Source: Angela
Davis and George Taylor of Weymouth
College (see below).
Towards the low tide mark there are
a few deep, isolated rock pools that are only fully exposed
on certain days each month. Animals here are covered by the
sea for most of their lives and do not normally have to put
up with extreme conditions. Because of this the low tide rockpool
is a home to many different species of marine life not found
elsewhere on the shore. For instance the rare Dahlia Anemone
lives in the shaded cracks of the rock pools and can grow to
a very impressive size. Here are a few of the other species
that can be found in this fascinating habitat:
Colonial Sea Squirt
Colonial Sea Squirts look like blobs of jelly stuck
to the rock - but look closer and you will see that each
blob is made up of a ring of brightly-coloured simple animals.
Cushion Stars are commonly found under stones and
overhangs, around the south and west coasts but only at
lower shores.
Rock Gobies are dull and darkly coloured. They
have a dorsal and spines. Their eyes are set high on the
head and their sockets almost touch each other. They are
rare in Scotland but not uncommon elsewhere.
Breadcrumb Sponge is found on the rocks and can
cover as far as 30-40 square inches. It lives on lower shores,
under overhangs on the shaded surfaces among the seaweed.
Breadcrumb sponges are widely distributed.
The Common Sea Squirt body can be 3-4 inches long.
They are often located on harbour works, piles or buoys
and again are widely distributed and common.
The Green Sea Slug is widely found on the south
and west rockpool beaches but is rarely found on the east
Common Sea Squirt
Porcelain Crab
The Hairy Crab is common and lives in areas of
the south and west coasts. You can find these under stones
and in the piles of seaweed.
Porcelain Crabs are flat - adapted to live underneath
rocks. The species that lives here is the Broad-clawed Porcelain
Crab.
Carragheen is a source of agar and in Ireland people
collect it and eat it.
Squat Lobsters are common particularly in the spring
and are widely distributed. They live under stones and along
the lower shores.
Common Eels are widely found and live around the
low tides.
Grey Topshells are found in the middle and lower
shores. They are very common and not just found around Dorset's
rock pools.
Squat Lobster
Lithophyllum
The Velvet Horn is the given name for the dark
green seaweed Codium. It is located in deep rock
pools and around the middle shores. It is a plant and makes
its own food by photosynthesis.
The encrusting algae Lithophyllum is a very
thin pinkish-purple encrustation on the rocks found around
middle shore. Its surface texture is rough. This algae is
widely distributed but tends to be less common in quieter
waters.
The Netted Dogwhelk is a tiny snail that feeds
on dead material in the mud at the bottom of the rock pools.
