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Wildlife of West Cork

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Wildlife of West Cork

Sharing West Cork's amazing wildlife -in the water, on land, and in the air -through photography and education.

11/05/2026

Worm Pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis)

A common find in puddles of seawater under stones at low tide, the Worm Pipefish grows to a maximum length of only 15 cm. They are related to the seahorses and have a similar practice of paternal egg incubation. Female pipefish initiate courtship, transfer their eggs into grooves on their chosen partner’s underbelly, and then the male proceeds to incubate the eggs until they hatch. So, if you are peering under stones during low tide, keep an eye out for these patient fathers and replace any stones carefully as you found them!

30/04/2026

These past weeks of warmer, dry weather have brought early migrations of the beautiful Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) through Ireland. Most of the ones that I’ve seen flying past my garden lately were still flying high without much interest in landing or feeding, set on continuing their migration northwards. Many have come from Spain, North Africa, or even from the Sahel region south of the Sahara, and may continue all the way up to the Arctic Circle. Through a multi-generational migration, they can fly a round trip of 13,000 km, but individual butterflies have been known to fly as much as 4,000km to complete their migration back to Africa in the autumn as no life stage of this butterfly can survive temperatures below 4°C.

13/04/2026

Netted Dog Whelk (Tritia reticulata)
This common sea snail is one of nature’s cleaners –feeding on dead or decaying animal matter. Between meals, it often buries itself in sediment and extends only its siphon which it uses to smell carrion. Its gorgeous vase-shaped egg capsules often contain hundreds of eggs. These egg capsules are arranged in neat rows, often along a single blade of seagrass (though the ones in the photo were laid on the stipe of the red seaweed known as Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus)).

10/03/2026

Star Ascidian Sea Sq**rt Colony (Botryllus schlosseri):
Found on rocks and seaweeds along our shores, this compound sea sq**rt creates beautiful floral shapes, yet each petal-shape is a separate animal or ‘zooid’ in the colony. Each individual takes in water through its own opening which is red in this colour form. The outflow, on the other hand, is shared amongst multiple individuals and is located in the centre of the star or flower shape. In this way, the filtering of water for phytoplankton and bacteria to feed on is maximised for all of the individuals in the colony.
Actual size: 4mm wide zooids

20/02/2026

The Black Snail Beetle (Phosphuga atrata) is one of the 3,850 terrestrial beetle species that live in Ireland and Britain. It can be found under stones, logs, and debris, searching for snails to eat. Its small, narrow head is specially adapted to enable it to reach into snail shells to feed on its prey. This beetle can be found through the winter, spring, and early summer, but is usually found resting during the day as it prefers to hunt at night.

12/02/2026

Venus Clams of West Cork!
At this time of the year, it can be lovely to spend some time exploring our coastline and trying to identify the species that we find there. Empty shells are great for practicing identification since they don’t scurry away! There is an excellent resource online from the National History Museum of Wales which can help you identify bivalves (shells with two sides that hinge together). Take a look at the shell’s shape, pattern, and surface texture. Also, look at the interior of the shell to see the faint pattern of where the animal’s muscles were once attached to the inside of the shell. All of these can be identification clues. The Venus Clams pictured here are the Banded Venus, Striped Venus, Thick-Ridged Venus, and Warty Venus. Their names provide an insight that the shells’ pattern and texture of ridge lines are an easy way to tell them apart!
Here is the link to the highly recommended online pictorial key:
https://naturalhistory.museumwales.ac.uk/BritishBivalves/key.php

27/01/2026

Centipedes and Millipedes -these two classes of arthropods are often confused, yet they behave as opposites! Centipedes are fearsome predators, attacking other invertebrates such as flies, spiders, springtails, and woodlice. Millipedes, on the other hand, are detritivores. Their diet consists only of decaying organic matter. How can you tell the difference between centipedes and millipedes? Look at each segment of their body. If there is only one pair of legs connected to each body segment (one leg to the right and one leg to the left!), then you are looking at a centipede! If there are two pairs of legs connected to each body segment (two legs on each side!), then it is a millipede!

12/01/2026

This exquisite creature is known as a Sea Angel (Clione limacina)! This one was spotted in Bantry Bay although they are found in greater numbers in Arctic waters. As they are only about 1-2cm in length, lone individuals are easy to overlook! They are actually shell-less sea snails which have evolved to swim through the water column by gently flapping their wing-like appendages. Their bodies are mostly translucent allowing their internal organs to be seen through their skin. Although tiny, they are fierce predators, feeding on tiny planktonic snails. In turn, Sea Angels are eaten by baleen whales.

15/12/2025

The Gorse Seed Weevil (Exapion ulicis) is a tiny weevil that feeds on the stems, spines, and seeds of gorse bushes. The females lay their eggs in the young seed pods, providing a ready source of food and protective case to the larvae when they hatch. Through the winter, adult weevils hibernate on the bushes, waiting to lay their eggs the following spring. Gorse Seed Weevils were introduced to New Zealand in the 1930s as a biological control against the invasion of non-native gorse. The success of this program was limited as the gorse can complete two cycles of seed production in New Zealand each year and the weevil only breeds once a year.

08/12/2025

Cowries shells are one of the beautiful shells that we can find washed up on the shore here in West Cork. But did you know that there are two species of cowrie that live here?
The Spotted Cowrie (Trivia monacha) has three dark patches on the top of the shell, white stripes on its ‘foot’ (the part of the body that slides along a surface when it is moving), and the shell ridges aren’t continuous lines from the left to the right sides of the shell.
The second species, the Arctic Cowrie (Trivia arctica) doesn’t have any dark patches on the top of its shell, it doesn’t have white stripes on its foot, and the shell ridges are mostly continuous lines from the left to the right sides of the shell. The Arctic Cowrie can be found as far north as the northern shores of Norway, whereas the Spotted Cowrie’s northern limit is the Shetland Islands.
Both species feed on compound sea sq**rts such as the Star Ascidian (Botryllus schlosseri). The spotted pattern on the mantle (the part of the animal that extends up over the shell when the animal is active) is thought to provide camouflage while feeding. The front edge of the mantle is rolled up to form a siphon used for respiration.

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