Page 20 - August 2016 WN complete final version

The rocky
horror show

Rockpools are a vital part of the summer
holidays. And that’s before you know
what’s really going on in them.
Jules Howard explains

jack perks Jules Howard
Zoologist Jules is
author of Sex on
Earth: a celebration
of animal
reproduction
juleshoward.co.uk

Imagine a world consumed each day in providing an amazing hairdo of No shell is safe
a washing machine of tidal violence, camouflage, and some of the animals, like from the
where daily battles are fought over the snakelocks anemone, photosynthesise. pneumatic
scraps of food and shelter. Where shells, Here, sea slugs steal poisonous cells from crowbarring of a
suckers and tentacles outnumber other creatures and wear them on their starfish’s
backbones. Such a place exists today. It is back like armour. This is their world, not stomach
called a rockpool. And it is a writhing ours. And it is an interesting place indeed.
hotbed of weirdness: a place where new passers-by, forming a literal ‘sex train’ of
creatures are swapped about with Thrown into their twice-daily tidal up to 25 individuals.
mind-bending irregularity. maelstrom, rockpool dwellers must make
the most of every opportunity they get. Shelled creatures occupy pride of place
Here, boneless animals such as the Their sex lives reflect that. Many, like the in most rockpools. There are shelled
bootlace worm grow metres in length or, sea slugs, are hermaphrodites, able to put worms (bristleworms), shelled tiny
like the velvet swimming crab, come every encounter with a fellow of the same
armed with fierce red eyes, razor sharp species to good use. Then there are the
pincers and an attitude to match. Here, slipper limpets, an alien invader that
crabs decorate their shells with seaweed pumps out special chemicals to attract

20 Wildlife news: national