Dawn of the Pteropods
As we
previously mentioned, there is a vast array of creatures that have been found
within the sediment samples brought up by the box corer. So far we have found:
crabs and squat lobsters of varying sizes - some extremely tiny, starfish and
brittlestars, many different worms (from the small and thin to larger thicker
peanut worms), worm casts (heaps of sediment ejected by worms), urchins, sea cucumbers, amphipods (a type of small
crustacean), cup corals, sponges, bryozoans (small filter feeders that live in
colonies and look like moss), and many shells including pteropod shells.
Pteropods
are a type of marine mollusc that are related to snails. Instead of crawling
along a surface like the snails in your garden, they use a modified foot to
swim. This allows them to hunt for food in the water column. Pteropods are an
important food source for many of deep sea fish, such as the ones we have seen
on the camera tows.
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| Pteropod shells in sandy mud sample |
Some of the creatures listed above are in the snapshot of sample images below.
Right photo: Small crabs from one of the muddy cores
Left photo: A peanut worm
Right photo: Orange urchin and cup coral
Right photo: Final sieved sample with starfish and shells
By Hannah Carr & Bethany Graves
All images copyright to JNCC & Marine Scotland Science
