Seals

Two species of seal live in Sussex waters, Harbour and Grey Seals. They feed on fish, squid, whelks, crabs and mussels and can stay underwater hunting for up to 30 minutes. When not at sea fishing, seals can be found lying on beaches resting. They often hold their bodies in a banana position, with their head and tail in the air. In Chichester Harbour, there is a small breeding group of Harbour Seals – these groups are called rookeries.

Kelp

Kelp are seaweeds that create underwater forests. Fish, crabs, lobsters, cuttlefish and seals all make their home in kelp forests. Kelp provides them with food and shelter and is a nursery for young animals. In Sussex, kelp forests once spread along the coastline from Selsey to Shoreham-By-Sea. There are now efforts to bring back the lost kelp forests of Sussex, and you can help us by recording when you see kelp on the beach or in the sea.

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are highly intelligent animals related to octopus and squid. They are experts in camouflage and can quickly change the colour and texture of their skin to blend in with their environment, helping to disguise them from predators. They can also squirt clouds of ink to distract predators, allowing them to make a quick getaway.

Their internal shells, known as cuttlebones, often wash up on the beach. These white chalky ‘bones’ help cuttlefish float in the water. You may also find their black bunches of eggs on the beach – if you do, put them back in the ocean so the young cuttlefish have the best chance of survival.

SHARKS, SKATES & RAYS

Sussex is home to a variety of species of sharks, skates, and rays. Unlike bony fish, these animals have skeletons made of cartilage, which makes them lighter and more flexible, allowing them to move quickly through the water. Common species found here are Small-spotted Catshark, Nursehound, Thornback Ray, and Undulate Ray.

Many sharks and skates found in Sussex lay eggcases, known as mermaid’s purses. Once hatched, they wash up on the beach where they can be found, identified, and recorded as part of the Shark Trust Great Eggcase Hunt. By recording your finds, you’re helping us to discover more about egg-laying sharks and skates in our waters.

ROCKPOOLS

Rockpool life is life at the extreme. Animals that make rockpools their homes have to deal with changes in temperature, water levels and the amount of salt in their environment, as the tide moves in and out of their pool. Rockpools in Sussex are mostly made from chalk and are found in many different places up and down the coast, so there’s lots to explore!

It’s important to go rockpooling on a low tide and to watch your step, but if you do, you could find crabs, small fish called gobies, anemones, seaweeds, limpets, barnacles, seasnails and much more!

Find out more about rockpooling by downloading our 'Go Explore guide' and looking at pages 10 to 11.

SEAHORSES

Short-snouted and Long-snouted Seahorses live in Sussex seas. Seahorses don’t have scales, instead, they have skin stretched over bony plates, which makes it look like they have an external skeleton (exoskeleton).

They live in shallow waters, often in seagrass beds, and are ambush predators, feeding on small shrimp. Seahorses don’t have teeth or a stomach – they catch their prey by sucking it in through their snout where it’s swallowed whole and immediately passed through their digestive system. They must eat a large amount every day to stay alive – an adult seahorse will eat 30-50 shrimp a day, which is a lot considering their small size.

CHALK REEFS

The incredible chalk we have in Sussex isn’t only on the cliffs, but under the sea too! We have some of the largest areas of underwater chalk in the UK, known as chalk reefs. The chalk is made up of billions of tiny plankton fossils called coccolithophores formed millions of years ago.

Chalk is a delicate and precious habitat with many cracks, crevices and holes, perfect for animals such as crabs, anemones, and mussels to live inside. Animals called Ross Worms build tubes on the chalk. When there are many of these little tube-building worms, they create structures which provide a place for other species to make their homes too!

SHINGLE BEACHES

The pebbly beaches found almost the whole way along the Sussex coastline, known as shingle beaches, are globally rare. However, 1/5th of all shingle beaches in England are found in Sussex. Shingle is a very difficult environment for plants and animals to live in; there is little soil, very little fresh water, and the loose pebbles are constantly moved around. Certain specialised plants have adapted to survive these harsh conditions. Plants such as Sea Kale have thick fleshy leaves to retain as much water as possible, and a plant called Stonecrop has long, roots which help to hold the plant into the loose shingle.

MARINE CONSERVATION ZONES

Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) are a network of areas in the ocean which are protected from some damaging activities, such as restrictions on the types of fishing methods allowed. There are 91 MCZs in English waters and in Sussex we are lucky enough to have nine, plus one area that is known as a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA).

Each area protects a range of nationally important, rare, or threatened habitats and species. For example, Short-snouted Seahorses are a protected feature of Beachy Head West MCZ.

1 Pagham Harbour
A very rare snail called the DeFolin’s lagoon snail is found here – one of the only places in the UK where it can be found!

2 Kingmere
Fish called black sea bream make their nests by moving pebbles around on the sea floor.

3 Beachy Head West
All kinds of marine life live here. Long and short-snouted seahorses come in the summer to breed. The surface of the chalk reef has got lots of holes, made by piddocks and worms.

4 Utopia
This site is named after a kind of shark called tope. It’s thought they come here to have their pups.

5 Offshore Overfalls
Lots of sharks, rays and skates are found here. There are also reefs made from ross worms, which shelter lots of smaller animals. Marine Conservation Zones are a network of areas in the ocean which are protected from damaging activities.

6 Offshore Brighton
In the deeper waters of the English Channel, the gravel seabed is less disturbed by wind and waves which means more species can live here. The gravel and rocky reefs provide rich hunting for skates, rays and other fish.

7 Selsey Bill and The Hounds
This site is made up of lots of unusual formations of limestone and clay. The ledges and holes here give homes to many creatures including short-snouted seahorses, tompot blennies, lobsters and crabs.

8 Beachy Head East
This area has wildlife-rich chalk and sandstone reefs. Soft corals live here together with tube worms. Lots of fish such as short-snouted seahorses, cuckoo wrasse, bib and poor cod make Beachy Head East their home.

9 Inner Bank
The rocky habitat found here gives a home to lots of animal life, such as lobsters.

10 Dolphin Head
Dolphin Head is an area that attracts lots of marine life such as Ross Worms, seabirds and marine mammals including Risso’s Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise. This area, designated in 2023, will have higher protections from damaging activities than other MCZs.

DOLPHINS

We are very lucky to get dolphins in Sussex. Bottlenose Dolphins are the most commonly seen species, but we can also see Common Dolphins, White-beaked Dolphins, and Harbour Porpoises. Dolphins are marine mammals, closely related to whales (dolphins are in fact toothed whales!). They are highly intelligent and sociable animals, living in groups called pods.

Dolphins are usually seen further out to sea but can sometimes be spotted from land, so keep your eyes peeled when you’re at the beach! If you do see any dolphins, report your sighting to the Sussex Dolphin Project. Data goes towards researching our local pod of Bottlenose Dolphins, made up of around 40 individuals.