Rockpooling

Pendennis Point

Just round the headland from the seaside town of Falmouth is a tiny beach situated on Pendennis point. A spike of fine yellow sand covers a small portion of a beach framed by slabs of rock covered in Barnacles. Tunnels are cut into the stone, some large enough to crawl into from the waves and explore. Shags stand regally on the rock tips, conversing and watching the ever-changing sea.

A Shag - Phalalcrocorax aristotelis

At low tide rock-pools appear and this is what Rachel, Ben and I were looking for.

Pale Common Shore crabs were fairly common, bumbling around in the seaweed, waiting for the tide to come back in to continue hunting.

Common Shore Crab - Carcinas maenas

The wonderfully named Hairy Porcelain Crab Porcellana platycheles is covered in green/brown hair making it supremely well camouflaged against the rocks. The crab also has long hairs on his claws which are used rather like a Blue Whale’s baleen. He positions himself on the side of a rock before wafting his claws through the water in front of him. He then pulls the hair through his mouth, removing the microscopic plankton stuck in the hair.

Hairy Porcelain Crab - Porcellana platycheles

The Velvet Swimming crab is a fairly aggressive species and it is this with it’s red eyes that has gained it alternative names such as the Devil Crab and Witch Crab. Flattened legs act as oars, allowing the Velvet swimmer to scoot quickly through the water.

Velvet Swimmig Crab - Necora puber

Perfectly disguised as a strand of seaweed, a Straight-nosed Pipefish meanders through the rockpool. Having tiny fins the Straight-nosed Pipefish propels itself through the water rather like a snake.

Straight-nosed Pipefish - Nerophis ophidion

Under a rock lies a Cornish Sucker, or Shore Clingfish. Feeding on small crustaceans the Cornish sucker has a distinctive duck bill shaped snout with bulging eyes on top of it’s head. To protect itself from predators the small fish moves in a rapid darting motion or bury itself in the sand to hide.

Cornish Sucker - Lepadogaster lepadogaster

Cornish Sucker's Sucker