“I’m Pickle Rick!” ⁣ ⁣ Check out this “sea pickle.” It’s kinda a big dill. Pyrosomes are free-floating pelagic tunicates that usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some may be found at greater depths. They are cylindrical or cone-shaped colonies made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. They are commonly called "sea pickles". Other nicknames include "sea worms" and “sea squirts.” Pyrosomes are planktonic, which means they just want to be friends, wait, scratch that, it means their movements are largely controlled by currents, tides, and waves in the oceans. Hungry? They also serve as a food source for several kelp forest species such as sea stars, sea urchins, sea anemones, crabs, and kelp bass. Dill-icious! ⁣ Image: A pyrosome floats in a kelp forest with the outline of a vessel on the surface. ⁣Channel Islands National Park, California. #channelislands #seapickle #underwater #nature #oceansmonth #california #pyrosome