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Beach Babies

Finding Beach Babies

Would you like to look for “beach babies” on your local

rocky shore? Some species start to reproduce from

January onwards and can be found along the UK

coastline.

Where?

This activity can be done on any rocky shore.

When?

You can carry out this activity any time through out the

year and do it as many times as you like. Take this activity

pack out whenever you go to a rocky shore & want to

hunt for different species.

Why?

The information you collect will help us to understand what time of year different species reproduce and if this varies across different locations. We will also share your findings with other interested organisations such as the

Shark Trust and The Sea Change project.

How?

Print this activity pack, take it out on the shore and get

searching for the species listed in this pack. If you want to

share your findings, once home, upload any photos and

transfer the data you’ve recorded to our website:

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r./beachbabies

http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/eggsnap

Activity instructions

1. Download, print off or request a pack from your

local hub by emailing [email protected]

2. Head out to any rocky shore near you.

3. Record the location, date, time and your name on

the data sheet in this pack. You can download extras

on www.capturingourcoast.co.uk

4. Get searching! Turn over rocks, look in rock pools,

under stones and in crevices to see what you can

find. Just remember to turn them back over once

you’ve finishing searching.

5. Using the ID pages in this activity pack, count how

many of each species you can find and if they are

showing signs of reproducing (e.g. egg cases, eggs

themselves etc.) You can also score points

depending on the species you spot!

6. If you see any signs of reproduction, please take a

photo (we can use this as confirmation of the

record).

7. Once you have got home, head to

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/beachbabies

to upload your data and photos

Head out to the shore as many times as you like. You’ll be

surprised at what you find on your local beaches and will start

to see a whole story unravel when the different species start

breeding right in front of your eyes!

What do I need?

This activity pack

Any spare data sheets

Camera or phone with camera

Warm clothes

Net (if fishing in rock pools)

Who can do it?

Everyone. This activity is for adults and children,

and anyone in between!

What are the points for?

Species have scores depending on how easy they are to

find. You can just use them to have your own friendly

competition, or to win one of our prizes. Add your scores

up at the end of each beach babies hunt and if you

submit them to us, they will be put into a leader board

with a prize for the top 3 surveyors from each region.

It’s a bit like Top Trumps ©

for the beach

Score Card

Species Spotted Reproducing Photo points

Dog whelk

Common

whelk

Serrated

wrack

Spiral wrack

Bladder wrack

Egg wrack

Shore crab

Velvet

swimming

crab

Broad-clawed

porcelain crab

Long-clawed

crab

Green leaf

worm

Common

prawn

Total score

Species to find

Gastropods

Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) Common whelk (Buccinum undatum)

Algae

Serrated wrack (Fucus serratus) Spiral wrack (Fucus spiralis)

Bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) Egg wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum)

Crabs

Shore crab(Carcinus maenas) Velvet swimming crab (Necora puber)

Broad-clawed porcelain crab

(Porcellana platycheles) Long-clawed crab

(Pisidia longicornis)

Other

Green leaf worm (Eulalia viridis) Common prawn (Paleamon serratus )

POINTS FOR SPECIES ID: 2

POINTS FOR SPOTTING REPRODUCTIVE BODIES: 3

PHOTO POINTS: 1

Egg or Knotted wrack Ascophyllum nodosum

Size: Between 50 cm and 2 m in length.

Colour: Medium brown or olive-green.

Key identifiable features: Leathery texture with long, strap-like fronds with no midrib, and

large swollen egg-shaped air bladders along the middle. The frond irregularly branches into

two.

Where can you find me? Attached to rocks and boulders on the middle shore, in a range of

habitats from estuaries to relatively exposed coasts.

Reproductive bodies: The reproductive bodies are round and are on short stalks which can

be seen between April and June.

© Sue Hull

Reproductive bodies

seaweed.ie

Peter Barfield (c) seaweed.ie



PHOTO POINTS: 1

Serrated or Saw wrack Fucus serratus

Size: Up to 60 cm long with 2 cm wide fronds.

Colour: Young plants are olive-green, older plants are dark brown

Key identifiable features: Flat fronds have teeth-like serrations on the edges and a distinct

midrib, with no air bladders. Frond surface has numerous pin-pricks which can have clusters

of tiny white hairs. Fronds are forked in two at the end.

Where can you find me? On hard surfaces on the lower shore in more sheltered areas of

coastline

Reproductive bodies: The reproductive bodies can be seen from May onwards (as shown in

bottom left picture).

© Sue Hull

© Heather Sugden

Wiki: stemonitis

Reproductive bodies



PHOTO POINTS: 1

Spiral wrack Fucus spiralis

Size: Up to 40 cm long with no airbladders.

Colour: Brown

Key identifiable features: Fronds have smooth margins, with a prominent midrib. No

airbladders and the frond is often twisted.

Where can you find me? Attached to rocks on sheltered to moderately exposed shores.

Reproductive bodies: Round reproductive bodies at ends of branches, which are almost

round in outline and surrounded by a narrow rim of frond.

© Sue Hull

Judith Oakley

Reproductive bodies

Keith Hiscock Becky Seeley



PHOTO POINTS: 1

Bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus

Size: About 60 cm long, with 2 cm wide fronds.

Colour: Young plants are olive-green while older specimens are dark brown and leathery.

Key identifiable features: The fronds are flat, with a distinct midrib. Round air bladders

along the frond in pairs, either side of the midrib.

Where can you find me? The species is found intertidally on rocky shores in a wide range of

exposures. It is common on the mid shore.

Reproductive bodies: The reproductive bodies are swollen area at the tips of fronds (as

shown above)

© Sue Hull

Laura Parisella

Laura Parisella

Roscoff

Reproductive bodies

https://plus.google.com/107772987130204213357

https://plus.google.com/107772987130204213357



PHOTO POINTS: 1

Common shore crab Carcinus maenas

Size: Carapace (shell) up to 8 cm wide.

Colour: Variable in colour from dark green to red - especially variable in juveniles, often with

mottled or stripe patterns.

Key identifiable features: Body/shell is broader than long. The and the front of the shell is

serrated with 5 “teeth” either side of the eyes. There are 3 rounded lobes between the eyes

Parasites are smooth and white in appearance but eggs are orange and “bobbly”.

Where can you find me? They are found on all types of shore but mainly a shallow intertidal

species.

Reproduction: The female bears the fertilized eggs in a mass held between the abdomen and

underside of the carapace. Females are “berried” for up to 4 months.

© Sue Hull

Parasite, not eggs Eggs

Tabitha Pearman

Augusate Le Roux Lynne Davis

3 rounded lobes



PHOTO POINTS: 2

Broad clawed porcelain crab

Porcellana platycheles

Size: Up to 1.5 cm in length

Colour: Greyish brown in colour on top, with a dirty yellowish white underside.

Key identifiable features: This small hairy crab has very large, flattened hairy claws. The 5th

pair of legs are much reduced and are often concealed giving the appearance of only 3 pairs

of walking legs.

Where can you find me? Present under boulders in the intertidal zone.

Reproduction: Eggs can be seen in from March until August. Small clusters of fertilized eggs

are in a mass held between the abdomen and underside of the carapace. They are red/

orange in colour, with visible black dots inside.

© Sue Hull

Eggs

www.aphotomarine.com www.aphotomarine.com

http://www.wildlifeobserver.co.uk

Eggs



PHOTO POINTS: 2

Velvet swimming crab

Necora puber

Size: Width of carapace: up to 90 mm

Colour: The upper surface is blue but has a reddish-brown velvety covering, which disguises

the blue colouration. The eyes are bright red.

Key identifiable features: The fast-moving velvet swimming crab has a flattened carapace,

which is wider than it is long. The pincers are equal in size and are also velvety.

Where can you find me? Found on stony and rock substrata intertidally and in shallow

water, most abundant on moderately sheltered shores.

Reproduction: Female can be found carrying eggs all year round in a mass held between the

abdomen and underside of the carapace.

© Sue Hull

Eggs

© Sherkin Island Marine Station 2006



PHOTO POINTS: 2

Long clawed porcelain crab

Pisidia longicornis

Size: Up to 1cm across the shell

Colour: Reddish-orange in colour, frequently with patches of pearly white on the carapace or

sometimes all of the carapace is white.

Key identifiable features: Long claws and with only three pairs of walking legs apparent and

a tiny fifth pair of appendages often concealed. One claw significantly bigger than the other.

Where can you find me? Present under boulders in the intertidal zone and in crevices.

Reproduction: Eggs are present from March until August and are carried on the underneath

of the body like the other crab species mentioned in this guide.

© Sue Hull

Martin Minařík Nicky Dobson



PHOTO POINTS: 1

Dog Whelk Nucella lapillus

Size: Usually up to 3 cm in height (6 cm extremes).

Colour: Usually white, but may be grey, brown, or yellow. Occasionally with contrasting

(usually brown) spiral banding.

Key identifiable features: Broadly conical shell with spiral ridges and a short pointed spire.

A short, open “siphonal” canal leads from base of the opening. Outer lip of opening

sometimes bears internal “teeth”. Shell thickness varies with environment.

Where can you find me? Found on rocks at very low tide and in crevices

Reproduction: Eggs are laid in protective egg capsules (yellow, 1-5 mm) on hard surfaces in

damp crevices and under stones in large clusters.

© Sue Hull

Deborah Latham

razottoli.wordpress.com

razottoli.wordpress.com



PHOTO POINTS: 1

Common whelk Buccinum undatum

Size: A large whelk up to 10 cm high and 6 cm wide.

Colour: The shell is yellowish brown with irregular light and dark spiral areas.

Key identifiable features: 7-8 whorls, and a large oval aperture (opening), which

tapers to a point.

Reproduction: Empty egg masses, known as 'sea wash balls', are often found on the

strandline. The eggs are laid in the sea and the empty egg masses are washed up on

the beach.

© Sue Hull

Frank Greenaway

David Fenwick



PHOTO POINTS: 3

Green leaf worm Eulalia viridis

Size: 5 -15 cm in length with up to 200 segments.

Colour: The worm is bright to mid-green in colour.

Key identifiable features: A long, dorsally flattened worm.

Where to find me? The green-leaf worm is found widely in crevices, barnacle and

mussel beds and on kelp holdfasts from the intertidal to shallow waters.

Reproduction: Green gelatinous egg masses found on the shore, usually attached

to seaweed. They may have an attachment strand at one end.

© Sue Hull

naturalistsnotebook Joyce Scott

Judith Oakley



PHOTO POINTS: 3

Common prawn Palaemon serratus

Size: Large round-bodied prawn up to 11 cm in length.

Colour: Translucent with variable markings but generally red/brown horizontal or slanted

lines on the body.

Key identifiable features: Cylindrical body composed of a hard shell at the front and six

abdominal segments. The first two pairs of walking legs bear claws and have yellow and red

banding on them.

Where can you find me? Present usually in groups, in crevices and under stones from

intertidal pools to the shallow subtidal.

Reproduction: The female carries the eggs around attached to hairs on her legs. Up to 4000

eggs are carried for around 4 months.

© Sue Hull

Gordon Lang

Sue Daly

Eggs

http:// staff-

web.itsligo.ie

Mermaids purses Various species

Whilst we aren’t collecting data on eggcases we would love for you to take a

picture, record your sighting and upload and record your data here:

www.sharktrust.org/eggcase

The Shark Trust established the Great Eggcase Hunt in 2003 & has been engaging

the public in hunting for spent shark, skate and ray eggcases along the UK coastline

ever since. They now have an extensive and expanding database of eggcase records,

which continues to provide us with crucial information about the distribution of

British sharks, skates and rays.

Remember to record the time, date & location of the eggcases. You can ID the

species using their online ID guide found in the link above.

© Sue Hull

Alex Hyde

http://staffweb.itsligo.ie

http://www.sharktrust.org/eggcase

Lugworms Arenicola marina

Spermwatch is a project that was launched in 2016 and runs from October to

December. Whilst there won’t be a launch event for it is 2018 we’d still love for you

to go out and see if you can find sperm puddles and count lugworm casts. All the

information you need, including survey instructions, can be found here:

https://www.capturingourcoast.co.uk/specific-information/spermwatch

Once you have done a survey, can you upload your data here:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/spermwatchdataentry

And send any photos of potential sperm puddles to

[email protected]

© Sue Hull

Helen Burns

Location: Time:

Date: Name:

Time spent searching:

Search effort (please circle):

Little (searched mostly by sight)

Moderate (moved some algae aside to see beneath; turned over some rocks)

Intensive (moved all algae aside; searched under all rocks)

Once you have finished your survey, upload your data at:

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/beachbabies

Data

Species Number counted Signs of

reproduction?

Dog whelk

Common whelk

Serrated wrack

Spiral wrack

Bladder wrack

Egg wrack

Shore crab

Velvet swimming crab

Long-clawed porcelain crab

Broad-clawed porcelain crab

Green leaf worm

Prawns

When you are out and about on the shore taking

part in our activities, there are a few safety

points and tips we’d like you follow.

Have a buddy system if you are going out on

your own; let someone else know where you

are and when you plan on being back

Take warm clothes, a hot or cold drink and

sunscreen if needed.

Wear waterproof shoes or wellies

Do not remove any plants or animals. If you

turn over rocks to search for animals please

turn them back and replace the animals

where you found them.

Do not leave anything behind and if you find

any rubbish take it with you and put it in a

bin.

Watch out for invasive species. To find out

more about these species, go to:

http://www.mba.ac.uk/marineinvaders

Beach Safety

There are lots of different ways you can learn about and

protect your local beaches and coastline.

Here are some other projects and initiatives that you may be

interested in:

Marine Conservation Society:

The MCS have Beachwatch, Sea Champions, Marine life

sighting schemes and the Good Fish Guide. They also run a

national beach clean weekend every September.

If you’d like to find out more, please go to www.mcsuk.org or

www.goodfishguide.org

Your local Wildlife Trust:

Your local Wildlife Trust will have lots of ways you can get

involved with your local marine environment, including

Shoresearch, Sea Search and recording marine sightings. To

find out more, go to http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/living-seas

The Shark Trust

The Shark Trust are running a citizen science project suitable

for all ages - The Great Eggcase Hunt project - which

encourages you to make records of any spotted eggcases on

your local beach.

To find out more, go to:

https://www.sharktrust.org/en/great_eggcase_hunt

2 minute beach clean

The team at #2minutebeachclean encourages anyone and

everyone to spend 2 minutes on their local beach picking up

rubbish and plastics that are on the shore and disposing of

them properly. 2 minutes doesn’t sounds like much but it is

easy, achievable and anyone can do it and really does make a

different. To find out more head to: https://beachclean.net

What else can I look for on the beach?

Thank you for getting involved in Capturing Our Coast. If you

would like to find out more about our other projects, please

check out our website. There are other projects you can get

involved with including:

Wader birds, Marine invaders, Spermwatch and our

general transect surveys.

For more information please head to

www.capturingourcoast.co.uk

Thank you!

Keith Hiscock ©

beach babies - capturingourcoast.co.uk · shark trust and the sea change project. how? ... up at...

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