In a rare discovery by a member of a rock pool project who was looking for spider crabs, Vicky Barlow saw a rare sea slug in a rock pool in South Cornwall.
The creature, known as the rainbow sea slug, is a warm-water species found off the coast of Spain, France and Portugal but has previously been spotted three times in the UK. However, its presence as a rock pool alarmed the founders.
Dr Ben Holt, a marine biologist at the Rockpool Project, said: “Since then there have been a handful of sightings by divers and snorkelers but as far as we can tell, this is the first time a rockpooler has seen this species in the UK. found. . . .
He said the rainbow sea slug – real name Babakina anadoni – is a member of the aeolian nudibranch family, characterized by their bright colors and unusual shapes.
Dr Holt said: “The sea slug detection was part of a pattern of ‘massive changes’ in marine life around the South West over the past five years.”
“This is an amazing find and I hope we see more of them,” he said.
“This is also quite remarkable because rock pools are quite harsh environments with tides moving in and out.”
“It was a very low spring tide, which may explain why it was in the rock pool,” Barlow said.
“It was quite a discovery, they are absolutely beautiful and it shows that there are amazing species to be found in the UK.”