Behaviour

They start life as larvae, and once they find a suitable spot to settle, they will metamorphise into adults and settle on hard substrate like rocks. Sea squirts are filter feeders, taking sea water in through one of their two siphons (the holes at the top), filtering out food in the form of plankton and detritus, and then expelling wastewater from their other siphon. This is a colonial sea squirt.

Size

up to 20 mm tall.

Status

Common

Distribution

This species is widespread around the UK – look for them in gullies, beneath overhangs and on the sides of boulders.

When to see

All year round

Facts

Sea squirts get their name from their tendency to shoot a stream of water out of their siphons when removed from the sea!