- Wow it is windy out here today
so I'm gonna have to talk loud for the cameras
but right now we're exploring the mud flats
here in Haines, Alaska.
There is a water system pushing its way up through here
it's probably gonna draw in
a bunch of really cool creatures.
Lucky for me, I happened to bring this little net.
Let's head out in there and see what we can find.
Got it, yes!
Holy cow the net is absolutely full of them.
Oh no they're pricking me.
(exclaims)
(dramatic music)
- [Narrator] It doesn't matter where in the world you travel
as long as you can find a place
where the ocean meets the shoreline,
there are tide pools to be explored
and creatures waiting to be found.
Even as far north as Haines, Alaska.
- We're on a mud flat right now, the tide is low.
Maybe a good chance to find some creatures,
there's a bunch of little flies and bugs moving around.
Maybe some crabs, could be some marooned fish
let's head up this way and see what we can find.
I dunno what lives in these tide pools
so I'm just gonna kinda feel around Raccoon style
and see if I can scoop anything up.
Oh look at that.
- [Crew Member] Whoa. - Wow
I dunno what those are,
yeah they might be little sand fleas or something.
Alright let's check out this kelp bed.
I would love to find some sorta little crab in here.
Or maybe some fish, hopefully they don't bite.
- [Narrator] What we are looking at here are Kelp Isopods
and yeah they do bite.
- Oh it absolutely stinks,
like somewhere between the ocean and sewage.
Gross. Alright let's keep going.
Check this out, I just flipped over this rock,
look at this huge green worm like creature.
- [Crew Member] Is that a Nereid Worm?
- Yeah it is a Nereid Worm,
let me get it in some water and rinse it off.
- [Crew Member] That's a big one.
- Wow, that is a big one, umm here, back up a little bit.
Let me rinse it off.
Whoa it's all green and, look at that, look at that.
- [Crew Member] It's crazy. - Wow.
Hold on I'm gonna pick it back up in my hand.
Oh it's slimy. Got it.
Wow, that's a Nereid Worm right there.
It's like the caterpillar of the ocean.
I have never seen one of these up in this area,
we flipped over many rocks and this is
the first one that we've seen.
That is wicked looking.
- [Crew Member] And they can swim right?
- They can swim, they can also bite.
I'm not sure which species but look at
how iridescent this creature is,
emerald in coloration and it's just reflecting the sunlight.
That is so cool looking.
It's just kinda feeling around right now,
you see his front pinchers out there.
(exclaims) He tried to bite me.
- [Crew Member] Did it hurt?
- No, it didn't actually bite
but I saw it's pichers come out.
Alright I'm putting him back under his rock
and let's see what else we can find.
- [Narrator] After a near bite from a Nereid Worm,
it was time we move on to the next spot.
You never know what you will find at low tide
and these pools were alive with creepy crawlies.
- This could be a good rock to flip, let's check this out.
Whoa, holy cow, look at this, look at this.
Where'd it go, where'd it go.
It's a big Prickleback Eel, right there.
Got it.
- [Crew Member] That's a good one.
- Wow, look at that.
- [Narrator] The rock Prickleback has
a distinct eel like appearance, however,
they're not considered true eels
but rather are a species of bony fish.
They range up and down the Pacific coast
and can reach nearly two feet in length when fully grown.
- Yeah he's just slinking along
wanting to get back into the water.
I think If we move in deeper,
we'll find some pockets of water
that potentially have some larger fish.
- [Narrator] When the tide recedes animals will do
their best to stay hidden in the deeper pockets of water.
I often find that these areas yield the best results
when attempting to discover creatures.
And whether you are using your hands,
or in this case a small dip net,
all it takes is a little patience and eventually
your efforts will pay off.
- Guys, guys, we got a pocket of water up here
it's like alive with fish, I can't tell what kind it is
but it's a little bit deeper
and I think we can definitely catch some, come on.
Okay I can see 'em all moving up here
in this pocket of water.
I'm gonna just bring the net through, try to keep up with me
I'm gonna scoop up as many as I can.
Let's see how many I can catch, ready?
- [Crew Member] Yep go for it.
- Oh yeah I got a tonne of 'em, check this out.
Yes, holy cow man that is absolutely full of 'em.
We get all these weeds out.
Wow, and they look like some type of little Goby species.
Oh no they're pricking me.
Look at that, my net is full of fish.
Wow look at that, okay well
I've caught six of them in the net and honestly
I'm not sure exactly what species of fish this is.
They look like Gobys and I'm saying that because
their head kinda looks like a tadpole,
the body looks like a fish.
They also have these little spikes coming out of
the side of their head that are rather sharp.
I'm gonna actually have to look these up
but they are absolutely filling up these little tide pools,
they're absolutely everywhere.
And I could just see them skidding across the surface
because the water is shallow I was able to just
skim the net across and scoop up, what do I have there,
one two three four five six of them, right now, Wow.
- [Narrator] As it turns out,
this is actually a species known as
the Pacific Staghorn Sculpin,
which gets its name from the spines on the side of its head
which resemble the antlers of a stag.
And while I was excited to come across this fish
they're incredibly common in coastal lagoons.
- Let's take a moment to take a look at just a
single one of these fish because they're so unique looking.
Now if I was a predator and I were to come in
and try to eat this fish, I imagine those hooks
would get stuck in my throat,
could potentially choke me and kill me.
And their eyes are really beautiful,
almost looks like a rainbow design in the pupil
and he keeps puffing up his head.
Now if this is a species of Goby,
most Gobys are able to breathe air out of the water.
- [Narrator] Believe it or not, like a Goby,
the Sculpin is also capable of breathing air.
- That's one cool looking little ocean creature.
And that's one of the coolest things about
exploring tide pools, you never know
what it is that you're gonna come across.
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild,
we'll see on the next adventure.
- [Narrator] If you thought this adventure at low tide
was exciting, make sure to go back and watch
as we found and got up close with a giant black Sea Hare.
And don't forget, subscribe so you can join me and the crew
on our next big adventure.
- I can feel him gripping onto my arm,
I mean I can feel him actually, like, wrapping around me
and I can feel his little tongue under there,
can't bite right?
- [Guest Presenter] No, these guys are vegetarians
they mostly eat algae and kelp.
(animal noises)