JELLYFISH
Of all the creatures we see in Ireland, few instil a sense of grace and fear in equal measure more than a jellyfish.

While many people jump out of the water on seeing jellyfish, it's worth knowing that our most common one, Moon jellyfish (right) do not sting.

Jellyfish thrive in the plankton-rich Irish waters where they swim with the currents to get to the best feeding locations.

In Ireland our most common species are Moon, Compass, Blue and Lion's Mane. However in recent years there has been a worrying rise in more dangerous species such as Pelagia Noctiluca sometimes called Mauve Stingers, they carry a powerful sting with which they have destroyed entire fish farms.

BASKING SHARKS
Basking Sharks have been around since before dinosaurs roamed the earth! Every spring they show up all around the Irish coast but are particularly concentrated on the coasts from Donegal to Kerry.

At ten metres and five tonnes, they are the second largest fish in our seas… Basking Sharks are filter feeders, eating just plankton, they are the gentle giants of the sea and are completely harmless to man.

Basking Sharks cruise slowly… passing water through their impressive gills… They can pass up to 1.5 million litres of water through their mouths every hour, the equivalent of two Olympic sized swimming pools.
Their livers run almost the entire length of their abdomen and are filled with oil.

They were hunted to the brink of extinction in Irish waters in the early part of the 20th century and these fisheries actually then funded the early whaling station on Ireland's coast.

Jewel anemones (left) come in sparkling and vibrant colours. However in the natural world vivid colours normally signify danger. Most anemones hold toxins which they use to paralyse prey such as small crabs and even fish, below is a dahlia anemone digesting a moon jellyfish.

Under their arms are dozens of short feet and suckers … which allow them to move around at deceptive speeds… starfish have an ingenious method of pumping water through their feet, almost like a jet which helps them glide over any surface.
They also have tiny eyes on their feet and although their sight is not great, they can distinguish light.

Starfish will eat pretty much anything they come across… in fact they will even eat each other! On the left you can see two starfish eating a moon jellyfish, many times their size.

They can decimate huge areas of kelp by eating the roots and large groups can destroy entire mussels colonies in just a few days… leaving vast tracts of empty shells.

Unusually, they nest in burrows … if a rabbit hole is available they'll use it, otherwise they'll dig a hole themselves… The female lays a single egg, which both she and the male will incubate for roughly forty days. They feed their chick until the end of July and then take off for the open sea when he is sufficiently nourished.