Wildlife of the Solway
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#60 The Pogge (Agonus Cataphractus) Wildlife of the Solway
#60 The Pogge (Agonus Cataphractus) Wildlife of the Solway Firth The Pogge or Hooknose is a very distinctive and easy to recognise small fish normally growing up to 10cm long but occasionally reaching 15 cm or more. Overall colour is grey/brown with dark patches. It is not uncommon and is listed as a species of […]
#61 The Spiny Starfish (Marthasterias Glacialis) Wildlife of the Solway
#61 The Spiny Starfish (Marthasterias Glacialis) Wildlife of the Solway Firth This is a potentially quite large ( up to 70cm/28in across) brownish/greenish grey starfish, sometimes with purple tips, that is native to Britain and found on the western coasts of England, Wales and Scotland. You are very unlikely to find one in a rockpool […]
#62 The European Squid (Loligo Vulgaris) Wildlife of the Solway
#62 The European Squid (Loligo Vulgaris) Wildlife of the Solway Firth Although there are several species of squid found in UK waters, their biology and habits are similar. One species found in The Solway Firth is the European squid which ranges South to North Africa and the Mediterranean, growing up to a size of between […]
#58 The King Scallop (Pecten Maximus) Wildlife of the Solway
This ‘seashell’ icon is widely recognised by the public as it has long been in use by the oil company Shell as it’s logo. The image is fact based on a King Scallop (Pecten maximus) shell, a shellfish species found in numerous localities in the Eastern Atlantic from Norway to Spain. They are filter […]
#56 The Red Mullet (Mullus Surmeletus) Wildlife of the Solway
The Red Mullet (Mullus surmeletus) is, for the Solway Firth, an unusual fish that can grow up to 40cm long and weigh 1.5 kg, as it is found mainly in The Mediterranean and warmer Southern UK waters. It has nevertheless been recorded around most of the British Isles. It is a member of the Goatfish […]
#45 The Sea Trout (Salmo Trutta) Wildlife of the Solway
The Native Sea Trout and the Brown Trout are the same species, a fact which was only really settled with the advent of genetic testing. What they certainly have in common is the need to be in fresh water to breed, using gravel beds in upper reaches of rivers to lay their eggs. Young brown […]
#43 The Native Oyster (Ostrea Edulis) Wildlife of The Solway
For some lovers of seafood there is nothing to compare with a plate of fresh oysters washed down with champagne , Guinness or another tipple of choice. They could certainly be described as an acquired taste and because supply is limited they are also relatively expensive, giving them the reputation of a food for the […]
#47 The Edible Sea Urchin (Echinus Esculentus) Wildlife of The Solway
The Sea Urchin as an adult has the shape and size of a small orange flattened football so is one of the most distinctive and easily recognised animals, but it is rarely seen intact on the shoreline as its home is in the seaweed kelp forests found off shore. Occasionally on the beach you may […]
#46 The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncates) Wildlife of the Solway
It is now more than ten years since a Bottlenose Dolphin took up residence along the Solway Firth coast, then rapidly becoming a focus of national attention when she unwittingly became trapped for a while in Maryport Marina. ‘Marra’ as she was called, entranced everybody with her antics and her fascination with human activity for […]
#45 Short Spined Sea Scorpion (Myoxocephalus Scorpius) Wildlife of the Solway
The Short Spined Sea Scorpion Myoxocephalus Scorpius by Mark Vollers This fearsome looking and threatening sounding fish is found all around the British and Irish coastline wherever there is rocky habitat from low water mark down to 100m, but it is not venomous and its only threat to anglers are it’s sharp spines and strong […]
