Night Rockpooling at Marazion!

Midnight Madness at Marazion! Photo copywrite Alan Barker

 What an amazing experience! Despite light drizzle our volunteers only Night Rockpooling session at Marazion causeway was far better than expected! Setting out in our wetsuits and high viz vests and head torches anyone looking on must have wondered what we were up to! Crabs were out and about everywhere and seemed very surprised to be disturbed by crazy humans with torches!
Standing in the shallows our torches attracted hoards of tiny mysid shrimps, prawns and juvenile fish. We were soon joined by inch long adult atlantic cuttlefish. these guys are absolute beauties and although we had seen some on the day time survey we were treated to far more sightings on the night rockpooling!

The survey highlighted once again the incredible diversity of life on this shore and proved that night rockpooling allows you to build a much more full picture of the species present. Particularly species that are more active at night such as fish, crustaceans and cephalopods!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KAGnqnXGWs&feature=youtu.be

Shore crab in Torch light, Matt Slater 

Atlantic or little Cuttle Sepiola atlantica (approx 20mm total length), Matt Slater 

Star Ascidian Bottryllus shlosseri - a colonial sea squirt (each star approx 5mm across), Matt Slater

Dahlia anemone glowing blue in LED torch light, Matt Slater

A tiny baby tompot blenny found beneath a large boulder. (length approx 2 cm). Matt Slater

A beautiful sea slug Eubranchus farrani found by Jake Meyers and Trudy Russell. (Length approx 10mm), Matt Slater

Decorator crab Macropodia spp (Width approx 4cm), covered in sea weed for camoflague. Matt Slater