UK Seas
Discover the wonderful sea creatures that inhabit the UK seas and shores
UK seas is a guide to the fauna and flora found around UK coasts. While the majority of species are marine, some species are included that are regularly encountered on land by the coast, so you’ll find descriptions of non-marine species such as reptiles, amphibians, insects and plants as well.
Acorn barnacle
Semibalanus balanoides
Small, tough animals, usually seen closed up inside the plates of its shell-like "house", but appearing feathery when feeding in seawater.
Angel shark
Squatina squatina
An unusual-looking shark, with a flattened body and thick tail that was once sold as "monkfish".
Angular roughshark
Oxynotus centrina
The angular roughshark is aptly named for its pointed head and fins, and the rough teeth-like scales which cover its body. It has a broad, flattened head, a short, blunt nose and two tall dorsal fins, which look a little like sails. The angular roughshark eats worms, crustaceans and molluscs, which it feeds on by using a suction technique.
Arctic tern
Sterna paradisaea
Graceful, swallow-like seabird, with a bright red bill and black cap. It dives rapidly from the air to pluck small fish from near the surface.
Atlantic halibut
Hippoglossus hippoglossus
A flat fish, usually a dappled pale colour, with both eyes on the right side of its head.
Atlantic triggerfish
Balistes capriscus
A tropical-looking fish with scrawly grey markings, a beak-like mouth, and a dorsal fin that can be triggered into defensive action, giving its name.
Ballan wrasse
Labrus bergylta
A large, chunky fish with a big mouth, flattened sides to the body, in a variety of spots and colours. Can be very inquisitive, and investigate snorkellers from a respectful distance.
Barrel jellyfish
Rhizostoma octopus
A surprisingly substantial jelly, robust and spherical, with no tentacles but eight thick frilled arms. It is bulky and white with pretty purplish fringe.
Basking shark
Cetorhinus maximus
A gentle giant, that basks at the sea's surface while it feeds on plankton.
Bass
Dicentrarchus labrax
Long and agile hunters of small fish that prowl amongst the shallows.
Beadlet anemone
Actinia equina
The familiar red, sometimes green, "blob" found on the shore which opens to a tentacled flower rimmed in blue in moving water.
Bladder wrack
Fucus vesiculosus
A conspicuous olive green to brown weed, found on the middle of the shore as the tide goes out.
Bloody Henry
Henricia oculata and H. sanguinolenta
A vivid pink-purple colouration with bright orange tips to the arms.
Blue jellyfish
Cyanea lamarckii
Purplish blue lines radiate visibly through the bell-shaped body. Similar in shape to lion's mane, but much smaller, and with a relatively mild sting - though this can still be painful.
Blue shark
Prionace glauca
Beautifully proportioned, shiny silver-blue shark with a pointed snout.
Bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
A lively dolphin, with a distinctive "beak" and silvery-grey colour. Often seen in family groups.
Brent goose
Branta bernicla
A dark, mostly grey/brown goose with a distinctive white neck patch. Calls with a pleasant chattering sound.
Buoy barnacle
Dosima fascicularis
A floating barnacle, with legs that stick out from an almost-transparent body case, and a stalk attached to its own float.
Butchers broom
Ruscus aculeatus
An evergreen shrub, with stiff, dark green spiked shoots and leaves. It has glossy red berries in summer and autumn.
Butterfish
Pholis gunnellus
Eel-like, yellow-brown with black spots on its back. It has a doleful facial expression.
By the wind sailor
Velella velella
A bright blue float with thread-like tentacles belonging to a colony of jellyfish-like animals.
Carrageen
Chondrus crispus
Dark red, almost purple, with short fronds that quickly dry with an encrusting of salt when out of water. Plants growing high up the shore can be a pale green colour, like the one in the photograph.
Cirl bunting
Emberiza cirlus
This quiet bird resembles a yellowhammer - males are most conspicuous in the breeding season with chestnut wings and black-striped cheeks.
Cockle
Cerastoderma edule
The common cockle is compact and slow growing, but found in huge numbers in their favoured habitats.
Cod
Gadus morhua
The cod is a handsome, predatory fish that is speckled brown along its golden back, with one barbel on its chin..jpg)
Coley (or saithe)
Pollachius virens
Brownish, cod-like fish. A single pale line which runs straight along the side of its body is distinctive.
Common blenny or shanny
Lipophrys pholis
A perky fish, mostly green or brown, with variable patches of other colours. Able to change its colour to coordinate with its surroundings. It has eyes near top of its head.
Common brittlestar
Ophiothrix fragilis
Brittlestars have five very thin arms, which break easily if handled. At each arm joint there are also small spines, giving it a decidedly spiky look.
Common dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Distinctive hourglass pattern of cream, with light and dark grey. Medium-sized dolphin, and really acrobatic - it will often "bow-ride" in front of a moving boat.
Common hermit crab
Pagurus bernhardus
The most obvious feature is the home a hermit crab lives in: usually a snail shell. Its body is soft and shaped to fit inside spiral-shaped shells.
Common limpet
Patella vulgata
A ribbed, cone-shaped shell stuck to rocks and boulders is usually all you will see; the animal inside is a snail-like mollusc with a powerful "foot" to keep it clamped to the rock.
Common lizard
Zootoca vivipara
A small, busy lizard, brown with narrow stripes, usually well camouflaged in sandy and leafy backgrounds.
Common lobster
Homarus gammarus
Beautiful blue (never pink!), with long red antennae and pale yellow markings.
Common octopus
Octopus vulgaris
Usually brownish in colour, with two rows of suckers lining each of its eight "arms".
Common prawn
Palaemon serratus
It has an almost transparent body, with black stripes. Its legs are banded blue, yellow and black, colouring that is more visible on bigger specimens.
Common scoter
Melanitta nigra
A small, dark seaduck that bobs around in the sea, and is often found in large flocks. It eats molluscs.
Common seal
Phoca vitulina
The Common seal has finely spotted grey/brown fur, a rounded head with no visible ears, and 'V' shaped nostrils help tell it apart from the grey seal. It Seems clumsy on land, but graceful under water.
Common shore crab
Carcinus maenas
The Common shore crab is predominantly green, but varies through yellow, brown and black.
Common skate
Raja batis
A very big flat-fish, with a pointed snout, and brown body with pale spots.
Common squid
Loligo vulgaris
The Common squid has a long pale body with a frilly fringe, large eye and long tentacles.
Common starfish
Asterias rubens
The familiar five-armed shape, and usually orange colour are unmistakeable.
Common sunstar
Crossaster papposus
Striking orange or red, with pale stripes and a bulky appearance.
Common whelk
Buccinum undatum
Very large shell, usually white. Its body is also pale, but flecked with dark colours. Also called "buckie".
Common whelk egg cases
Buccinum undatum
The puffy balls of white eggcases come from the common whelk which are laid on the seabed by these large sea snails.
Compass jellyfish
Chrysaora hysoscella
Colour variable, but usually has pale umbrella-shaped bell with brown V-shaped markings, a little like the divisions on a compass. Possibly the most typical-looking jellyfish, with round bell-shaped body and long tentacles. Also called "sea nettle", this jellyfish stings.
Conger eel
Conger conger
A very large eel, slate grey with a menacing appearance, but usually harmless unless on an angler's hook.
Corkwing wrasse
Crenilabrus melops
This small wrasse has stripy cheeks, a dark smudge behind the eyes and a distinguishing spot on the tail. Wrasse are chequered brown but breeding males are flecked with electric blue and red spots.
Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
Large, long necked - usually with a white throat and iridescent black plumage elsewhere. It appears black from a distance, with its snake-like neck and it is often seen amongst the waves, before diving to catch fish.
Crystal jelly
Aequorea forskalea
A shimmering disc of clear jelly, fringed with some short, hair-like fronds.
Cuckoo wrasse
Labrus mixtus
The male is a beautiful array of colours: blue, orange, yellow and black, one of the brightest fishes in UK seas. Females are a golden colour, with black markings.
Curlew
Numenius arquata
Surprisingly large wader, with a long downturned bill, long legs and dappled brown body.
Cushion star
Asterina gibbosa
Cushion stars are similar to other starfish but have shorter, stubbier arms.
Cuttlefish
Sepia officinalis
Large eye, striped body shaped by the central "bone" and ten tentacles (the two longest ones are usually hidden).
Cuttlefish bone
Sepia officinalis
This chalky white "bone" comes from an amazing squid-like mollusc which has large eyes, eight arms (plus two feeding tentacles) and a body that can change chameleon-like in colour and texture.
Dahlia anemone
Urticina felina
A stunning, substantial anemone with bulbed tentacles of concentric reds, whites and other colours - but it is usually hidden amongst sand and gravel when the tide is out.
Dulse
Palmaria palmata
A red seaweed, with flat, straight fronds that branch out 20-30cm or more. It is often found bunched together, as its spores ("seeds") do not travel far from the parent.
Dunlin
Calidris alpine
Hunched shoulders and slightly down-curved bill, along with white tail patches, which help to identify it, but actually rather similar to a number of other small waders in winter.
Edible crab
Cancer pagurus
Pinky brown body with a pie-crust edge and chunky black claws. It is the familiar "brown crab" on the fishmongers slab.
Edible periwinkle
Littorina littorea
Tough, round shell usually dark brown, black or grey.
Edible urchin
Echinus esculentus
A large sea urchin, usually orange-pink in colour and covered in pale prickles. It lives beneath the waves, grazing on rocks and seaweed, but its test (shell) is a familiar sight in trinket shops.
Egg wrack
Ascophyllum nodosum
An olive brown necklace of egg-like beads. The "eggs" are capsules of air (to help the weed float towards sunlight when the tide is in) or filled with a gooey liquid containing reproductive spores.
Eider
Somateria mollissima
The eider is a large seaduck. The males are very dapper as if in bright evening wear, and the female is a little dowdy in mottled brown, more practical for camouflage when sitting on eggs. Sociable and quite noisy together.
European cowrie
Trivia monacha
Distinctive shaped shell, with striped ridges. It is tiny, but as colourful as its larger tropical relatives.
Fan shell
Atrina fragilis
An enormous shell, over a foot in length, which lives with the narrow end of its shell submerged in the seabed so that only the shell opening is visible.
Frilled Shark
Chlamydoselachus anguineus
Frilled sharks look really different to most of the sharks we are familiar with, and their long, snake-like appearance is thought to have inspired tales of huge sea serpents. It has a large blunt head and a very large mouth armed with lots of rows of sharp teeth. The shark uses these teeth to catch fish, squid and smaller sharks. Behind the head are 6 pairs of "frilly" gill slits, with the first pair going all the way around the neck to meet underneath. These gill slits have the appearance of ruffles or frills around its neck, and give the animal its name.
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialis
Stocky, gull-like, with grey wings and a white body. It has a distinctive bill, with large "nostrils". The Fulmar barely beats its wings as it flies low over the sea, picking floating food from the surface. It defends its nest by spitting a foul-smelling oil at any intruder!
Gannet
Morus bassanus
Magnificent, athletic seabirds, mostly white with pale orange head, steely blue bill and black wing tips. Young birds are mostly brown.
Goose barnacle
Lepas anatifera
An unusual-looking animal, enclosed by bony plates which open up to allow it to sway its legs out to catch food!
Gorse
Ulex europaeus
A resilient shrub that holds its yellow flowers for months on end, even through winter. Pretty, but very thorny, and can take over large areas if left unchecked.
Great crested newt
Triturus cristatus
A breeding male is stunning, almost dragon-like, with a jagged crest and bright orange and black belly. Otherwise a dark brown yet still-impressive creature.
Great scallop
Pecten maximus
An animal with two familiar-shaped hinged shells, with one shell much flatter than the other. Also called king scallop.
Great skua
Stercorarius skua
Bulky, brown pirate of northern seas, with a broad chest and powerful flight.
Grey heron
Ardea cinerea
A tall, long-legged fish-eating bird, that stands motionless for long periods, before darting with its sharp bill for fish prey.
Grey mullet (thick lipped)
Chelon labrosus
A sleek, silvery fish with a torpedo shape. Fast swimming, but may shelter amongst pier leg.
Grey seal
Halichoerus grypus
Distinctly dog-like face, with a roman nose, visible ears and mottled grey in colour. It is bulkier than the common seal.
Grey topshell
Gibbula cinerarea
A thick-shelled snail, mostly mottled grey and brown, but often with a pearly looking surface towards the apex of the shell in older specimens.
Guillemot
Uria aalge
Penguin-like. It has a very dark brown back and wings, with white underparts and a sharp bill.
Gulper shark
Centrophorus granulosus
A long slender, light greyish-brown dogfish with a long snout and large, green eyes. Both dorsal fins have long grooved spines. There are no obvious patterns or markings on adults, juveniles may be lighter and have dusky white tips on the dorsal and caudal (tail) fins.Haddock
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
With three dorsal fins, haddock are typically cod-like. Their dark grey back fades to cream on the belly. There is a distinct black spot above and behind the pectoral fin known as the "thumb print".
Harbour porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
Small but relatively common, regularly seen around the UK, often close inshore. Dark grey, almost black upper body, and pale below. It has a blunt head shape.
Herring
Clupea harengus
Small fish with silver sides and belly. Upper sections can have a blue-green tinge. Dark head, gills and its scales are quite large and easily detached from the body.
Herring gull
Larus argentatus
A common coastal gull, with grey wings. It has a distinctive red spot on its yellow bill, and has pink legs.
Honeycomb worm
Sabellaria alveolata
Honeycomb-like homes made by these worms on the shore give it its name. The worms themselves are discreetly tucked away inside!
Hornwrack
Flustra foliacea
Looks like a dried seaweed, but actually a colony of hundreds of tiny animals called bryozoans, or "moss animals".
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Enormous size, knobbly head, ling fins, with a subtle but distinctive hump near the dorsal fin.
Isle of Man cabbage
Coincya monensis subsp. monensis
A tall and narrow plant, with a yellow flower that looks rather like a wild mustard and other brassicas.
Jewel anemone
Corynactis viridis
Pretty, vibrantly coloured, with translucent tentacles. Found in a range of greens, pinks, purples, yellows and browns.
John dory
Zeus faber
Face on, John dory looks like a narrow apparition. From the side, however, its craggy features, spiky fins and a big black spot on its side are unmistakable.
Kelp holdfasts
Laminaria species
Curious oddments that can look like skeletal sections, but each is simply the holdfast, or "roots" of large seaweeds known as kelp.
Keyhole limpet
Diodora graeca
The animal's shell is very limpet like, ridged and with a slotted hole at the apex of the shell.King scallop
Pecten maximus
The king scallop has a large, fan-shaped pair of pale shells, rather like the familiar petroleum company's logo.Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
A treat of a bird to see, in azure blue and flaming orange. Usually zips around quickly and low over water, but you may be lucky to see one perched on a branch or post.
Laver
Porphyra umbilicalis
Rather flat and decidedly purplish in colour, this forms a slippery sheet on rocks when exposed to air by the tide.
Leatherback turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
Enormous, unmistakeable turtle, dark in colour, and described as resembling a floating leather sofa!
Lesser octopus
Eledone cirrhosa
A marbled-orange colour, and just one row of suckers on each arm.
Lesser sea-spurrey
Spergularia marina
A low growing plant, with fleshy succulent leaves, which flowers all summer long, still going strong in september.Lesser spotted dogfish (or Small-spotted catshark)
Scyliorhinus canicula
Sleek and slender with large, black eyes and many small spots. It eats worms and small fish.
Lichen
Lichina pygmaea
The sooty black appearance above the high tide mark can look a little like oil: in fact, it's a slow-growing lichen that does well in low-pollution areas.Lions mane jellyfish
Cyanea capillata
Large, reddish brown, umbrella-shaped bell with a mass of long, thin hair-like tentacles. A striking animal, beautiful but dangerous, with a potentially severe sting.
Little cuttle
Sepiola atlantica
A mini version of the cuttlefish. It grows no more than a few centimetres long, and buries itself in sand.
Little egret
Egretta garzetta
A white heron-like bird, with black bill and legs and yellow feet.
Long-spined Sea scorpion
Taurulus bubalis
Tough customer with spines, and an amazing array of skin colour variations to suit its habitat.
Lumpsucker
Cyclopterus lumpus
Male is striking blue and pink, plain brown females are much larger.
Mackerel
Scomber scombrus
Mackerel have streamlined bodies with two well separated dorsal fins, they are bright blue-green and they have stripy upper bodies.
Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
A little like a "great white" in shape, with large eyes and prominent teeth. A predator of fish and other sharks, but an undeservedly fierce reputation.
Manx shearwater
Puffinus puffinus
A slender bird, dark black/brown above and pale below. May follow hunting dolphin pods, picking up fish flushed to the surface.
Mauve stinger
Pelagia noctiluca
A small, attractively marked jelly, but possesses a surprisingly powerful sting. Has a deep bell with pink or mauve warts.
Minke
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
The long back is often raised above the water's surface, while distinctive markings on the lower body are difficult to see.
Moon jellyfish
Aurelia aurita
Transparent, umbrella-shaped bell edged with short hair-like tentacles, and four rings towards centre. Mostly harmless, though may sting sensitive skin. Very common, can bloom in large numbers when our chilly seas begin to warm up, or cool down.
Mussel
Mytilus edulis
Very familiar two-shelled mollusc, dark blue to black in colour. Often found attached to rocks on the shore, tending to grow bigger below the tideline.
Native oyster
Ostrea edulis
Shells rather scaly in appearance, chalky in colour. The two "halves" of the shells are quite different in shape.
Natterjack toad
Epidalea calamita
A plain, greenish toad, except for a bright yellow stripe all the way down its back. Very cute - for a toad!
Northern bottlenose whale
Hyperoodon ampullatus
Prominent beak and high forehead, occasionally seen breaching (leaping) out of the water.
Northern stone crab
Lithoides maia
A very big crab, with spidery legs that stretch to two feet across, and a prickly carapace (shell). Usually red in colour.Nursehound
Scyliorhinus stellaris
The nursehound, also known as the large-spotted dogfish, greater spotted dogfish, or bull huss, is a species of catshark. It has a robust body with a broad, rounded head and two dorsal fins placed far back. It has small black dots covering its back and sides, interspersed with brown spots of varying shapes. The underside is plain white.
Orca
Orcinus orca
Mostly black, with white markings when seen from surface - mostly white below. Adult male has a very tall dorsal fin.
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
A fish-catching bird of prey, with long-wings, appearing white from below but with much black and brown patterning when seen up close.
Oyster plant
Mertensia maritima
An attractive plant, with fleshy, succulent leaves and bell-shaped flowers that are usually purple or blue.Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
Unmistakable, almost as recognisable as a puffin or magpie, with a bright red sausage of a bill, and black and white plumage.
Painted topshell
Calliostoma zizyphinum
A tall shell with stripes of purple and white, in a striking conical shape.
Pilot whale
Globicephala melas
The long-finned pilot whale is dark in colour, long bodied but with a blunt, bulbous head shape.
Pink sea fan
Eunicella verrucosa
Pink sea fans are formed from a colony of tiny anemone-like polyps and may be deep pink to white in colour.
Plumose anemone
Metridium senile
Ivory-white, tall anemone with feathery tentacles when underwater - but a contracted, floppy blob if exposed by the tide.
Porbeagle
Lamna nasus
Rather a great-white lookalike! A patch of white beneath its large dorsal fin helps with identification.
Puffin
Fratercula arctica
So amusing and entertaining, a small bird with a large, brightly coloured bill and squat black and white body.
Purple sandpiper
Calidris maritima
A rather drab, and decidedly purplish, small bird. This is the small, shy wader you are more likely to find behind you at the base of rocky cliffs, rather than amongst all the other waders at the shoreline of a sandy beach.
Razor shell
Ensis ensis
Lives buried in sand. Its two long shells look like a cutthroat razor, and they can be quite sharp.
Razorbill
Alca torda
Rather penguin-like, strikingly monochrome, and with a distinctive dagger-like beak.
Red rags
Dilsea Carnosa
Similar to dulse, but with more numerous, smaller spoon-shaped fronds that can look torn and ragged.
Redshank
Tringa totanus
Well named, as the red legs are clear from a distance, even if knee deep in mud!
Ringed plover
Charadrius hiaticula
A lovely small wading bird, with a striking black and white head. It has brown wings, and a white body.
Rissos dolphin
Grampus griseus
This is a big, rather slow-swimming dolphin. The adults are usually heavily scarred. They have a pale body, and a rounded head.
Rosy starfish
Stichastrella rosea
A starfish with five tapering arms, and a pink-orange colour. Its skin is covered in smooth bumps.
Sand lizard
Lacerta agilis
Boldly patterned with spots, usually brown and cream. Males are often bright green in early summer.
Sand mason
Lanice conchilega
Thin, pale tentacles which can be see when this worm is feeding, but you will see just its narrow, fragile-looking tubes sticking out of the sand at low tide.
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Grey above, pale below - can be tricky to separate from other small waders, but a black mark on its "shoulder" helps identify it. It patters quickly along the sand and it has a short beak for catching tiny prey.
Sea beech
Delesseria sanguinea
A red seaweed with flattened fronds that usually grows on rocky seabeds, but is also very commonly attached to other, larger seaweeds such as kelp.
Sea grapes
Just occasionally jet-black, rubbery grapes, in bunches, may be encountered amongst the tideline. The cuttlefish is again involved: these are their eggs, laid amongst seagrasses and seaweeds but dislodged by storms or predators. They can sometimes be found stuck to washed-up weeds.
Sea lemon
Archidoris pseudoargus
A large seaslug, usually yellow or orange, covered in small warty bumps. Lays a bright ribbon of eggs in the spring.
Sea lettuce
Ulva lactuca
Has a cheery bright green, leaf-like form that looks a little like it could grow into a cos lettuce!
Sea mouse
Aphrodite aculeata
A strange looking animal that has a felt-like skin on its back, and brushy bristles on its side.
Sea potato
Echinocardium cordatum
A type of sea urchin, with a fragile test (shell) normally buried beneath the sandy or muddy seabed.
Sea slug
Although they sound unprepossessing, most are bright, exquisitely beautiful, and quite unlike their garden relatives.
Sea trout
Salmo trutta morpha trutta
A striking trout, with a strong thick tail, and black or brown spots along its shiny flanks.
Shelduck
Tadorna tadorna
A large and handsome duck, mostly white with bright red nobbed bill. It has a green head and a chestnut breastband.
Shore clingfish also called Cornish sucker
Lepadogaster lepadogaster
Appealing fish, with two beautiful blue spots behind each eye.
Shore lark
Eremophila alpestris
A rare visitor from Scandinavia that forages amongst sand and shingle. Sparrow sized, with a black and yellow face.Short-spined sea scorpion
Myoxocephalus scorpius
A dweller of rockpools with large eyes, spiny gill covers, and dappled, camouflaged colours which it can change chameleon-like. Resembles a mini "angler fish".
Slipper limpet
Crepidula fornicata
Smooth, oval shaped shell, with a distinctive "shelf" halfway across the opening.
Smooth snake
Coronella austriaca
A slender, mottled grey/brown snake. The top of the head is darker than the rest of the body.
Snakelocks anemone
Anemonia viridis
A mass of bright green tentacles with purple tips, which are permanently exposed.
Snow bunting
Plectrophenax nivalis
A really beautiful little bird, mostly white but with some splashes of chestnut and black. It tends to stand out against dark cliffs and foliage.Sperm whale
Physeter catodon
A huge head with toothed mouth often agape, and crinkly skin.
Spiny dogfish
Squalus acanthias
The spiny dogfish gets its name from the two large ungrooved spines on each dorsal fin, which have venom glands at their base and are used primarily for defence. Female spiny dogfish mature at 12 years old, while males mature at 6 years old. Gestation is thought to be between 18 and 22 months, one of the longest recorded pregnancies for any vertebrate. Spiny dogfish give birth to a litter of live 'pups' numbering between 1 and 20, and measuring between 18 and 30cm.
Spiny seahorse
Hippocampus guttulatus
A cute, unmistakable fish. Yellow to green in colour, with prominent soft spines.
Spiny spider crab
Maia squinado
A knobbly, large but slender crab with long jointed legs. It is often covered with sponges and seaweed and so is difficult to spot.
Spiny squat lobster
Galathea strigosa
Looking a little like a mini-lobster or crab, with red and blue stripes, and long, narrow claws.
Spiny starfish
Marthasterias glacialis
One of the biggest of our starfish, it is ivory-white with large blunt spines.
Storm petrel
Hydrobates pelagicus
Small bird, hardly bigger than a sparrow, almost black in colour, with a prominent white rump. It looks rather like a house martin in both colouration and size.
Strawberry anemone
Actinia fragacea
Very similar to the beadlet anemone, with pale greenish spots, but often much larger.
Striped sea snail
Liparis liparis
Small, slimy fish with small eyes, a smooth head and a tapered body - surprisingly cute!
Thresher shark
Alopias vulpinus
An unremarkable looking shark - except for its enormously extended top part of the tail!
Tompot blenny
Parablennius gattorugine
Appealing fish, with definite "eyebrows" above each eye and an endearing facial expression.
Toothed wrack
Fucus serratus
An olive-brown seaweed with flattened fronds, that have serrated edges all over.
Tope shark
Galeorhinus galeus
A steel grey shark with pointed nose and a large dorsal fin, which feeds on fish and crustaceans near the seabed.
Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Stocky, shortlegged character that turns over seaweeds, other debris, and sometimes stones, looking for small crustacean and insect food. They need to turn a lot to get food through the winter!
Velvet swimming crab
Necora puber
A blue and black crab, with ultra-vivid red eyes and a serious attitude that earns its nickname of "devil crab".
Viviparous blenny
Zoarces viviparous
Brown, sometimes yellowish, with variable darker patterns. Eel-like, also called eelpout.
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
A pretty bird, blue-grey or brown above with black wings and cheeks, orangey breast, and a characteristic white rump and underbelly.
White beaked dolphin
Lagenorhynchus albirostris
A large, attractive character, may bow-ride with ships and lift entirely out of the water when swimming at speed. White-tipped beak, softly marked white and grey sides.
White rock rose
Helianthemum apenninum
Delicate white-petalled flowers show at the top of slender stems. Rather fragile looking.