Bucking the trend? An unusual limpet

Shore enthusiast Paula Ferris found a tiny, less that 1cm, Tortoiseshell Limpet at Lee in mid September, a first for her, and a very unusual sighting for the south of England. Normally it is found on northern coasts. Staff at the marine data recording centre, MarLin, are keen to find out more the North Devon occurrence which runs counter to the more general experience that species are moving north under the influence of warmer waters. Paula says “I don’t know why I took my magnifying glass to such a tiny shell. Stuck on the underside of a stone at low water, perhaps it looked smoother than most small limpets and that made me curious. It was actually quite beautiful, patterned with a zig-zag of turquoise and darker colours. I have looked for others since but without luck. I would love to hear of any other sightings.”