How to find and ID part 3
Your trips out to the shore, taking part in the different types of surveys will have introduced you to those species introduced to you in Level 1 of the Shoresearch training. However, you will have seen and maybe been introduced to more (common and not so common). You will have seen syphons and tentacles, swift movements from under rocks and perhaps lots of blobs which may or may not be life.
This section is a recap of where to keep an eye on with extended information on species and species groups. Again, this is designed to prompt further investigation even after you feel you’ve been paying enough attention already. Each time out, it is clear that more time out and more time looking provides rewards. It also, hopefully, helps to show that this is a process and you’re not supposed to learn it all at once and are not likely to either.
what you might find in sediment
Sagartia anemone ©North Wales Wildlife Trust
Even when searching bedrock you can find patches of sediment and it’s not always low down/underfoot. Time spent looking closely for patterning and movement might introduce you to certain species:
- Look for tentacles moving, sometimes long, thin threads can be the tentacles of worms
- Tentacles grouped together and lying flat and fanned out could show one of the anemones which likes to bury. You might not see them move and often only find when you search for them.
- Many of our bivalves spend their lives buried in sand, but you might find their syphons poking above the sand, especially if the sediment is in water
- You will have seen many of the more common species in the sediment, if you’ve taken time to watch.
- Look for worm burrows, too, as sometimes, somewhere along them, you might get to see the worm. You might still not be able to get far with ID, but it’s always good to gather as much info (pictures) which may help when trying to ID later.
- Because views of the above are commonly just snapshots of creatures, you maybe need to be quick or thorough with your description and even then only get to a vague wider group description.
what you might find under rocks
under-rock-species ©North Wales Wildlife Trust
Depending on the type of rock and where it is on shore you may well find a lot attached to the underside of it. Sized from small boulders even to pebbles many species take cover here when the tide’s out or as the seasons move on.
Look for
- As well as small crabs, especially porcelain crabs, likely finds are amphipods (sand hoppers), which would be difficult to ID quickly and without further study; more rarely isopods (unlike amphipods which are flattened side to side, isopods are flattened back to front area, making them look more or less like woodlice), again these need some effort to ID to species – you might find seasonally large clusters.
- Small jelly-like blobs can be anemones, sea slugs or squirts, eggs etc, so take a good look for colouration, patterning, grouping, size, shape.
- If it’s one of the first three, then placing the rock into water to re-immerse the blob. The animal, if it is one, might begin to show gills, tentacles, syphons etc, which will help with ID.
- Anemones will have a ring of tentacles,
- Sea slugs tend to look more elongated and may begin to show various numbers of protuberances at the front coming from the base, head and then you might also see external gills and cerata (outgrowths which can help with respiration, but also defence etc), all of which might show colouring and all of which are worth noting to help ID.
- Sea squirts, if allowed to expand should show an in and out syphons, note the placement, any patterning, the overall size and shape and colour/translucency as well as whether you can see organs etc within the animal.
- Look for sponges, algae and sea mats encrusting the rock surface.
- For encrusting algae look for uniform mat with no holes/pores within. Different species will show different colouration, edging and texture.
- Sponges have pores dotted across the area with larger out syphons, there may be undulations worth noting too.
- Sea mats will have uniform openings where the individual polyp lay. The shape of the openings (if you can get in close to see) and the overall colony shape, sometimes, helps to ID.
within the fronds of algae, hydroids and anemones
gem anemone Shoresearch T-Bay ©Teja Entwhistle
Search amongst algae fronds, hydroid colonies (carefully) and some anemone tentacles (again, carefully) for hidden and attached algae and animals.
- On algae fronds, as well as molluscs, you can find tubed worms, sea mats, hydroid colonies or groups, anemones and sometimes other algae (usually smaller turf-type species)
- Hydroids (also called sea firs) can be host to other species which often will be feeding on the individuals within. Some of these can be very small and some may look similar to the hydroid branches. To identify the sea slugs, it’s often a good idea to try to get an ID of the hydroid itself, so pay attention to how it branches, the overall look and shape etc as well the features of the sea slug. Note that many sea slugs feed on sea mats which live on algae.
- Snakelocks anemones can be a host to a spider crab species which can sit within the tentacles and another anemone called the cloak anemone can cover the mollusc shell within which a hermit crab lives. This way of growing/living can be the way to ID both accompanying species.
have a second look at the species you think you know
Frilly dog whelk? No, stingwinkle ©North Wales Wildlife Trust
Once you’ve got to know some of the species you’re becoming more familiar with, you will be seeing some differences and learning more about similar and/or less common species.
- This isn’t an area to check on shore, but a reminder to check what you’ve been learning and see if there’s more to the group/species. For instance, the periwinkles are many more species than we’ve introduced so far and more than maybe you’ve seen on shore, so far. Check for banding, size, where found. Also you will be seeing more species than we’ve introduced so far, so note them well. Another example is the sting winkle a frilly mollusc whose shells can be found on the strandline and in some areas the animals can be found living low on shore, but these look very similar to two invasive species of mollusc.
- As well as the crab species you’ve already got to know in Level 1 and will be finding here in Level 2 you will find some additional species on your shore visits, which might have a different-shaped carapace, more hair, may be a different colour. Make sure you note these differences. Many times, they will be just what you know doing something you’ve not yet seen, but they could be something new too.
- Once you’ve seen enough beadlet and perhaps, snakelocks anemones, you should be able to notice some with finer tentacles, different column patterning or found in different habitats. Don’t ignore those differences, they might be leading you to a new to you species.
A word on species names and hierarchies
All known species on the planet have a scientific name which is unique. The name consists of two words.
One (the final one) is the species name. The first name depicts the group within which it sits with other closely related species. This is the next group in a hierarchy of higher and higher groups which highlight how species are all related. This first grouping which makes its way into the scientific name is called the Genus.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to define what makes a species and, especially with recent technologies and knowledge (e.g. DNA), species names and the relatives they are thought to be closely related to can change. This can make some groups a bit of a minefield. This is not to put you off learning, rather to ensure awareness and ready you for some confusion at times. It’s all worth the effort, however and it’s helped when everyone on shore gives the scientific names a go.
Below is the hierarchy for the Common Shore crab:
crab human
Kingdom: Animalia Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda Chordata
Subphylum: Crustacea —–
Class: Malacostraca Mammalia
Order: Decapoda Primate
Family: Portunidae Hominidae
Genus: Carcinus Homo
Species: maenas sapiens
Note the species name is written with a lowercase first letter and (so far as website design allows) is written in italics (or underlined). The final scientific name for the Common shore crab in the UK is therefore Carcinus maenas.
The next section is the quiz. Click to begin the quiz, the questions will appear below. If you get any one question wrong within each quiz page, the you will be marked as wrong for the whole page. Answers will appear one you’ve finished each question.
You will be tested on what you’ve learnt so far using the reading and video info. Don’t worry too much, as once you’ve been out on the shore, the ID features you’ve learnt about will make more sense and after a couple of visits you should feel more confident about your ID.
Good luck!