NORTH DEVON COASTAL CREATURES www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk 1 NAME: TOTAL SCORE: Enjoy using this Coastal Creatures spotter guide as it will lead you to some of the best wildlife found along the coast. Collect CONTENTS: points as you spot each species, land form or element of coastal life, they are graded on their difficulty, then add them up to see how many you get by the end of your visit to the North Devon Coast AONB. How many can you spot? 01 10 15 18 25 32 The North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a stunning coastal area which is nationally protected for the beauty of its landscape. It covers 171 km2 of the coastal landscape including special places such as Combe Martin, Lee Bay, Woolacombe, Croyde, Saunton, Braunton Burrows, Westward Ho! and the Hartland Peninsula. Learn 40 45 55 more on our website: www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk Coastal Creatures was a coastal education project by the North Devon Coast AONB funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Copyright North Devon Coast AONB 2018 Share your score by contacting us on Facebook or Twitter @ExploreTheCoast 2 North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk 3 1. ROCKY SHORE 2. GREEN SHORE CRAB (Carcinus maenas) The rocky shore is one of the most extreme gradients of This is one of the most common crab environmental change. Covered species and is usually found under twice a day by the sea, the jewel rocks and in rock pools. They can grow encrusting species that live here up to 8cm across the carapace (shell) are a hardy bunch! Good places with five distinctive points from the for rockpooling are Westward edge of its back to the eye. They can POINTS: 10 Ho!, Lee Bay, Croyde and give a ‘good’ nip so hold the crab either Combe Martin. side of the carapace! This section was researched and written by the rockpooling club from 3. EDIBLE CRAB Combe Martin Primary School. (Cancer pagurus) Often found under rocks or in crevices from the middle to lower shore. This crab has a distinctive orange-brown pasty shaped carapace with large black tipped pincers. The carapace can grow to 25cm. Larger adults can crush open POINTS: 10 mussel shells so, fingers don’t stand a chance. Be careful! 4. VELVET SWIMMING CRAB (Necora puber) These crabs are typically found further down the beach towards the low water mark under rocks in pools. They have bright red eyes and flattened back legs which are used as paddles for swimming. These crabs are fast moving POINTS: 20 predators and tend to pinch if you try to pick them up. Be careful and use a net! 4 North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk 5 5. MONTAGU’S CRAB 8. COMMON PRAWN (Xantho hydrophilus) (Palaemon serratus) Found mainly from the middle to lower Often found in groups under rocks in shore under rocks in pools. Although pools across the rocky shore. The body the carapace is not usually larger than is almost transparent with numerous red 7cm across, these crabs have large lines across it. The easiest way to identify powerful pincers commonly with black them is to look at the legs for yellow tips and a brown carapace. bands around the joints. They are curious, POINTS: 15 POINTS: 15 so if you keep your hand still near them, they often come to investigate. 6. RISSO’S CRAB 9. BARNACLE (Xantho pilipes) (Various species) Often mistaken as a Montagu’s crab. Barnacles are tiny and found in huge The easiest way to tell them apart is the numbers across the rocky shore but fringing hair on the Risso’s crab’s legs. mainly at the upper shore. They feed They are also often a lighter colour with by catching passing food and kicking it marbling across the carapace. into their mouths within the hard case in which they live. When the tide is out, POINTS: 15 POINTS: 5 they shut the plates at the opening of their ‘house’ to stop them dehydrating. 7. HERMIT CRAB 10. BEADLET ANEMONE (Pagurus bernhardus) (Actinia equina) Commonly found all over the rocky Found all over the rocky shore. They are shore in pools. They are commonly usually deep red in colour and at low tide orange-brown in colour and favour resemble a blob of jelly. When covered shells that match their surroundings. If by water, they have a dense covering of they sense danger, they recoil into the tentacles that reach out for passing food. shell and wait. Sit quietly next to a pool Around the edge of the tentacles are a POINTS: 20 and observe their behaviour. POINTS: 5 ring of blue bulges which are used for defence against other anemones. 6 North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk 7 11. STRAWBERRY ANEMONE 13. LIMPET (Actinia fragacea) (Patella spp.) They live in the mid-lower shore These are amongst the most common often found clinging to the underside mollusc species on the rocky shore. They of a rock. They are a similar deep red are identified by their cone shaped shell. colour to the beadlet anemone, but They often create a ‘home scar’ on the with distinctive greeny-yellow spots rock’s surface which they will travel away around the column and are bigger (up from when the tide is in, to graze the POINTS: 10 to 10cm across). POINTS: 5 algae on the rocks, before returning to their ‘home scar’ before the tide retreats. 12. SNAKELOCKS ANEMONE 14. EDIBLE PERIWINKLE (Anemonia viridis) (Littorina littorea) They live in the mid to lower shore, on This species can be found all over the rocks and in well- lit pools. They are rocky shore, often congregating in POINTS: 15 usually either green with purple tips on cracks and gullies in huge numbers. their 200 tentacles or a grey colour and The shell is often black, grey or brown can grow up to 20cm across. and resembles a land snail. POINTS: 5 15. FLAT PERIWINKLE (Littorina obtusata) Commonly found amongst seaweed, they have a smooth shell with flattened spires. They are bright yellow, brown or olive green in colour. The colouration depends on the habitat they’re in, often yellow is found towards the upper POINTS: 15 shore and olive green towards the lower shore. 8 North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk 9 16. DOG WHELK 19. SAND MASON WORM (Nucella lapillus) (Lanice conchilega) Abundant on rocky shores and looks These worms are found on the low similar to a snail with a pointier end. shore and glues grains of sand together This carnivorous sea snail preys on other to create a protective tube to live in. mollusc species such as mussels and They have finger-like extensions from limpets by boring through the shells the top of the tube making them look before devouring the occupant! like a stone tree. POINTS: 10 POINTS: 15 17. BLUE MUSSEL 20. GREEN LEAF WORM (Mytilus edulis) (Eulalia viridis) Mussels usually live in large groups on Usually found between or under rocks the rocky shore. They have two halves throughout the shore. This worm is to their shell and are usually blue or usually dark green with many body black in colour. They use sticky threads segments, each with a pair of legs. This to anchor themselves to the rocks worm is quite often missed because it is and each other. Lots of animals prey hard to spot amongst the seaweed. POINTS: 5 POINTS: 15 on them such as dog whelks, starfish, crabs and people. 18. HONEYCOMB WORM 21. COMMON BLENNY (Sabellaria alveolata) (Lipophrys pholis) The honeycomb reefs are usually The common blenny, also known as found towards the lower shore. Lots of shanny, is a rockpool fish and has a individual worms create tubes to live maximum size of 20cm and feeds on in by sticking sand grains and shell marine invertebrates. The common fragments together. Living next to blenny is found in all three stages of each other forms a colony of tubes that the rocky shore and they live among POINTS: 10 resembles honeycomb. POINTS: 15 seaweed and rocks in rock pools. They are commonly browny-green. 10 North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk 11 22. COMMON STARFISH 25. KNOTTED WRACK (Asterias rubens) (Ascophyllum nodosum) Found on the lower shore often near Large air bladders break up this brown mussel beds and under rocks. Their seaweed into sections. Each air bladder colour is usually orange or sandy yellow. represents a year of growth. These They typically have the 5 pointed star seaweeds survive best on sheltered shape. They can regenerate lost arms, shores. A red seaweed is normally which is handy! Larger individuals are seen growing on knotted wrack. POINTS: 15 usually found below the low water mark POINTS: 10 and can grow up to 50cm across. 23. CUSHION STARFISH 26. SEA LETTUCE (Asterina gibbosa) (Ulva spp.) These starfish have short arms and Bright green in colour, sea lettuce a larger central, squishy body. They looks just like its sandwich filling are relatively small, up to 5cm across cousin. It’s found all over the shore and can most often be found on the and feels slimy to the touch. underside of overturned rocks. (So don’t forget to check the underside POINTS: 15 POINTS: 5 of the rocks!) They are often mottled shades of green, brown and orange. 24.