{"id":36326,"date":"2024-04-25T13:57:38","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T11:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f48c29eb-8aaf-4d1c-9464-15e9db2e88ca"},"modified":"2024-04-25T14:39:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T12:39:22","slug":"watch-incredibly-rare-and-very-cute-seahorse-found-on-cornish-beach-walk","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/watch-incredibly-rare-and-very-cute-seahorse-found-on-cornish-beach-walk\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: incredibly rare (and very cute) seahorse found on Cornish beach walk\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Only seven long-snouted seahorses have been spotted in the last 10 years, making the sighting in Cornwall particularly exciting. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 25 April 2024 at 11:57 AM<\/p>

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Alicia Shephard was walking along the bank of a Cornish estuary when she spotted something in the water. It was a long-snouted seahorse \u2013 only seven have previously been sighted in the region in the past 10 years.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI was looking into the tideline<\/a> when I noticed something I didn\u2019t entirely recognise floating in the water so I went for a closer look, which is when I spotted the fin of the seahorse flickering and discovered the seahorse anchored to a piece of seaweed,\u201d says Shephard, Nature Recovery Officer at Cornwall Council<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Shephard enjoys taking slow walks and looking out for the wonders of nature. \u201cIt’s a running joke that a walk with me always takes twice as long because I love stopping to see what species are around,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>

Alicia captured the rare seahorse on camera. It is one of only a small number of long-snouted seahorses identified in Cornwall over the last decade, experts say. Credit: Alicia Shephard, Cornwall Council<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A rare thing<\/h3>

Long-snouted seahorses<\/a>\u00a0(Hippocampus guttulatus<\/em>) are one of two seahorse species that can be found in the UK \u2013 the other being short-snouted seahorses. <\/p>

They live in shallow coastal waters, lagoons and estuaries. According to the\u00a0Wildlife Trusts<\/a>, they \u201care pretty poor swimmers, relying on their prehensile tail to cling onto seaweed<\/a> and seagrass<\/a> to stop themselves being swept away.\u201d<\/p>

Shephard immediately knew she\u2019d found something special. \u201cI never expected to see one because I knew how rare they were,\u201d she says. But when she logged her sighting on the\u00a0Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly<\/a>\u00a0(ERCCIS) she was astounded at just how rare: only seven sightings had been reported over the last 10 years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

A baby long-snouted seahorse \u2013 how cute! Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cTo have such a close and unexpected encounter is unbelievable,\u201d says Shephard, who was particularly surprised to stumble upon the animal without snorkelling<\/a> or scuba diving. \u201cI would recommend everyone takes time to walk a little slower and really observe what\u2019s around them because that\u2019s how we spot the wonderful,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>

Seahorses<\/a> are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act which means you\u2019re not allowed to touch or handle them without a wildlife license. Shephard also recommends that people record their sightings on ERCCIS<\/a> as the database helps research efforts as well as informing conservation measures in the area. \u201cThat goes for all sightings, not just the rare but the common ones as well,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Shephard is going to be keeping her eyes open in future in the hope of more special sightings, saying \u201cI think my walks might be about to get a whole lot slower.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Shephard recommends that people record seahorse sightings on ERCCIS as the database helps research efforts as well as informing conservation measures in the area. Long-snouted seahorse. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>