Chuck Davis / Tidal Flats Ltd.

A drifting white gull feather finds a temporary nest within...

Caption: A drifting white gull feather finds a temporary nest within a frond of giant kelp, just beneath the ocean's surface in Monterey Bay, California.
Scientific name: Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Monterey Bay, Monterey, California
Copyright: © Chuck Davis / Tidal Flats, Ltd.
Photographer Code: MA1462-01
AGPix ID: AGPix_ChDaTiFl26_0054
Digital Original
Comments: A giant kelp "frond" consists of a stemlike "stipe" with small gas bladders called pneumatocyts (visible on the right side of the image) as well as the kelp blades themselves. Giant kelp fronds are anchored to the reef below via structures called haptera which form a large ball of pencil-sized leathery strands which collectively form a structure known as a "holdfast." Monterey Bay is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.