Unidentified Egg Cases

[GuyF]

Hi everyone,
I came across quite a few of these at the weekend whilst rockpooling on the south coast, the tides were good so I was able to get right down the shore where these Mermaid's Purses were found. They were large, atleast 10 cm in length which makes me think they are probably Greater Spotted Dogfish eggs, is it possible to identify it from this photo?

Also, if these eggs are living (they were still well attached and there was no sign that the sharks had hatched) what time of year should they be hatching out? I would love the chance to track down some of the juveniles when they emerge, although I expect I'd have a very short opportunity to do this.
Thanks very much for your help,
Guy

[Yashca]

I'd certainly agree with Greater Spotted Dogfish with the size and shape of the cases. Unfortunately I can't be any help in telling you when you might expect them to hatch.

Out of interest, where were you rockpooling on the south coast? I'm always on the lookout for good rockpooling spots at holiday destinations.

On Sunday I went to a low tiide at Scalby Mills near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and found my first ever Dragonet!

(Would rather have seen the live shark eggs though!)

:congratula tions::rolle yes::congratulat ions:

[GuyF]

Originally Posted by Yashca

I'd certainly agree with Greater Spotted Dogfish with the size and shape of the cases. Unfortunately I can't be any help in telling you when you might expect them to hatch.

Out of interest, where were you rockpooling on the south coast? I'm always on the lookout for good rockpooling spots at holiday destinations.

On Sunday I went to a low tiide at Scalby Mills near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and found my first ever Dragonet!

(Would rather have seen the live shark eggs though!)

:congratula tions::rolle yes::congratulat ions:

Thanks for that, I'm quite excited! When I was searching during the very low tides in March I didn't notice any of these eggs, so I suppose they may hatch at some point between now and then, I'll certainly be keeping an eye out from now on!
These were found at Gyllyngvase Beach near Falmouth, I'd definitely recommend it as a spot for rockpooling! I've been visiting since late February and I've been very pleased with some of my finds, so far I've managed to see 19 species of fish (including these eggs!), a few nice sea slugs including Limacia clavigera and Facelina auriculata and overall a good variety and abundance of other rockpool animals.
Congratulations on the Dragonet though, that's one I'd love to see! Gyllyngvase is very rocky which probably isn't ideal for them, but there are some sandy areas so maybe one day I'll see one!
Guy