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Nereocystis or Macrocystis pyrifera
This is a pneumatocyst which forms at the base of the blades in the kelp, filling itself with carbon monoxide which helps keep the thallus upright and close to the surface of the water near the sun, to aid in photosynthesis. It could be of one of the two species proposed above.
It is common along the coast of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, from about Monterey, California to Aleutian Islands, Alaska. These were in Morro Bay, in the beach next to Morro Rock, CA.
Spotted on Sep 23, 2014
Submitted on Jan 25, 2015
2 Comments
I've also just learned what they were..otherwise I would have been calling them "sea carrots" :-)
So that's what these tough little things are all over our southern ocean beaches. Thanks Marta.