. . . . . . . . the gentle waters of Tor Bay?
Sometimes we have no idea just what creatures are out there in the deep.
Back in June, just as we arrived in Torquay, newspaper headlines read -
"Alien invaders hit British beaches"
Looking across Tor Bay from Torquay to Brixham
June 2015
So, sauntering around Torquay's Inner Harbour, we shared in the unusual sighting
of many Barrel Jellyfish, often referred to as the 'dustbin lid' jellyfish (the dustbin is
the British name for trash can, specifically the old metal version). The huge creatures
arrived on the south coast of England this Spring, washing up by the hundreds on
the beaches. Although they can produce a tiny sting, not life threatening by any
means, people are advised not to touch them.
means, people are advised not to touch them.
It is rare for them to come close to land, preferring deeper waters, but the warmer
waters of the past few Winters have produced more plankton for them to feed on
closer to shore.
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| Curiosity - she just couldn't resist! She didn't appear to suffer a sting whilst we watched. |
To see what these creatures look like once beached - go here -
- an amazing, but not pretty, sight.
Meanwhile the cormorants also hung out around the Inner Harbour. There seem
to be so many around nowadays - whereas, when I was a child and living there, I just
don't recall any large sea birds other than those nuisance herring gulls who snatched
our sandwiches and ice cream cones right out of our hands!
My true home - I'm already missing it again!
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