Explore local sea life
Dip below NI's surface using our interactive map and discover more about the amazing sea life that calls our seas home.
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Rocky habitat
Rocky habitats are some of the most natural and untouched places in the UK. Often high up in the hills and hard to reach, they are havens for some of our rarest wildlife.
Sea potato
Sea potatoes may have a funny name, but they are perfectly adapted for life in the sand. They are a type of sea urchin that live in a burrow in the sand, feeding on dead animals and plants using…
Charities urge stronger protection for Irish Sea and Welsh Coast as landmark reports reveal amount of carbon stored in seabed habitats for the first time
A landmark report published today by a coalition of nature charities provides the first estimate of the carbon stored in seabed habitats in the Irish Sea and along the Welsh Coast.
Sea slug
This large sea slug is anything but dull!
Sea hare
The sea hare looks like a sea slug – but in fact has an internal shell. They can be up to 20cm long but are usually much shorter.
Sea beet
Sometimes called 'Wild spinach', Sea beet can be cooked and eaten. It grows wild on shingle beaches, cliffs and bare ground near to the sea, as well as in saltmarshes.
Sea campion
If you happen to be near rocky places such as sea cliffs, shingle coastlines or even gravel paths during the summer months you will most likely come across sea campion.
Sea lemon
A large colourful sea slug found on rocky shores around the UK.
Sea lettuce
Sea lettuce is unmistakeable - most often a bright green and always translucent, it is found on all UK coasts.
Pink sea fan
Did you know we have colourful corals in UK seas? Pink sea fans are a type of horny coral - related to the sea fans found in the tropics. Don't be fooled by their name though, pink sea fans…
Sea spurge
As its name suggests, Sea spurge is found at the coast. It is an attractive plant that displays cup-shaped, greeny-yellow flowers and fleshy, grey-green leaves.