Click on the first letter of the common name.

British Invertebrates - marine

 		Species 1 - 45 of 45
Thumbnail for Semibalanus balanoides (Acorn barnacle)
Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides)
Barnacles are well-known intertidal organisms. They were not firmly accepted to be crustaceans until the 1830s; before this time... More 7 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Actinia equina (Beadlet anemone)
Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina)
The beadlet anemone is the most familiar sea anemone in Britain. When disturbed or exposed to air at low tide it appears as a... More 20 Images 4 Videos
Thumbnail for Ophiothrix fragilis (Common brittlestar)
Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
Like all brittlestars, the common brittlestar has five long, slender arms, which radiate out from a central disc. The mouth is... More 7 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Cerastoderma edule (Common cockle)
Common cockle (Cerastoderma edule)
This well-known edible cockle has a solid shell, consisting of two valves, which feature prominent ribs and concentric growth-lines... More 7 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Sepia officinalis (Common cuttlefish)
Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)
The cephalopods (meaning 'head-footed'), a group of molluscs containing the octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, are probably the most... More 12 Images 8 Videos
Thumbnail for Pagurus bernhardus (Common hermit crab)
Common hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus)
Despite the common name, hermit crabs are related more closely to lobsters than to crabs. They lack a hard carapace, and adopt the... More 7 Images 4 Videos
Thumbnail for Aurelia aurita (Common jellyfish)
Common jellyfish (Aurelia aurita)
This is the most common jellyfish on British shores. The body is a saucer shaped 'bell', which is colourless except for 4 obvious... More 8 Images 9 Videos
Thumbnail for Patella vulgata (Common limpet)
Common limpet (Patella vulgata)
The common limpet is a well-known seashore species. It has a conical shell, the outer surface of which is greyish-white. Shells... More 6 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Homarus gammarus (Common lobster)
Common lobster (Homarus gammarus)
The common lobster is a very large and commercially important species. The upper surface is dark blue in colour with yellowish... More 6 Images 5 Videos
Thumbnail for Mytilus edulis (Common mussel)
Common mussel (Mytilus edulis)
The common mussel has a roughly triangular shell, which is bluish, purplish or brown in colour and covered with a black outer layer... More 10 Images 5 Videos
Thumbnail for Octopus vulgaris (Common octopus)
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
The cephalopods (meaning ‘head-footed) are a group of molluscs that contain the octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, and are probably... More 9 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Palaemon serratus (Common prawn)
Common prawn (Palaemon serratus)
The common prawn is a well-known swimming crustacean, which is pinkish-brown in colour and features reddish spots and lines. The... More 9 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Carcinus maenas (Common shore crab)
Common shore crab (Carcinus maenas)
The shore crab is one of the commonest crabs on the shore, and anyone who has gone rock-pooling is likely to have encountered one... More 11 Images 5 Videos
Thumbnail for Crangon crangon (Common shrimp)
Common shrimp (Crangon crangon)
The common shrimp, also known as the brown shrimp, is cryptically coloured; it is brown and covered with tiny flecks. Although most... More 5 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Asterias rubens (Common starfish)
Common starfish (Asterias rubens)
The common starfish has 5 arms (although individuals may occasionally have just 4 or as many as 6). The colour varies from red to... More 10 Images 5 Videos
Thumbnail for Buccinum undatum (Common whelk)
Common whelk (Buccinum undatum)
This large, common whelk has a stout, yellowish-brown shell with lighter and darker spiral areas. It has 7-8 whorls, and a large... More 8 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Chrysaora hysoscella (Compass jellyfish)
Compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella)
The compass jellyfish has a saucer-shaped bell, with 32 semi-circular lobes around the fringe, each one with a brown spot. On the... More 5 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Eledone cirrhosa (Curled octopus)
Curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa)
The cephalopods (meaning 'head-footed'), a group of molluscs that contain the octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, are probably the... More 10 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Alcyonium digitatum (Dead man’s fingers)
Dead man’s fingers (Alcyonium digitatum)
Dead man’s fingers is a colonial soft coral that forms thick, fleshy and irregular masses, which are often finger-like in... More 11 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Cancer pagurus (Edible crab)
Edible crab (Cancer pagurus)
The common and familiar edible crab is easily identified by its large black-tipped toothed pincers and characteristic ‘pie-crust’... More 12 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Littorina littorea (Edible periwinkle)
Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea)
Periwinkles are a large family of gastropod molluscs found on the shore. The edible periwinkle is perhaps the best known species of... More 8 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Echinus esculentus (Edible sea urchin)
Edible sea urchin (Echinus esculentus)
The edible or common sea urchin has a large, rounded 'shell', which is actually an external skeleton, correctly called a 'test'... More 8 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Trivia monacha (European cowrie)
European cowrie (Trivia monacha)
The European or spotted cowrie is a marine mollusc that has an egg-shaped glossy shell featuring many transverse ridges with a long... More 7 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Atrina fragilis (Fan mussel)
Fan mussel (Atrina fragilis)
Growing to an impressive 48 cm in length, the fan mussel (Atrina fragilis) is one of the largest of the bivalve molluscs... More 10 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Littorina obtusata (Flat periwinkle)
Flat periwinkle (Littorina obtusata)
Periwinkles are a large family of gastropod molluscs found on the shore. The flat periwinkle is so-called because the spire of the... More 5 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Lepas anatifera (Goose barnacle)
Goose barnacle (Lepas anatifera)
Goose barnacles gave rise to one of the strangest of animal beliefs. The heart-shaped shell, or ‘capitulum’, is a chalky-white in... More 7 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Edwardsia ivelli (Ivell’s sea anemone)
Ivell’s sea anemone (Edwardsia ivelli)
A simple animal, the sea anemone is made up of a column with a mouth, used to take in food and expel waste, and several tentacles... More 1 Image 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Corynactis viridis (Jewel anemone)
Jewel anemone (Corynactis viridis)
The jewel anemone is so-called because of its spectacular colouration. Individuals may be bright green, orange, red, pink or white... More 10 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Hydrobia ulvae (Laver spire shell)
Laver spire shell (Hydrobia ulvae)
The laver spire snail, also known as the mudsnail, has a small, spiralling shell, which is brown to yellow in colour. The snail is... More 1 Image 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Arenicola marina (Lugworm)
Lugworm (Arenicola marina)
The presence of this lugworm can be detected by the characteristic signs of one of its U or J-shaped burrows; depressions are... More 7 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Corystes cassivelaunus (Masked crab)
Masked crab (Corystes cassivelaunus)
The masked crab (also known as the sand crab) has an elongated carapace, which is reddish brown to yellow in colour, and sometimes... More 4 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Ostrea edulis (Native oyster)
Native oyster (Ostrea edulis)
The native oyster is a bivalve mollusc, which means ‘two shells’, and is rough, scaly and yellowish-grey in colour. Each valve... More 3 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Scrobicularia plana (Peppery furrow shell)
Peppery furrow shell (Scrobicularia plana)
The peppery furrow shell is a bivalve mollusc with a thin, flattened, rounded shell. The outer surface of the shell may be white... More 4 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Eunicella verrucosa (Pink sea fan)
Pink sea fan (Eunicella verrucosa)
Pink sea fans are formed from a colony of tiny polyps; they may be a deep pink to white in colour, and attach to the substrate with... More 6 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Ensis ensis (Razor shell)
Razor shell (Ensis ensis)
This razor shell is a common, burrowing mollusc, which has an elongated fragile and narrow shell shaped like a cut-throat razor... More 3 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Talitrus saltator (Sand hopper)
Sand hopper (Talitrus saltator)
Sand-hoppers are so called because of their ability to leap when disturbed; they do so by tucking in the tail, and rapidly flicking... More 1 Image 1 Video
Thumbnail for Pleurobrachia pileus (Sea gooseberry)
Sea gooseberry (Pleurobrachia pileus)
Members of the phylum Ctenophora are known as sea-gooseberries or comb-jellies, and are startlingly beautiful marine invertebrates... More 4 Images 3 Videos
Thumbnail for Archidoris pseudoargus (Sea lemon)
Sea lemon (Archidoris pseudoargus)
The sea lemon, Archidoris pseudoargus (also known as Archidoris tuberculata in much of Europe) is a common sea slug... More 6 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Ligia oceanica (Sea slater)
Sea slater (Ligia oceanica)
The common sea slater is a sea-shore relative of woodlice that can grow up to 3 cm in length. It has a flattened, oval-shaped body... More 8 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Amphianthus dohrnii (Sea-fan anemone)
Sea-fan anemone (Amphianthus dohrnii)
This small anemone is pink, orange, red or buff-coloured with streaks of white, and has up to around 80 irregularly arranged small... More 4 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Nymphon gracile (Sea-spider)
Sea-spider (Nymphon gracile)
The sea-spiders, or pycogonids, are an unusual group of marine arthropods, which are completely unrelated to terrestrial spiders... More 2 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Botryllus schlosseri (Star ascidian)
Star ascidian (Botryllus schlosseri)
The star ascidian is a colonial sea-squirt. The individual members of the colony (known as zooids) are embedded in a jelly-like... More 5 Images 2 Videos
Thumbnail for Leptopsammia pruvoti (Sunset cup coral)
Sunset cup coral (Leptopsammia pruvoti)
The slow-growing and long-lived sunset cup coral has a porous skeleton about the size of a thimble. The polyps are similar in... More 6 Images 1 Video
Thumbnail for Funiculina quadrangularis (Tall sea pen)
Tall sea pen (Funiculina quadrangularis)
Sea pens are colonial organisms that belong to the same group as corals and sea anemones. Each animal comprises of a colony of... More 4 Images 0 Videos
Thumbnail for Necora puber (Velvet swimming crab)
Velvet swimming crab (Necora puber)
The fast-moving velvet swimming crab has a flattened carapace, which is wider than it is long. The upper surface is blue but has a... More 17 Images 2 Videos
Species 1 - 45 of 45