Rhiwbina Living

outdoors
Common goby
The common goby can be found along most of the UK's
coastline; in fact, it can be found anywhere from the Baltic
Sea to the western Mediterranean.
You'll find these little fish in estuaries, saltmarshes, along
the coastline and in intertidal pools. They do prefer open
water areas that are muddy or sandy, but can often be
found in dense vegetation. Because of their colour, they
can often blend in with the mud or sand beneath them.
They grow to about 6cm long and you can distinguish
them from other species by the fact that its nape and
throat are completely scaleless. They have large eyes that
are positioned on the sides of their heads.
Common starfish
The common starfish has five arms
and usually grows to between 10–
30cm across.
It is dioecious, meaning that each
individual is either male or female. In
the spring, the females release their
eggs into the sea. A moderate sized
starfish is estimated to be able to
produce 2.5 million eggs.
They eat by opening up shellfish,
inserting a part of their stomach into
the shellfish, digesting its contents,
and then returning its stomach back to
its body. They can live for up to seven
or eight years.
Common limpet
These small cone-like structures
clamp onto the rocks and wait for
the tide to return.
When it does, they release
themselves and get on the move,
eating algae with their tongue - the
world’s strongest known biological
structure - as it needs to constantly
scrape algae from the tough rocks.
Its tongue contains hundred of rows
of sharp teeth that are known to be
stronger than steel.
Brown shrimp
Also known as the common
shrimp, this crustacean can be
found on all coastlines in the UK.
often lurking in estuaries and
shallow waters.
Adults typically measure 1-2
inches long, with large antennae
They can also change colour to
better match their surroundings
using special cells called
chromatophores. Usually brown
to blend in with the sand, if they
are threatened by predators,
they bury themselves in the
sand. During the day, they remain
buried in the sand to escape
predatory birds and fish, with only
their antennae protruding.
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