Spotlight: Burrowed mud


MUD, GLORIOUS MUD


AT FIRST glance, burrowed mud might not necessarily be a marine habitat that has you immediately reaching for your snorkel and mask. But on closer inspection, this seemingly monochrome environment shows its true colours. Typically occurring in waters below 50m depth, but also found in Scotland’s inner sea


lochs where there is little current, this habitat is the realm of mud-dwellers. From the seafood-lovers’ favourite – langoustine – to giant sea pens, mud shrimps, mud volcano worms, and the many species highlighted below, there is a wealth of life hidden in the burrows and mounds that pepper the mud’s surface, helping to keep it aerated.


This is, however, a delicate and vulnerable


habitat. Pollution, changes to water flow (e.g. due to the construction of bridges or barrages) and bottom-trawl fishing for langoustine can all cause significant damage. It is for this reason that the habitat is classified as a ‘Priority Marine Feature’ and is protected in eight locations around Scotland.


ANGULAR CRAB


Also known as the ‘mud-runner’, this small and distinctive crab occurs in muddy marine habitats from Shetland


to southern Africa. Individuals are often found sharing burrows with species of fish and shrimp.


FIREWORKS ANEMONE This large burrowing anemone


makes its home in the muddy seabed of Scotland’s west coast sea lochs.


Individuals can have up to 200 stinging tentacles, each of which curls up if the anemone is disturbed.


PHOSPHORESCENT SEA PEN


Occurring between 10-100m depth, these pinkish sea pens consist of multiple types of polyp. The primary


polyp loses its tentacles and forms the central stem, while secondary polyps form the ‘branches’.


6 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE NOVEMBER 2020


PSOLUS PHANTAPUS (SEA CUCUMBER)


This species of sea cucumber grows up to 20cm long and buries itself in


mud or gravel seabed habitats, where it uses its bushy tentacles to catch food drifting past in the current.


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