Archive of: Marine
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22 January 2021
What can be found on the strandline #5 Eggs
Mermaid’s purses are not the only egg cases that can be found in the strandline. Common whelk (Buccinum undatum) egg cases are also a fairly common sight. They are a mass of small spongy balls that could indeed be confused for sponges. In the past, sailors did actually use them as wash balls! The first whelks to hatch are cannibalistic and will eat their still developing siblings to give themselves a burst of energy to help them survive in the open ocean.
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21 January 2021
What can be found on the strandline #4 Shells
While beach combing in the strandline, you will likely come across a number of shells from different species of molluscs. These shells are most often empty as the animal inside has died and likely been eaten. We explore the most frequently seen shells on Sussex beaches.
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20 January 2021
What can be found on the strandline #3 Crab shells
If you find a crab shell in the strandline, it is likely not a dead crab but actually a moulted crab shell. Over their lifetime, crabs moult (or shed) their shell many times as they grow.
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19 January 2021
What can be found on the strandline #2 Mermaid's Purses
Mermaid’s purses are a common sight on Sussex beaches. These little pouches are actually the egg cases of sharks, skates and rays.
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18 January 2021
What can be found on the strandline #1 Cuttlebones
Cuttlebones are a common strandline find in Sussex.
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03 January 2021
11 Pipers Piping (well, Pipefish)
Pipefish facts
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21 December 2020
Living Seas marine recording round-up
We have finally reached the end of 2020, and what a year it has been for all the wrong reasons. But we were lucky enough to get out and about on the shore a few times over the summer to create some videos for National Marine Week
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17 December 2020
Merry Marine Christmas
Ella Garrud, Living Seas Officer, shares some facts about festive marine wildlife
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29 November 2020
All washed up
As the winter weather arrives, we often get stormy and turbulent seas, resulting in all sorts of things washed up on our beaches.
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16 November 2020
The ocean is good for mental health
Ella Garrud has always known that the ocean is good for her mental health, simply because she always feel better when she’s there. But is there actual research that shows the ocean is beneficial for people’s mental health?
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26 October 2020
Aquatic Creepy Critters
The oceans are full of strange and scary looking beasts, but there are some creatures which are ready to celebrate Halloween all year round!
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22 October 2020
Wild Beach Training
Wild Beach is based on a fundamental respect for children and young people and for their capacity to instigate, test and maintain curiosity in the world around them. Ella Garrud tells us about Wild Beach training on Holywell Beach in Eastbourne