Extreme beach combing

[Wild-Woman]

Really interesting to see the cowries. Only beach I've seen them was one on the island of St Marys on the Scilly Isles. great stuff.

[Billabong Karen]

Originally Posted by Marineboy

Slow down, get down and really see what's there. This reminds me also of one of the best dives I have ever had. I have dived in the Med, the Caribbean and the outer Great Barrier reef - but this was Oban, in Scotland, with a marine biologist from Plymouth Uni. We only covered an area the size of a living room, for about two hours in only two or three metres of water just looking under stones in a big rock pool, and it was absolutely fantastic. Ok, not a dive for everyone. I've done the 30+ metre dives, the wrecks, the drift and night dives, but this just beat them all. As I said, slow down, get down and see what's there. Be sure to take a magnifying glass to the beach next time!

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So agree - I've not done anywhere near the dives you have, but can confirm that you definitely see most in shallow water - and especially if you take the time to go SLOWLY and LOOK at everything in detail...

[ospreywildbird]

Hi again
Just found the time to enlarge your pic to get an even better look at all the wonderful shells + have to say I'm even more stunned than before!!
Can you tell me what the wee circlar shells with the hole right through are?The kids have found them in 1 bay on Lindesfarne + there they are known as St Cuthberts Beads!! But they are not shells that I've ever seen on other beaches perhaps I wasn't looking closely enough
We find cowries on most of the beaches we wander, DS4 -2yrs, loves them + often has a couple that his 'Pops has given him / they have spotted together, stashed in his pocket!! Can't ever remember walking a beach + not hunting for cowries. The most prolific beach, was when I was about 10yrs, on the Isle of Tiree the beach we were holidaying above was awash with them!! Sure the car returned a few kg heavier due to all the cowries in the then empty of whisky bottles!! On reflection perhaps no heavier Lol!!

[Marineboy]

With the appreciative comments posted I am pleased I shared this side of beachcombing. I knew the little white shells with the holes were sea urchins of some kind, but hadn't looked any further into what species they might be. The one on the left hand side is top side up and you can clearly see the five rayed, or pentameral symmetry seen in all the familiar echinoderms. The others are upside down and you can see two holes. The smaller one is the anus and the bigger central hole is the mouth.
I had thought at this size they may be difficult to identify, but Collins Sea Shore guide might have the answer. They are a species of heart urchin, possibly Echinocyamus pusillus - "tiny, oval, flat heart urchin rarely grows more than 10mm long", and the smooth tests of dead ones it says can be quite "persistent" and can be frequently sieved from beach sands.

The hear urchins are deposit feeders, equipped with "spade-ended" spines to facilitate burrowing through sand. The ones we are more familiar with are the very brittle larger ones ones often washed up on a sandy beach.

Thank you osprey, now we know.

[nightshade]

I love my rockpooling, but I have never seen such a wonderful collection of shells, thank you for opening my eyes