Below are examples of bryozoans you might find in the rocky intertidal or washed up on the beaches. There aren’t too many. Just the ones that are big enough for me to easily find and photograph, so it’s not a big list. As for identification, I can get close, I hope, with the readily available field guides and online resources (see References, at the bottom of the page). There’s nothing really new here except my my photographic take on common bryozoans, and a natural history note if I can think of something that hasn’t already been over-said.
I use the organization followed by Lamb and Hanby (2005). Common names are my choice. I refer to WoRMS for scientific names, and I learn a ton by browsing the natural history riches in Kozloff (1993). All photos are from northern Oregon unless otherwise noted in the caption.
Let’s explore bryozoans!
Flustrellidra corniculata
If you judged from the images below, you might say it looks like Flustrellidra tends to affiliate with Laminaria sinclairii. I don’t know if there’s much of an association, but they do co-occur fairly commonly on surf-swept shores.
Flustrellidra corniculata and Laminaria sinclairii 
In a world of distinctive creatures, F. corniculata holds its own 
One of F. corniculata’s common names is branch-spined bryozoan 
F. corniculata looks good poking out among the reds
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Unidentified encrusting bryozoan
In real life, and in this image, there’s a soft look, but far from it, this crust is hard.
References
Harbo, R. M. 2011. Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd ed. Harbour Publishing Co.
Kozloff, E. N. 1993. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. 3rd ed. University of Washington Press.
Lamb, A. and B. P. Hanby. 2005. Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. Harbour Publishing.
Sept. J. D. 2009. The Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific Northwest. Revised ed. Harbour Publishing.
On Line Resources
It’s worth taking a look at iNaturali’s Leather Bryozoan (Flustrellidra corniculata) page.
