Rocky shores, UK invertebrates - marine
-
Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides)
Barnacles are well-known intertidal organisms. They were not firmly accepted to be crustaceans until…
-
Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina)
The beadlet anemone is the most familiar sea anemone in Britain. When disturbed or exposed to air at…
-
Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
Like all brittlestars, the common brittlestar has five long, slender arms, which radiate out from a…
-
Common limpet (Patella vulgata)
The common limpet is a well-known seashore species . It has a conical shell, the outer surface of…
-
Common lobster (Homarus gammarus)
The common lobster (Homarus gammarus) is a very large and commercially important species . The upper…
-
Common mussel (Mytilus edulis)
The common mussel has a roughly triangular shell, which is bluish, purplish or brown in colour and…
-
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
The cephalopods (meaning ‘head-footed) are a group of molluscs that contain the octopuses, squid and…
-
Common prawn (Palaemon serratus)
The common prawn is a well-known swimming crustacean, which is pinkish-brown in colour and features…
-
Common shore crab (Carcinus maenas)
As its name suggests, the common shore crab is one of the commonest crabs on the British shore, and…
-
Common shrimp (Crangon crangon)
The common shrimp (Crangon crangon), also known as the brown shrimp, is cryptically coloured ; it is…
-
Curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa)
The cephalopods (meaning 'head-footed'), a group of molluscs that contain the octopuses, squid and…
-
Dead man’s fingers (Alcyonium digitatum)
Dead man’s fingers is a colonial soft coral that forms thick, fleshy and irregular masses, which…
-
Edible crab (Cancer pagurus)
The common and familiar edible crab is easily identified by its large black-tipped toothed pincers…
-
Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea)
Periwinkles are a large family of gastropod molluscs found on the shore. The edible periwinkle is…
-
Edible sea urchin (Echinus esculentus)
The edible or common sea urchin (Echinus esculentus) has a large, rounded 'shell', which is actually…
-
European cowrie (Trivia monacha)
The European or spotted cowrie is a marine mollusc that has an egg-shaped glossy shell featuring…
-
Flat periwinkle (Littorina obtusata)
Periwinkles are a large family of gastropod molluscs found on the shore. The flat periwinkle is…
-
Goose barnacle (Lepas anatifera)
Goose barnacles gave rise to one of the strangest of animal beliefs. The heart-shaped shell, or…
-
Jewel anemone (Corynactis viridis)
The jewel anemone (Corynactis viridis) is so-called because of its spectacular colouration…
-
Native oyster (Ostrea edulis)
The native oyster is a bivalve mollusc, which means ‘two shells’, and is rough, scaly and…
More about the Native oyster »
0 videos
-
Pink sea fan (Eunicella verrucosa)
Pink sea fans (Eunicella verrucosa) are formed from a colony of tiny polyps; they may be a deep pink…
-
Sea lemon (Archidoris pseudoargus)
The sea lemon, Archidoris pseudoargus (also known as Archidoris tuberculata in much of Europe) is a…
-
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…
0 videos
-
Sea-fan anemone (Amphianthus dohrnii)
This small anemone is pink, orange, red or buff-coloured with streaks of white , and has up to…
More about the Sea-fan anemone »
0 videos
-
Sea-spider (Nymphon gracile)
The sea-spiders, or pycogonids, are an unusual group of marine arthropods, which are completely…
-
Velvet swimming crab (Necora puber)
The fast-moving velvet swimming crab has a flattened carapace, which is wider than it is long . The…