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DISCOVER THE

A family guide to wildlife found on Kent’s beachesA family guide to wildlife

ShorelineKent

A family guide to wildlife found on Kent’s beachesA family guide to wildlife found on Kent’s beaches

Kent’s beaches provide wonderful

opportunities to discover some of the

impressive marine and birdlife found along

its shoreline. This guide will help you to fi nd

out more about some these inhabitants and

where you might come across them. So if

you don’t know your hornwrack from your

bladder wrack, remember to take it with you

the next time you head to the beach and see

what you discover, always remembering to

follow our Seashore Code.

Introduction Contents

Flowering plants and seaweeds . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Strandline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Crabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Snails and shells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Under a surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Seashore Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Useful contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Further information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover

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Flowering plants

and seaweeds

Golden samphireA plant commonly

found in saltmarshes

and sea cliffs. Its

leaves are narrow

and fl eshy.

GlasswortGrows in saltmarshes and

around beaches and

resembles a small cactus.

Its stems are roundish

and snap easily. Its tiny

fl owers can be found at

stem junctions.

SeagrassThis fl owering plant has

long thin green leaves.

It grows on sandy seabeds

in very shallow waters and

can be found in estuaries,

bays and inlets.

Sea lavenderThis plant is not actually

related to lavender. It can be

found in saltmarshes and has clusters of mauve

fl owers at the top of its long stem with spoon

shaped leaves at the base.

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CorallinaThis has a pink chalky colour

and small fern-like shaped

branches. Usually found

growing on rocks on the

lower shore and in rockpools.

Seaweeds are types of algae that live in seawater, and they don’t produce flowers or have roots like true plants.

Sea lettuceCommon seaweed often

found attached to rocks in

sheltered shores.

Bladder wrackWith branching, fl attened

fronds which have pairs

of distinctive air-fi lled

bladders.

Saw wrackOften dominant on

the lower shore. Easily

identifi ed by the serrated

edges on its fl attened fronds.

GutweedA mass of bright green, thin

fronds are hollow tubes

like intestines. Commonly

found on all shores around

the UK.

OarweedUsually exposed at low tide, this kelp species attaches itself to rocks using a tough holdfast and has large fronds often split into long ribbons.

Usually exposed at low tide, this kelp species Usually exposed at low tide, this kelp species Usually exposed at low

attaches itself to rocks

split into long ribbons.

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Mermaid’s purseThese are egg cases of catsharks (dogfish), skates and rays, which often wash up on the beach after the young have hatched.

The line of washed up seaweed, shells and other gifts from the sea marks the high tide level on the shore. It is a goldmine for interesting things.

Strandline

CuttleboneCuttlefi sh are

molluscs which usually

live for two years and die after they breed.

They leave a long, chalky, oval internal shell

which can be found washed up on the beach.

Cuttlefi sh eggsClusters of rubbery black

eggs, dyed black with

cuttlefi sh ink that look like

grapes. If you fi nd these on

the beach, please return to

the sea safely.

Common whelk A large edible sea snail,

whose empty shell is

often used by hermit

crabs as a home.

Squid eggsA female squid can lay up

to 20,000 eggs in long

white gelatinous tubes

and attach them to solid

objects beneath the sea.

Mermaid’Mermaid’Mermaid s purse’s purse’

A large edible sea snail,

whose empty shell is

molluscs which usually

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Piddock shellA clam-like shellfi sh that

burrows into chalk, soft rock,

and sometimes wood, where

it spends the rest of its life.

Native oysterA bivalve with a large,

fl attened circular shell.

The outside is rough while

the inside is smooth with a

mother-of-pearl coating.

Whelk eggsThese clumps of spongy egg

cases look like bubblewrap.

Baby whelks are cannibals and

will often eat their siblings.

Slipper limpetIntroduced into Britain in

the 19th century, they are

usually found in curved

chains or stacks made up

of several individuals.

HornwrackThe remains of a colony of

tiny creatures known as Bryozoans are often

washed up. When still fresh they smell of citrus.

Spider crabThis crustacean with its spindly spider-like legs and large teardrop shaped shell is spiky and often covered in seaweed.

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Everybody loves finding crabs on the shore and in the UK we have 62 species recorded. Here are the four species you are most likely to find in Kent.

Crabs

Shore crabOur most common crab found on our shores, with a roughly heart-shaped shell (up to 10cm length) and five teeth either side of its eyes. If you spot a crab with a big orange mass on their underside, those are her eggs.

Edible crabThis crab (up to 20cm

length) is easily

identifi able by the

distinctive pie-crust

edge to its oval shell.

Velvet swimming crabThese crabs (up to 10cm

length) are soft to touch

like velvet. Look out for

their bright red eyes but

be careful, they can give

you a painful pinch.

Hermit crabThese crustaceans are soft-

bodied and therefore

occupy an empty shell for

protection. If you spot a

crawling shell, take a closer

look because it might be a

hermit crab.

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edge to its oval shell.

This crab (up to 20cm

identifi able by the

distinctive pie-crust

edge to its oval shell.

Velvet swimming crab

This crab (up to 20cm

identifi able by the

distinctive pie-crust

edge to its oval shell.

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All snails have shells, but not all shells have snails. Plenty of animals in the sea use shells for protection, see how many of these species you can spot.

Edible periwinkleA common sight whilst

rockpooling, it has a

rounded, whorled shell

with a pointed spire,

usually greyish-brown

in colour, which can

appear blackish when

damp and out of water.

Snails and shells

Common limpetThis snail is clamped tight

to the rock when the tide

is out, and moves around

using its strong tongue to

scrape algae off the rock

when the tide is in.

Pacific oysterAn invasive non-native oyster that is also popular seafood. The shell is typically tear-drop shaped, but can vary in shape and size (up to 30cm).

Blue musselThis fan shaped bivalve forms large dense beds which cover the seabed by using fine strands known a byssus threads to anchor to rocks.

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Common cockleCommonly found in estuaries, it lives buried in the sediment. Its shell is ridged and thick, usually off white in colour or sometimes yellowish brown.

Dog whelkA predatory snail with a

conical shell, a pointed

spire and can be white,

brown, or yellow in colour.

Purple topshellA fl attened conical

shell and a large round

umbilicus (a deep hole on

the underside of the shell).

Under a surface

A rock, water, or even the sand and seaweed, these animals can be found hiding away in many different places.

Beadlet anemoneMost are red, but they can

also be green, brown or

orange. Its tentacles retract

when out of water and it

can resemble a blob of jelly.

ShannyTypically occurring in pools

hiding under rocks or

seaweed. They can survive

out of water for a few

hours if they remain damp. brown, or yellow in colour.

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Brittle starRelated to the starfi sh, they

have slender arms which are

easily broken off. But as long

as some of their central disk

remains these can regrow.

PrawnFound hiding in rockpools,

prawns are scavengers

and will eat anything

they fi nd, from decaying

seaweed to dead mussels.

StarfishAn echinoderm (meaning spiny skin) with five arms and usually orange in colour with many small pale spines.

BarnacleA crustacean that lives attached to hard surfaces such as rocks, boats, groynes and even other animals.

GobyThey live in shallow inshore waters, often getting trapped in rockpools. Their pelvic fins are fused to form a sucker that they use to cling onto rocks.

Blow lugworm castThese worms live in a u-shaped

burrow, about 30cm beneath

the sand. The almost walnut

whipped shaped cast found

on the surface is the waste

material from its digestive tract.

orange in colour with many small pale spines. orange in colour with many small pale spines. orange in colour with

StarfishStarfishAn echinoderm An echinoderm StarfishAn echinoderm StarfishStarfishAn echinoderm Starfish

(meaning spiny skin) with five arms and usually (meaning spiny skin) with five arms and usually (meaning spiny skin)

orange in colour with with five arms and usually orange in colour with with five arms and usually

Blow lugworm castThese worms live in a u-shaped

burrow, about 30cm beneath

the sand. The almost walnut

whipped shaped cast found

An echinoderm (meaning spiny skin) with five arms and usually (meaning spiny skin) with five arms and usually (meaning spiny skin)

orange in colour with with five arms and usually orange in colour with with five arms and usually

many small pale spines. orange in colour with many small pale spines. orange in colour with

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• Be gentle with any creatures that you find

and if you pick any up, return them carefully

afterwards

• Give feeding or resting birds space

• Always take your litter home and recycle

it where possible

• Don’t pull seaweed off the rocks

• Keep an eye on the tide, so that you don’t get

cut off

• Only swim where and when it’s safe to do

so and never on your own

• Avoid getting too close to the cliffs

• Keep away from soft mud

• Keep dogs under close control

• Wash your hands before you eat anything

Seashore Code Useful contacts

Emergencies: 999 (includes coastguard)

Non-emergencies: Kent Police 101

Stranded marine mammals/injured birds:

Kent Wildlife Rescue Service 07824 893399

(24 hr), record: Photo, location, date and size.

Marine mammal sightings: Kent Seawatch

07810 278373 or 01227 765269 (phone or text)

record with species, location, date and time.

Pollution: HM Coastguard, oil at sea

01304 210008

Shoreline pollution: Environment Agency

0800 807060 record with photo, location, date

and time.

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Glossary

Features

Groynes Barriers (usually wooden) built out

into the sea to control erosion.

Rockpools Pools of water between rocks, covered

at high tide.

Strandline A line usually of seaweed and

litter washed up the beach,

marking the previous high tide.

Saltmarsh Found in sheltered areas within

estuaries, a saltmarsh is an area of

high vegetation whose plants are

regularly flooded by the tides.

Bivalve Molluscs that have shells consisting of

two halves or valves, such as oysters

and mussels.

Marine plants and animals

Bryozoans Microscopic creatures that live

in colonies.

Crustaceans Marine creatures with a hard shell

and several pairs of legs, such as

crabs, lobsters and shrimp.

Fronds The leaf like part of a seaweed.

Molluscs Creatures that have a soft body, such

as a snail or mussel. Both of which

have a protective hard shell.

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Photo credits: Charlotte Berry, Gregory Bessant, Bryony Chapman, Tony Child, I Exton, Willie McKnight, Daphne Mills, Alice Morley, Judith Oakley, Zoe Stevenson, Laura Welton, Kent Wildlife Trust and Medway Swale Estuary Partnership.

Kent Wildlife Trust: kentwildlifetrust.org.uk

Medway Swale Estuary Partnership: msep.org.uk

Thanet Coast Project: thanetcoast.org.uk

Further information