jelly
• Jellyfish
• Soft Coral

Crustaceans

• Amphipod
• Copepod
• Crab
• Hermit Crab
• Isopod or “Toe Biter”
• Krill
• Mysid or Fairy Shrimp
• Shrimp
• Whale Lice

Echinoderms

• Basketstar
• Brittle Star
• Sand Dollar
• Sea Cucumbers
• Sea Star or Starfish
• Sea Urchin

Molluscs

• Clam or Mollusk
• Nudibranch
• Octopus
• Sea Angel
• Sea Snail
• Squid

Sponges

• Sponge

Tunicates or Sea Squirts

• Tunicate

Worms

• Ice Cream Cone Worms
• Peanut Worm
• Polychaete worm
• Priapulid worm
• Spoonworm or Fat Innkeeper

Amphipod

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name:

Taken by ACES/NOAA/NMFS

Taken by ABR, Inc.

Anemone

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Urticina lofotensis

Photo by Craig George

Sea anenomes found on the beach near Point Barrow. Top ones about 1-2 inches long, bottom one about 4 inches long. Photo by Leslie Pierce

Sea anemones in storm-formed tidal pool near Barrow. Photo by Lisa Adams

Basketstar

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Gorgonocephalus eucnemis

Photo by Craig George

Taken by ACES/NOAA/NMFS

Brittle Star

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Ophiura sarsi

Clam or Mollusc

Iñupiaq Name: Imaniq, Uviłłuq or Iviḷuq or Uviḷuq 
Scientific Name: Protothaca stamineais or Mya spp.

Clams collected on beach near Barrow by Lisa Adams

Photo by Craig George

Soft Shell Clam or Mya arenaria. Photos by Philip Alalato

Blunt Gaper or Mya truncata. Photos by Philip Alalato

Comb Jelly or Ctenophores

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Beroe cucumis

Sea Gooseberry, Beroe cucumis. Click photo to see video. Photo and video by Bobby Sarren

Copepod

Iñupiaq Name: Igligauraq
Scientific Name: Calanus spp.

Copepods with larger amphipods. Photo by Craig George

A copepod, Calanus glacialis. Photo by Phillip Alatalo and Bob Campbell

Crab

Iñupiaq Name: Puyyugiaq, Puyugiaq, or Putuguqsiuyuk
Scientific Name: 

Taken by Luther Leavitt Jr.

Small crab (about 4-5 inches) on beach. Photo by Leslie Pierce

Crabs found on beach near Point Barrow. Top one about 7-8 inch body (without legs), bottom one about 3 inch body. Taken by Lesile Pierce

Crab in storm-fed tidal pool near Barrow. Photo by Lisa Adams

Hermit Crab

Iñupiaq Name: 
Scientific Name: Pagarus spp.

Photo by Craig George

Taken by ACES/NMFS/NOAA

Ice Cream Cone Worms or Trumpet Worms

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Pectinaria spp.

Isopod or “Toe Biter”

Iñupiaq Name: Putuguqsiuyuk
Scientific Name: Saduria sabini or Synidotea marmorata

Photos by Craig George

Jellyfish

Iñupiaq Name: Iḷari, Nuvayulġiq, Ikpiaġruk, or Siḷu
Scientific Name: Cyanea capillata (Lion’s Mane Jellyfish) and Chrysaora melanaster (Brown Jelly Fish)

Taken by Becky Shea

Taken by ACES/NOAA/NMFS

Moon jellyfish, taken by ACES/NOAA/NMFS

Krill

Iñupiaq Name: Igliġaq, Igliġiaq
Scientific Name: Euphausiid spp. or Thysanoessa spp.

Taken by ACES/NOAA/NMFS

Krill, Thysanoessa inermis. Photo by Philip Alatalo and Bob Campbell

Photo by Craig George

Mysids or Fairy Shrimp

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Mysis spp. or Eualus gaimardii

Taken by ACES/NOAA/NMFS

Nudibranch

Iñupiaq Name: 
Scientific Name: Flabellina salmonacea

Nudibranch in water just north of NARL near Barrow, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches long. Taken by Leslie Pierce

Octopus

Iñupiaq Name: Nipitchaq
Scientific Name: 

Dorsal side of octopus. Found on the beach on the Chukchi side about a mile south of Point Barrow by Leslie Pierce

Ventral side of octopus, photo by Leslie Pierce

Peanut Worm

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Pelonaia corrugata, Sipunculans

Photo by Lori Quakenbush, taken from seal stomach

Polychaete Worm

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Nephtys spp.

Polychaetes found on beach near Point Barrow. Photo by Leslie Pierce

Priapulid Worm

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Priapulus caudatus

Sand Dollar

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name:

Photo by Craig George

Sea Angel or Pteropod

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Clione limacina

Sea Cucumber

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name:

Sea slugs from beach near Barrow, ventral side and dorsal side, about 5-6 inches long.  Photos by Leslie Pierce

More sea cucumbers, about 4-5 inches long, taken by Leslie Pierce on beach near Point Barrow

Sea Snail

Iñupiaq Name: Aalumiu, Aalumiaq, Iviḷuq
Scientific Name: Buccinum spp., Neptunea spp.

Collected on beach near Point Barrow, photo by Leslie Pierce

Snail shells collected from storm-formed tidal pool near Barrow by Lisa Adams

Whelk (sea snail) Egg Case. Taken by Craig George

Snail Egg Cases by Craig George

Sea Star or Starfish

Iñupiaq Name: Argagruat, Iyiksaq
Scientific Name: Ctenodiscus crispatus or Pisaster spp.

Photo by Leslie Pierce, on beach near Point Barrow

Photo by Craig George

Crossaster papposus. Photos by Leslie Pierce

Sea Urchin

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Strongylocentrotus spp.

Photo by Craig George

Photo by Leslie Pierce

Shrimp

Iñupiaq Name: Naulayuuraq, Igliġaq. or Naulaġnaq               
Scientific Name: 

Photo by Craig George of Crangonid Shrimp

Soft Coral

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Gersemia spp.

Gersemia spp. or Sea Raspberry. Photo by Craig George

Sea Raspberry on beach near Barrow. Photo by Philip Alatalo

Sponge

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name:

Photo by Leslie Pierce

Spoonworm or “Fat Innkeeper”

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Echiurans

Photo taken by Leslie Pierce on beach near Point Barrow

Squid

Iñupiaq Name: Miġayuq
Scientific Name: 

Taken by DWM Staff

Taken by Todd Sformo. Collected by Jillian Adams

Tunicate or Sea Squirt

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Boltenia spp. and others

Tunicate full of eggs. Found on beach by Mark and Emily Roseberry

Sea Onion (Boltenia ovifera), a tunicate found by Lisa Adams near Barrow

Whale Lice

Iñupiaq Name: Itkiq 
Scientific Name: Cyamid

Taken by DWM Staff

Taken by DWM Staff

Banner photo: Invertebrates washed up on the beach near Point Barrow, by Leslie Pierce