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Bright orange Garibaldi drift through a kelp-covered reef in green coastal water.

Garibaldi at Grand View Reef

Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) The brilliant orange California state marine fish, a damselfish whose adults are fiercely territorial nest-guarders on rocky reefs. Common year-round in southern California’s kelp forests, including the reefs off Encinitas; the species is fully protected in California waters. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | eBird/map

An aggregating anemone clings to the base of a barnacle-crusted rock in a San Diego tidepool, tentacles fanned in a neat ring.

Anemone, San Diego

Aggregating Anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima) One of the most abundant intertidal animals on the Pacific coast — it reproduces by cloning itself, carpeting rocks with genetically identical colonies that wage slow-motion border wars against neighboring clones. Extremely common year-round in San Diego tidepools, found from Alaska to Baja California on rocky shorelines exposed at low tide. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Adult Sally Lightfoot Crab in fiery red-orange stands its ground on black volcanic lava rock

Angry Crab

Sally Lightfoot Crab (Grapsus grapsus) One of the most vibrantly colored crabs in the world, juveniles start jet-black to camouflage against lava rock, then turn blazing red-orange as adults. Abundant year-round across the Galápagos shoreline, found on virtually every rocky coast in the archipelago. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Panamanian white-faced capuchin mother with infant riding on her back, climbing across the hull of a yellow boat

Baby Capuchin Clinging to Mom

📍 Panama Canal Panamanian White-faced Capuchin (Cebus imitator) One of the most intelligent New World monkeys, known for using tools and washing food — and for boldly raiding boats and picnic sites along the canal. A year-round resident of Central American forests from Honduras to Panama, these capuchins thrive in the lush vegetation bordering the Panama Canal and are among the most frequently spotted primates by transiting boaters. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | eBird map (range)

Black cat sitting on polished concrete, looking up with bright green eyes between red café chairs

Black Cat, Jersey City

Domestic Cat (Felis catus) Solid black coats come from a recessive allele in the agouti gene — only about one in twenty-two cats carries the all-black look. Free-roaming and feral cats are year-round residents throughout Jersey City, often found near restaurants and waterfronts. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

A solidly black Eastern Fox Squirrel clinging to the reddish fibrous trunk of a tall coastal redwood, photographed from below against a blue sky.

Black squirrel hugging a redwood tree

Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) The largest tree squirrel in North America, Bay Area populations frequently express a striking all-black (melanistic) coat that sets them apart from the rusty-orange form seen elsewhere. San Mateo’s parks and neighborhoods are dense with Eastern Fox Squirrels — a non-native species that spread across the Bay Area after introductions in the early 20th century and now outnumbers native Western Gray Squirrels in many urban areas. ...

A fully melanistic black squirrel perched on a bare branch high in a large tree against a blue sky

Black squirrel in a tree

Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) North America’s largest tree squirrel, the fox squirrel carries a recessive melanistic gene that occasionally produces all-black individuals with no brown or gray at all. San Mateo’s parks host one of California’s densest populations of melanistic fox squirrels, where all-black coats are so common they’re practically the local standard. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Observations map

Black-headed gull with mottled dark hood perched on a railing above Shinobazu Pond, Bentendo temple in the background

Black-headed Gull at Shinobazu Pond, Tokyo

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) A small, elegant gull recognized by its dark chocolate-brown breeding hood, red bill, and pinkish-red legs — this individual’s patchy hood marks the transition between winter and summer plumage. One of Tokyo’s most familiar winter gulls, abundant at Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park from October through April; the Japanese name ユリカモメ (yurikamome) even lends its name to the city’s waterfront rail line. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | eBird

Blacktip reef shark gliding through murky water, dark fin tips visible against the haze

Blacktip Reef Shark, Galápagos Islands

Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) One of the most recognizable reef sharks thanks to the bold black markings on its fin tips, this small, shy species rarely exceeds 1.6 m and is harmless to humans. Common year-round in the shallow waters around the Galápagos archipelago, often spotted cruising lagoons and reef flats in small groups. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

A blue-footed booby perched on volcanic rock above a Galápagos penguin at the water's edge

Blue-Footed Booby and Galápagos Penguin

Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) Famous for its vivid blue feet — the brighter the color, the healthier the bird — which males show off in an elaborate high-stepping courtship dance. Common throughout the Galápagos Islands year-round, nesting on rocky shores and plunge-diving from height to catch schooling fish. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | eBird Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) The world’s only penguin found north of the equator and among the rarest — fewer than 2,000 remain, all endemic to the Galápagos archipelago. ...

Pair of blue-footed boobies resting on dark volcanic rock at Los Túneles, lava channels and giant cacti behind them under overcast skies

Blue-Footed Booby, Los Túneles

Blue-Footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) Famous for their vivid turquoise feet — the brighter the blue, the healthier the bird, and mates choose accordingly. A year-round breeding resident of Isabela Island; Los Túneles is one of the best spots to see them nesting right on the lava. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | eBird

By-the-wind Sailor

📍 San Diego By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella) Not a jellyfish but a colonial hydrozoan, each Velella is a raft of specialized polyps topped by a chitinous sail that catches the wind. Mass strandings are common along San Diego beaches in spring and summer when persistent onshore winds push entire flotillas ashore. Wikipedia | iNaturalist