Photo: (c) anoleinwoods, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY · Source and license. Displayed as a resized crop. Photograph illustrates the species.
Habitat
Rocky bottoms, kelp forests, and pier pilings; sometimes sandy bottoms
Published depth range
Low intertidal to 90 m
Viewing activities
Scuba diving · Beach / tidepool
What to look for
Large pale spines ringed in blue or purple on thick arms.
What it eats
Bottom-dwelling invertebrates, including snails, chitons, barnacles, and bivalves.
Wider distribution
Vancouver Island to Cedros Island, Baja California.
When to look
The available records do not establish a reliable local viewing season. Use the map’s month filter to inspect dated observations; it does not predict an encounter.
WHERE HAS IT BEEN RECORDED?
Explore the featured regions
These dated records show past presence. They do not establish today’s abundance, guarantee a sighting, or describe the species’ entire range.
Monterey Bay
Recorded here
64,379 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.
