Montagu’s sea snail
Although, commonly referred to as a ‘sea snail,’ this species in fact belongs to the fish family!
Although, commonly referred to as a ‘sea snail,’ this species in fact belongs to the fish family!
This sea snail is abundant on rocky shores around the UK. It is an active predator, feasting on mussels and barnacles before retreating to crevices to rest.
A small, but feisty scavenger, this carnivorous sea snail does not let anything go to waste!
This large sea slug is anything but dull!
The common whelk is the largest sea snail found in UK seas, though you're more likely to find the dry balls of empty whelk egg capsules washed up in strandlines.
There's another world waiting beneath the waves. Seals weave in and out of sunlit kelp forests, cuttlefish flash all the colours of the rainbow, starfish graze along the muddy seabed and…
A small colourful sea slug that can be found grazing on sea mats on the rocky shore and beyond the low water mark.
The sea hare looks like a sea slug – but in fact has an internal shell. They can be up to 20cm long but are usually much shorter.
A large colourful sea slug found on rocky shores around the UK.
Sometimes called 'Wild spinach', Sea beet can be cooked and eaten. It grows wild on shingle beaches, cliffs and bare ground near to the sea, as well as in saltmarshes.
Nia Jones (Living Seas Manager) describes some of the events in a typical marine spring.